“Now he’s a philosopher?” I smiled at Amy. “You going to be able to get him up the stairs to your apartment?”
“Austin will help if I can’t.” Amy shrugged. “If he’s not home, I’ll leave Justin in the car until tomorrow when he sobers up.”
Dustin Austin owned Amy’s apartment building. Austin, as he liked to be called, lived in the apartment on the third floor. On the ground floor, he ran the only bike rental shop in town. During the summer he set up a trailer on the beach so he could work on his tan in his downtime. Austin had been a hippie from the time he dropped out of an Ivy League college back East. The man reeked of the sixties, wearing his tie-dyed T-shirts and cargo shorts, a pair of Birkenstocks always on his large feet. I’d yet to get him to attend one of the Business-to-Business meetings, or what he called the Gathering of the Establishment. He tolerated me as a pawn of The Man, but he adored Amy.
Amy pulled Justin’s Grand Cherokee into my driveway. I gave her a quick hug before opening the door. “Thanks for the ride.”
“No way would I let you walk home.” Amy looked back at the now sleeping Justin. “I can’t believe Kent’s dead. He seemed like such a nice guy.”
“Not from what I’ve been hearing. I think he and Sherry were meant for each other. They both only cared about themselves.” I thought about seeing Kent with the woman at the beach yesterday. I probably should tell Greg before I started gossiping to Amy, but I was torn.
A groan from the backseat stopped my internal debate. Amy rolled her eyes. “I guess I’d better get my traumatized boyfriend home and tucked in bed.”
Amy didn’t pull the car out of the driveway until I’d found my keys, unlocked my door, and turned on the living room lights. I waved and Amy responded with a quick beep of the horn. After I let Emma out for a quick backyard break, I grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. I considered tea, but I felt beat. Watching out the window and waiting for Emma to return, I realized what Amy had said in the car. Boyfriend. She’d moved past the Hank the Jerk phase, finally.
A smile teased at my lips as I let my dog in and locked the house up for the night. Amy and Justin were official.
No smile rested on my face the next morning when the alarm blared way too early. I dragged myself out of bed and sat at the table for a few minutes power-drinking the coffee I’d set on delayed brew last night. Emma ran around the backyard looking for an unwise rabbit and I wanted to return to bed. Maybe I could invent a coffee patch that filled you with caffeine on mornings like this. I discarded the thought. Part of the experience was the feel of the brew warming your body up like a fine race car.
I left Emma outside while I got ready for my morning shift. After a shower and pulling on my favorite capris and floral tank, I felt almost human. I checked her food and water, gave my dog a hug, and got a wet slurp of a kiss in return.
“We’ll run when I get home,” I promised. The last few weeks had been busy with getting ready for the now-postponed mystery dinner theater. Coffee, Books, and More was a major sponsor, along with South Cove Winery and South Cove Bed-and-Breakfast. Jackie had designed the marketing promos, including getting a free announcement on the local radio and television stations. Now she had to rework all of the promotions with a new date. I didn’t even want to see my aunt today. She’d be grumpy as a bear.
When I arrived at the store, Sasha Smith, our newest employee, sat at one of the patio tables, reading. She looked up at me as I unlocked the door, her coffee-colored skin almost glowing in the soft early morning light. She held up the book she’d been absorbed in, an advanced reading copy of a new adult series. Sasha had taken on the role of our young adult and new adult expert. She had blown through all the publishers’ advanced readers copies I’d set aside, hoping for some time to read.
“Hey, boss.” Her honey Southern tone made the address almost tender. “I love, love, love this author. I think she’ll be the first read in our teen book club. The kids will adore this book, just enough angst. I’m so glad you let me spin the older kids off into their own group. It opens up a whole new batch of books and subject matter.”
“I’m so glad you agreed to take on another club. Sorry if I kept you waiting.” I flipped on the lights as we entered the store, the smell of books and coffee filling my senses.