Page 4 of Foxer Upper (Harmony Glen #8)
“Kinda,” I say, munching a chip. “Lived here for years, moved away, recently came back.”
“Ah.” She nods. “Well, welcome back, and welcome to Cool Beans. I’m Gillian, the owner.” She cocks her head. “Across the parking lot is Hip Hops, the pub my partner runs. Stop in for a drink sometime and tell her Gilly sent you. She’ll fix you something on the house.”
“Wow, okay. Thanks.”
“Sure thing. Enjoy your food.” She saunters back inside, leaving me grinning. Why did my parents ever want to leave this town? It’s so great.
I pull up the shared website for the two businesses and have to giggle at the hours.
Cool Beans is open from 7AM to 4PM, meaning it’s run by a literal early bird.
By contrast, Hip Hops doesn’t open until 6PM, but it stays open until two in the morning.
A picture of the proprietresses is included; turns out Gillian’s partner is a succubus named Vienne, who serves as a dark and glossy contrast to Gilly’s teal-and-gold shimmer.
I can’t help but wonder if they’re merely business partners, or if they might be romantic partners as well. Either way, I’ll definitely be checking out the pub.
I eat my food and work on planning content until I get a call from The Lion’s Paw. Everything went smoothly with Jasper and he’s ready to be picked up, so I hurry to collect him and bring him home.
It turns out that Dr. Khoran is as puzzled by Jasper as I am; he’s too friendly to be feral and doesn’t seem skinny enough to be a stray, but he doesn’t have a microchip and wasn’t fixed. Further, Roarke isn’t aware of anyone missing a cat that fits his description.
“No one’s reported a missing cat?” I ask.
Dr. Khoran shakes his head. “Not one like this.” He double checks the message board in the lobby to be sure. “Actually, all the missing pet signs have been taken down. I think everyone has been found. I can’t tell you where this guy came from.”
Strange. I suppose I’ll never know the answers to Jasper’s past, but at least I know what his future holds: a can of cat food and his first night sleeping in my house.
MAGGIE
The next morning, I wake up early with Jasper curled against the small of my back.
He seemed fine after his trip to the vet, even with the vaccines and surgery.
He wandered around the house, exploring and sniffing.
I made sure he knew where his water and litterbox were, and after eating a full can of tuna and shrimp, he settled on the couch for a bath and a nap.
When I headed upstairs for bed, he followed me, seemingly content.
I stretch and roll out of bed, careful to disturb him as little as possible.
He yawns and flicks his tail, then rearranges himself and immediately falls back to sleep.
I throw on a pair of work overalls—as always, splattered with paint and decorated with cute bows on the straps—and toss my hair into a ponytail.
And then I walk the two quick blocks to Cool Beans, where I’m greeted by an effusive Gillian. “Maggie! It’s lovely to see you again. What can I get you this morning?”
The offerings are varied, but I’m feeling basic. “Hmm, could I have a black coffee with a shot of espresso and a banana muffin? To go, please.”
She grins and nods. “That’s a popular drink order this morning. Margaid got the very same thing.” She gestures toward a curvy redhead in the corner, who’s sipping coffee and looking at something on her phone.
“I guess maybe we’re all needing a boost today,” I say with a shrug.
Gilly hands me my order and I head back outside, wondering how to approach Gabe with my potential request for help.
As I chew on my muffin, I notice the store next to Cool Beans.
It isn’t open this early, but from the name—Tranquil—and the items I can see through the window, it seems to be a wellness store of some sort.
There are beautiful crystals glinting in the sunlight that hits the window, and I make a mental note to come back here and grab a couple when I’m ready to decorate my house.
I finish the muffin and head back past the café and pub to Harmony Hardware, where Gabe is just unlocking the door.
“Maggie,” he says, looking surprised. “Didn’t expect to see you back so soon. Don’t tell me you need more jigs?”
I sip my coffee and consider what to say. Ugh, I so don’t want to ask for help. But maybe I can just sort of float the idea and see how he reacts.
“Ha, no thanks, I’m all good on that front. Though I would like to browse what other manual tools you carry. And possibly rent a circular saw. And maybe…talk to you about a job?”
He quirks a dark eyebrow. “What sort of job?”
“Well, you said to let you know if I needed help. I’m not sure if I do.
I think I’m pretty capable of handling my reno project on my own.
But to get it done by the end of the year, I might need a teeny tiny bit of assistance.
Whether that’s an extra set of hands —er, paws—or just some expert advice, I don’t know. But here’s the thing…”
I trail off and he looks at me expectantly. “Yeah?”
I hate this. Talking about money is so awkward. “I don’t have a ton of extra cash at the moment. Most of my budget has gone into the house, both in terms of buying it and all the reno stuff. I guess I need to know what your rates are?”
He visibly relaxes. “Oh, that’s not a big deal. Come on, we can discuss it while we browse the other tools. This way.”
He leads me to an aisle with the standard stuff: hammers, wrenches, pliers, shovels, etc.
I’ll definitely need to check out the power tools too, because I really do need that saw, but my attention is immediately grabbed by the items farther down the row.
They kind of resemble normal tools, but they’re also quite different.
“What’s all that?” I ask.
“Oh, I stock specialized tools for monsters,” he says. “You know, something for those with large hands or claws or paws. Varying types of grips that exert different forces. An orc needs a different wrench than a human woman, you know.”
My mind immediately shoots to Dorvak, the town’s orc baker. He specializes in delicious breads, and I have to admit, I can’t really picture him doing manual labor. But Gabe has a point; there’s no way Dorvak and I would need the same tools for a job.
“That’s kind of amazing,” I say. “It never really occurred to me that these kinds of tools exist, but it obviously makes sense.” A genius idea strikes me.
“Hey, I create social media content about DIY projects. I would love to feature these tools, and if you’d be willing to make a guest appearance and explain how some of them work, that would be incredible.
It could even be a recurring segment on inclusivity.
” The ideas are racing through my brain.
I glance up, and he’s watching me with a curious expression. “I’d pay you, of course.”
He shoots me a grin. “You seem to be really focused on finding ways to give me money.”
I will myself not to blush, but I can feel my cheeks turning pink.
“Oh, um, it’s just that you have a lot of useful stuff, and you know how to drill and nail things, and I think my followers would like to know about your tool offerings—” His eyebrows go even higher at that, and I realize what I said.
“I mean, not your tool, and not that kind of nailing and drilling, but like…” I gesture to the aisle helplessly, praying that lightning will strike me dead. Everything I say is making it worse.
He bursts into laughter. “Here’s the thing about me, Maggie. I love jokes and I like teasing. If you turn bright red at an awkward turn of phrase or double entendre, then I’m not going to be able to help giving you a hard time. You should know that now.”
I sigh, deciding to lean into the awkwardness and innuendo. “In that case, would you be interested in coming over to my place soon? I’d love to show you all my holes.”
He chokes, I snort, and then we both dissolve into giggles. “The ones in the walls, obviously,” I add.
“Oh, obviously. I never dreamed you meant anything else.” Still chuckling, he crosses his arms, making his biceps bulge and revealing a hint of a tattoo that I’m immediately curious about. “Do you have plans tonight?” he asks.
I shake my head. “Nope.”
“Good. Why don’t you meet me next door at Hip Hops at 6:30? We can grab a bite, maybe a drink, and figure out exactly what kind of help you need from me.” He waggles his brows, and another giggle escapes me.
“Yeah, okay. That sounds good.”