Page 8 of Hidden Vows (Love in Ashford Falls #3)

six

ABBEY

I’m closing out the cash register a few days later when Marybelle Burns, the owner of Falls Book Haven, walks through the door. It’s not necessarily late since it’s only six in the evening, but if Marybelle makes an appearance in the store, it’s normally in the middle of the day.

“Abbey, my dear! I’m glad I caught you.” The woman may be in her sixties and shorter than most people, but the way she waltzes into a room with such confidence has always been something I’ve envied about her.

“Where else would I be, Ms. Marybelle?” And what an unfortunate truth that is.

Managing this place has practically become my entire purpose in life. Even with Ava reintroducing me to our little world of Ashford Falls, I still don’t go out and do anything unless it’s with her, Quinn, and Emily. I might go to Murphy’s once or twice a week for dinner, but that’s it.

If I’m not with one of them, I’m in this store or my apartment, baking or reading. I used to have such a drive to do more. I strived to learn new recipes, I endeavored to create my own, I volunteered my time. I had friends—a life. I was more than just my job—I wanted more for myself.

I always dreamed of opening my own bakery and coffee shop, but then I had my heart broken, and I mistook losing one dream for losing them all.

“I know, I meant I’m glad I made it here before closing.” Marybelle smiles, coming up to the opposite side of the counter.

“Is everything all right?” Concern etches my voice. Marybelle might seem to be in a good mood, but the fact she’s here at closing searching me out has my stomach rolling.

“Of course. It’s just, well…” She sighs, a half-smile gracing her lips, almost as if in pity. “I’ve decided to retire early.”

“Oh. That’s great.” I don’t know why she needed to rush to tell me, especially since she’s been semi-retired for years, but I’m happy for her. Though, the pity in her eyes has me questioning how happy I should be about this announcement.

“It means I’m selling the bookstore,” she says gently as if she’s afraid of hurting me.

“Oh.” My eyes fall to the open drawer in front of me, not entirely sure what to say.

I honestly don’t even know how I feel. I should feel sad, right?

“That makes sense.” I push the drawer closed and lock it before tucking the key into my pocket.

“Do you already have an interested buyer?” That’s the logical question to ask.

If she has an interested buyer and they don’t plan on keeping this as a bookstore…a m I going to have to fire the rest of the staff too?

“No. I just officially decided to retire today. I honestly thought you might be interested in buying the place.” Marybelle reaches across the counter, placing her hand on my forearm, waiting for my eyes to meet hers before she continues.

“You’ve put so much of yourself into this place, and I thought you might even be able to turn it into that café you always dreamed about.

” Her smile is so genuine. I can’t bring myself to tell her I have nowhere near the amount of money it would take to buy this place from her.

People like to whisper that the only town secret is about what happened between Jude and me, but the truth is, there are so many secrets this town knows absolutely nothing about.

Like the fact that I don’t have money stashed away somewhere.

They like to assume that since my father has made a lot of money from his investment firm, that I now have money too. But that’s not who my father is.

My father worked hard to build his mini-empire, and while he’s a very wealthy man with a lot of power, he’s always believed that I have to work for everything I want in life. Handouts from him have never been a thing and asking him for money has never crossed my mind—he’d never give it to me.

But he’s a businessman at heart. Maybe if I went to him with a business plan, asking for a loan or an investment instead of simply asking for the money with nothing in return…

“Can I let you know in a week?” I ask Marybelle, a plan forming in my mind.

“Of course! I sprung this on you with no warning.”

“Thank you, Ms. Marybelle. I really appreciate you thinking of me.” And I mean that. The more I think about it, the more excited I get. I might actually make my long-lost dream a reality.

“Always, my dear. And no matter what”—Marybelle reaches across the counter, taking my hand in hers—“I’ll make sure you have plenty of time to make arrangements for a new job. I would never leave you out in the rain.”

I squeeze her hand and offer her a tight smile. “The thought never crossed my mind.”

The sound of knocking on the door to the bookstore jolts me from my laptop in front of me.

I know I should have gone up to my apartment to work on my business plan, but something about being in the space has my creative juices flowing. I couldn’t stop jotting down ideas for what I could do with the store.

I’d need to renovate the entire place to make this happen, but I know I can do it if I have the money.

Incorporating the café would mean losing a little shelf space, but as Ava pointed out when she first started, a good portion of the traffic coming through the doors of Falls Book Haven is coming for the baked goods, not the books.

Owning this bookstore means I could change up the inventory, and maybe I’d be able to get people interested in the books we sell here instead of just the sweets.

I love Marybelle, but she’s been stocking the same types of books for years, and more often than not, it only caters to the older generation of Ashford Falls. The fact that I convinced her to stock some newer thrillers—and, God forbid, romances—was so monumental, I almost fainted.

I have no idea how she’s stayed in business as long as she has, but the idea of revamping this space is bringing me back to life in a way I stopped believing was possible.

Glancing over my shoulder, I find Ava and Gage standing at the door, concern etched across their faces.

“Is everything all right?” Ava doesn’t even let me open the door before she’s pushing through, pulling me into a hug so tight I’m immediately worried.

“What are you talking about?” I may be talking to Ava, but my eyes are on Gage since she hasn’t let me go .

“We ran into Rose at The Diner, and she told us Marybelle is selling the bookstore.” Gage reaches for Ava, gently pulling her arms from around me.

“That didn’t take long,” I mutter under my breath, returning to the chair I was sitting in before they arrived. “Marybelle was here earlier. You heard right. She’s retiring and selling the bookstore, but she offered to let me buy it first. She’s giving me a week to decide.”

“What’s there to decide?” Ava practically shouts as she takes the armchair next to me. “You love this place.”

“Rebel, tone it down a bit.” Gage chuckles softly, perching on the armrest of his girlfriend’s seat.

“I will not! This is the perfect opportunity!” Ava’s eyes brighten with so much excitement; I can’t help but smile at her.

“You could gut the whole place and build a kitchen where the storage room and offices are.” Ava stands, turning to the space in question.

“And you could shift the counter to face the front of the store, putting a few tables in front of that window. You’d probably lose a few bookshelves, but you could become a specialized bookstore and only sell a certain genre or something, so losing the space wouldn’t be a big deal. ”

When Ava spins back to me, her eyes catch on my open computer, the business plan I was working on still on the screen.

“Oh my god! You’ve already thought of this!” she shouts as she lifts the computer from the table.

“Of course, I’m thinking about it. I just have to figure out how I’m going to pay for it.”

Gage’s eyes shift to mine, and his brows pinch in, curiosity written across his face. “Your dad won’t help you?”

I shift in my seat, discomfort coursing through me.

It’s been a long time since I’ve opened up to anyone about the complicated relationship with my father, and the idea of doing so now makes me nervous.

But I’m also sick and tired of keeping it all in and doing everything by myself.

I want to be a good friend, and Gage and Ava deserve nothing but the truth from me.

“My dad is a firm believer in working for everything you have. He worked his way up to the powerful man he is from nothing and thinks I need to do the same.” I fiddle with the frayed edge of my jean shorts, avoiding eye contact.

It’s hard admitting this, especially to a man whose parents would do everything in their power to help their children, no matter the cost to them. “He’s a businessman at heart, though. So I’m sure if I went to him with a clear business plan, I could probably get him to invest in the idea.”

“How could he pass it up?” Ava bounces where she stands, done holding in the excitement coursing through her. “All he has to do is come in one morning to see the crowd you bring in with your treats. Forget the books. You could only do a bakery and make enough to thrive.”

“I love the books, though.” My eyes move around the shop. There might be a lot of things I would change about this place when it comes to its inventory, but the atmosphere is something I absolutely love.

“I know you do.” Ava moves back to reclaim her seat in the armchair, leaning against Gage as she smiles at me. “What are you going to call it?”

“Oh, I’m not going to change it. Well, not really, anyway. This place has always been Falls Book Haven, and it feels like a haven. I don’t want to change that.”

“If you’re incorporating a bakery, though…” Gage’s words trail off, his meaning clear. The name should match the purpose.

“I was thinking Falls Book Haven and Café. ”

“I love it.” Ava beams.

“Don’t get too excited. I still have to figure out the money side of things.

” My eyes shift to the business plan on my computer.

I hope I can get this right. The more I think about it, the more I want this to happen.

“What about you?” I turn back to Ava. “If I don’t get the money, what will you do?

There’s no guarantee whoever Marybelle sells to will keep this as a bookstore. ”

Ava’s gaze shifts to Gage briefly, her body leaning a little more heavily into his side. “Well, I’ve actually been spending a couple of afternoons a week helping Benny Meriwether out at his office.”

“You have?” I’m surprised but ecstatic about this news. While I’ve loved having Ava working part-time in the bookstore, I always thought it was unfortunate that she gave up practicing law.

She and I didn’t know each other when she first got to Ashford Falls, but I heard how integral she was to Scott keeping custody of his youngest son.

There wasn’t a person in this town who thought it was right what Caleb and Quinn’s mother did to Scott, especially after she abandoned them all when Max was only two.

But even with the win on the case, she was still adamant about moving on from being a lawyer.

Hearing that she’s spending time at the local law office with Benny Meriwether is great news.

I can imagine how happy Benny is with that development.

He’s been talking about retiring for years but keeps putting it off since the closest lawyer is three towns over.

“Yes, but don’t get your hopes up. I’m still not sure it’s what I want to do with the rest of my life. There are still a lot of mixed emotions around practicing law. But I’m happy to help you review anything you need to make this café a reality.”

“No, I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“You didn’t ask, I offered.” Ava’s smile makes it hard to think she’s speaking anything but the truth .

The idea that Ava wants to help me shouldn’t surprise me, and yet it does. I can’t understand why someone would want to help a person that barely lets them in. But then again, Ava understands that better than most would.

I reach across the open space between our seats and grasp her hand, trying to convey how grateful I am. “I would really appreciate your insight.”

“Of course.” She squeezes my hand, silently communicating how much she gets it.

“But you both can start on that tomorrow,” Gage says, standing from his seat and pulling Ava up. “Now it’s time for all of us to go home and get some rest.”

“Yes, sir!” Ava laughs as she salutes him, ruining the gesture entirely, but the fond look that crosses Gage’s face has a little flare sparking in my chest—wishing I had that kind of connection with someone else.