Book Lover, The (15 page)

Glancing at Colin, she felt almost guilty at the flicker of excitement this idea sparked. She realized suddenly that he might be in pain. He was clearly distressed about something.

“Thank you again,” she said when he pulled into the garage. “For rescuing me.”

He turned to her. “No problem.”

“Anytime I can repay the favor, let me know, okay?” Although she couldn’t imagine what he might let her do for him.

When she got back to the cabin, she was surprised to see a white convertible pulling into Colin’s driveway. A pretty redhead got out and stood looking up at his house. When Lucy glanced over, she saw Colin, sitting on his deck, looking down at the woman.

He didn’t look happy.

                            
14

R
UTH’S EYES DRIFTED AGAIN TO THE CLOCK behind the counter. It was hard not watching as the minutes ticked toward Lucy’s signing. Then Thomas’s visiting hours. She imagined him pacing his cell in anticipation and nervousness, having no reason to think that when he walked into the visiting room she wouldn’t be there as promised. A hot wave of guilt washed over her.

She closed her mind as she’d close a book and luckily, a few minutes after they opened, customers came in one after another and it was the kind of busy Saturday she usually enjoyed. With one eye on the register and her ear tuned to the floor, she overheard a conversation Megan was having with a mother who lamented that her son didn’t like to read.

“How old is he?” Megan asked, and Ruth heard that the boy was ten. “What does he like to do?”

The mother hesitated, then said softly, “He doesn’t seem to know. I think he’s at that age where he’s trying to figure out where he fits in. School can be so…”

“Cruel?” Megan asked.

“Yes,” the mother said with a grateful nod.

Megan handed her
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
“I guarantee he’ll read this, or I’ll give you your money back. And luckily, it’s one of a series, so when he finishes, come back for the rest. It’s one of the biggest Young Adult hits in the past few years.”

Harry began pushing bookshelves to the back to make room for the signing table as well as another table of refreshments. The shelves with casters hadn’t been cheap, but Harry had been right when he suggested them awhile back. They opened up the space for events, something she knew she needed to do more of.

A few more customers trickled in, one of them being the mystery woman who perused the bestsellers every so often, then walked out in a huff. Ruth wondered if the busy morning was due to such a gorgeous May day, or could it be the radio ad? She’d pulled out all the stops, knowing it was Lucy’s first bookstore signing, even springing for the radio ad, something she missed now. It had taken her days to write it, a process she enjoyed—creating something with her words. She loved writing, but knew it wasn’t her calling, not writing books anyway. She also got a kick out of feeling a bit like an actress as she sat in the studio, reading the script, hoping to convince someone that THIS was a must read. She knew the commercial for Lucy’s book by heart:

Hello, this is Ruth from The Book Lover, and we’d like to invite you to a special event this Saturday at our store. Lucinda Barrett, an author all the way from Florida, is in town to read and share with us from her debut novel,
A Quiet Wanting.
Rarely has a book touched me so deeply as this story of love and lies, dreams and loss. Does anyone ever really know what goes on inside a marriage? Come and meet Lucinda so that one day soon, you’ll be able to say “I knew her when…”
A Quiet Wanting.
You’ll find it at The Book Lover in downtown Warwick Village, where undiscovered gems are right at our fingertips.

She hoped that ad would be worth the price, not just for Lucy, but for herself.

She looked up now as Colin came in with a small bouquet of sunflowers she assumed were for Gloryanne. Until he set them on the signing table, next to a stack of Lucy’s books.

“Well, that’s a nice touch,” she said, coming over.

“I owe her an apology.”

Before she could respond, Jenny walked in with a bag full of sandwiches, and Colin wheeled away. Jenny looked at her for a long moment. Ruth hesitated, searching her daughter’s face. They hadn’t talked since Jenny had confronted her about her visit to Thomas. Now Jenny held out the bag and gave her a big smile.

“Egg salad, fresh made this morning.”

Ruth felt a rush of relief. Their conversation a few days ago was a thing of the past.

“Loralee and her sister will be here in a little while,” Jenny said. “Just in case.”

Ruth gave her a hug. Jenny always came to events, and usually rustled up a few friends. That was the tough thing about signings, there was no guarantee how many people would show up. She could advertise, run a radio ad, and put a sign out on the sidewalk with balloons. But sometimes a beautiful day meant people would rather be outside doing something else. And a rainy day might keep them from venturing out altogether, especially with the downtown parking situation. There were always excuses, but she hated when an author left disappointed.

Some authors, though, were seasoned and knew the drill, sending out their own newsletters and posting their events on websites and other online venues, which helped to bring in their fans. Others arrived with a haughty attitude and then left in a huff, although they’d made no effort whatsoever to reach out to anyone. They simply thought “if I show, they will come.” They had no clue, Ruth realized, that these days, writing a book was only half the job. Smart authors spent an equal amount of time promoting themselves.

Ruth knew there wasn’t much Lucy could do. She wasn’t from the area, which meant bringing friends and family wasn’t an option. And she was unknown, so luring fans wasn’t going to happen. But they’d already sold some of her books. Ruth had also targeted the local book clubs, sending each an e-mail, and her fingers were crossed that a few would show up. She hoped so, for Lucy’s sake. Everything in her life, it seemed, was riding on this book.

It struck her in that moment that Lucy’s passion for her book, putting everything in her life behind it, wasn’t so different from her own for her store. She’d done the very same thing after her own world had fallen apart, hadn’t she? With no guarantees.

But it was just that way in the book world. No one did it for the money. You risked everything because you loved books.

AN HOUR BEFORE THE EVENT, Ruth looked out the window and saw Lucy across the street, pacing back and forth.

“I’ll be back in a little bit,” she said to Megan, grabbing her purse.

Lucy was startled to see her. “Oh, Ruth, I didn’t want to be too early. Again.”

They both laughed.

“Don’t be silly, it’s fine,” she said.

“I’m so nervous, I could throw up. I’m so afraid I’m going to stumble or freeze while I read.”

Wasn’t it the number one fear, even before dying—speaking in public? “You don’t have to read if you don’t feel up to it. You can just say a few words, or even just sign books.”

“I want to. I’ll just take it one moment at a time.”

“Why don’t we go for a little walk,” Ruth suggested. “We have plenty of time.”

Lucy looked pretty in white capris and a peach sweater set. Her short, dirty blonde hair was tucked behind her ears, and her green eyes looked luminous with just a bit of make-up, the dark circles and lines of fatigue beginning to fade.

They walked down Main Street in silence for a few moments, then Lucy stopped as they crossed the small bridge and looked down.

“Is this a river?”

“That’s the Waywayanda Creek.”

“It’s lovely. In fact, the whole Village of Warwick is just so charming.”

Ruth smiled. “Yes, it is, but don’t let this creek fool you. It flooded a few years back and caused some devastation.” Which she was still paying for.

Lucy looked up at her then. “I can’t believe I’ve been here a week already.”

“Well, you look rested. So tell me, how are things going at the lake?”

“It’s so beautiful, and peaceful. I’ve really enjoyed it, although I did have a run-in with a few spiders. Oh, and I’m going to pick up some new shades while I’m here in town, because a few times they just snapped up and scared the daylights out of me.”

“No, no, don’t be silly—”

“If I’d stayed in a hotel, Ruth, it would have cost me a fortune. It’s the least I can do.”

“It’s just sitting there empty anyway.”

“It’s such a lovely spot. Why don’t you use it?”

“Oh, you know how it is, just too busy, really.”

They turned and began walking again. A moment later they were in front of Elaine’s.

“How about a cup of tea?”

“Sure,” Lucy said.

They went inside and although Elaine wasn’t in sight, Hannah came right over.

“Hey, Ruth, how about a table by the window?”

“How’d you guess?”

“So I hear your next big revitalization meeting is coming up,” Hannah said, as she led them to the front of the restaurant.

“Yes, later in the week.”

“Odd it’s at night, don’t you think?” Hannah went on without looking at her.

Ruth caught herself before the word
What?
escaped her lips. She hesitated a moment, then said in what she hoped sounded like a natural voice, “Well, it’s hard to get everyone to leave their stores during working hours.”

“Oh, right,” Hannah nodded, as Ruth and Lucy sat.

“We’ll just have tea, Hannah. And by the way, this is Lucinda Barrett, she’s doing a signing at the store in a little while.”

“Wow, an author. I’ll try to stop in when I’m done here. I love readings.”

Ruth watched Hannah walk back to the kitchen, her insides vibrating with anger at the lie she’d just uttered. She wanted to smack Eddie.

“Is she a friend?”

Ruth turned to Lucy, who was looking at her curiously. “Yes, she is. But listen, let’s catch up on you. I understand you’ve met my son, Colin?”

“Yes, he was kind enough to help me when I had car trouble.”

“Colin’s a good man, very self-sufficient. But still, it’s nice to have someone nearby.”

Lucy hesitated. “Would you mind if I asked what happened to him?”

Ruth closed her eyes and sighed.

“I’m sorry, Ruth, I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No, it’s not like it happened yesterday. It’s been over two years, but there’s still the odd moment when…I somehow forget. Then I’ll look at him, in that chair for the rest of his life, so handsome, so young, it just breaks my heart all over again.”

Lucy reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “I can only imagine.”

“Do you remember I mentioned the creek flooding while we were standing on the bridge? That’s really when it all started. Colin was home on leave. He had one more tour left and then he and Gloryanne were going to get married. She and I were in the city shopping for a wedding dress when the flash flood came. They got sandbags and everything they could get their hands on to keep the water back, but eventually it just roared up the street and through the doors and into the store.”

She and Gloryanne had gotten home that night to find the mud and debris halfway up the bookshelves, she went on, everything coated with brown sludge. Colin, Harry, Megan, Kris, and so many others had come to help. Ironically it was just the bookstore and another shop that were hit hard. But Jeff, her landlord, didn’t have flood insurance on the building. She had a tenant’s policy, which didn’t cover floods, either.

“I thought I was going to lose the store. A week later we were nearly done cleaning up, and Colin was deployed back to Iraq. A few days later his tank was hit with an IED, you know those roadside bombs the insurgents hide in garbage cans or book bags, anywhere, really. Suddenly the flood, the store, every problem…it all paled.”

“Oh, Ruth, how awful.”

“Colin went into the Army just a few years out of high school. He’d been a bit of a wild child. Alex and Jenny both went to college, but he couldn’t quite figure out where he belonged. He started going out to bars every night with other young guys.” She looked out the window a moment. “I always wondered if Bill had lived…well, if it would have been different. I blamed myself for working so much when he was younger, after I bought the store.”

“I’m sure that wasn’t the case, Ruth.”

“A moment later his tank would have passed and he would have been spared. Everything about his life would be different right now.”

“I’m so sorry. I have to say, though, your son seems to be a survivor.”

Ruth couldn’t help smiling. “It took a while. Colin was always so strong and independent, but in the beginning, in the rehab, I was afraid. I knew he didn’t want to be a burden to anyone. I worried about what was going through his mind. And then he asked me not to come anymore.” She sighed. “I didn’t want to agree, of course, but I could tell how hard it was for him when I was there. I wanted to make things better, that’s what a mother does. But I agreed.”