Sweet Beginnings by Nicole Ellis

Author:Nicole Ellis [Ellis, Nicole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-11-04T16:00:00+00:00

Dahlia was ensconced in the back office of To Be Read when she heard knocking at the front door of the bookstore. The ‘Open’ side of the sign had been turned toward her, so it shouldn’t be a customer. She peeked around the door to see who had knocked.

Darn it. She should have expected this. Gretchen and Maggie peered in through the window with their hands cupped against the glass. She tried to back away from the door before they saw her, but they spotted her and jumped up and down, waving their hands like crazed fans at a rock concert. She knew she’d eventually need to tell them she planned to leave, but she’d hoped to do so at the last minute. Confrontations terrified her, and she knew they wouldn’t understand her reasons for leaving.

She dragged her feet all the way to the front door and turned the deadbolt.

Gretchen burst over the threshold, her eyes flashing. “When were you planning to tell us you were leaving?”

Dahlia sighed and opened the door wide enough to allow them to enter. “I decided a few hours ago. I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet. News travels fast in this town.”

“Agnes told the Ladies right after you called her and they spread it around town. Gossip doesn’t keep for long here,” Maggie said as she followed Gretchen inside. “For once though, I’m glad they did. Gretchen is right—were you going to tell us?”

Maggie’s eyes misted over and motherly concern filled her face. Her son, Alex, was a lucky kid to have her for a mom.

“What happened?” Gretchen asked.

“Yeah. You were so excited at the wine bar on Friday night,” said Maggie. “What changed your mind?”

Dahlia led them over to the seating area that she’d rearranged in preparation for the remodel. They sat down in the armchairs and Dahlia pulled the tall stool out from behind the front desk and brought it over to their circle. Her friends waited in silence for her to speak.

“I was excited.” She perched on the stool and thought for a moment. Things had happened so quickly and she didn’t know where to start. She had experienced a rollercoaster of emotions over the last few days. “I went into Haven Shores to check out the Book Warehouse and figure out how I could compete with them. I picked out new furniture for the bookstore and had so many plans for To Be Read.”

She stopped to make a mental note. Talking about the sofa reminded her she still needed to explain Wendy’s lease of the upstairs apartment to Agnes. She couldn’t keep avoiding it and she hoped Agnes would be reasonable about honoring the lease. After promising the space to Wendy, she couldn’t renege on the deal, even if she wouldn’t be around for Wendy’s tenancy.

“Everything got to be so expensive.” She slumped on the stool. “I figured out I’d need to have Agnes give me at least five thousand dollars out of the trust to finish the remodel.

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