Page 26 of No Such Thing as Serendipity

Once I returned from my tour with Vera, I had to hustle to get ready to leave for Madison. I’d texted Emma, letting her know I’d be skidding in on two wheels and asked her to get my stuff ready, so I could jump into the shower.

Hell, I’d let her choose everything else, so I might as well let her pick my clothes for today. I was feeling adventurous and decided I’d wear whatever she chose.

I glanced at myself in the full-length mirror.

Not bad. The all-black jumpsuit had perfect lines that hugged my body in all the right places.

My legs appeared much longer with the flare of the pants, and the cut showed off the slight curve of my hips.

But it was the top that accentuated my best features.

The sleeveless design showed off my toned shoulders and arms, while the cut gave me a hint of cleavage.

While I leaned toward the masculine, I didn’t mind showing off my assets sometimes.

I smirked at myself in the mirror. Dana’s eyes would pop out when she saw me. Why didn’t that give me as much pleasure as it should? I shrugged and turned away.

When I stepped into the common room where everyone was waiting, catcalls greeted me.

“Damn, girl. You clean up well,” Annie said.

I spun in a circle, showing off my outfit. As I turned, I met Emma’s gaze, and she winked at me.

“I don’t remember unpacking this outfit,” I said to Emma. “Is it yours?”

Emma shook her head. “Nope.” Her mischievous grin caused her eyes to twinkle.

“You’ve been holding out on me.” I pretended to glare at her.

“I wouldn’t go complaining,” Katlynn said. “You look amazing.”

I felt amazing, too. “What about the rest of you? I’d say we all clean up pretty well.”

“Hey, where’s Dana?” I asked, finally noticing she wasn’t there.

“She went with the girls from the Gratitude Grotto,” Helena said.

With Noelle’s group. I breathed a sigh of relief. I wanted to enjoy my friends, not spend the day being ogled.

We’d stopped at a restaurant off the highway and had a leisurely lunch before we drove into downtown Madison. As hard as I tried, nobody would tell me what our plans were. We had three hours to kill. I hoped they’d planned something more than wandering in and out of the downtown shops.

Emma had me park in a lot one block off State Street. As we pulled into our parking spot, I glanced over my shoulder at Helena. “I’m sorry. I forgot to ask. Are you up for walking?”

Helena gave me a smile, and her eyes looked clear, without the pain I usually saw in them. “I’m doing well today, but thanks for asking. Walking will do me good.”

I couldn’t help but notice Katlynn jumped out of the truck and helped Helena down. Ever since Helena had broken down in the sharing circle, Katlynn made it her mission to look out for Helena. It was an odd pairing, but who was I to judge?

As soon as we rounded the corner onto State Street, I had an idea where we were headed. The sign for Lift Our Voices Bookstore was just down the block. I thought of letting Emma surprise me, but since she’d tormented me by not telling me, I figured turnabout was fair play.

“Hey.” I pointed. “Isn’t that Robyn’s bookstore?”

Annie, who was walking just in front of Emma and me, groaned.

“What?” I said, going for clueless.

Emma shot me a dirty look. “Don’t give up your day job for acting. You’re not good at it.”

I laughed and put my arm around Emma while she laughed with me. Only a week ago, I’d scoffed at the feminist bookstore, but now I was eager to visit.

What was this place doing to me? I pulled Emma closer and said, “Thanks, sis.”

“For what?” Emma twisted in my grasp so she could see my face.

“For pushing me to do something I never would have done myself.”

“Does that mean you’ll listen to me from now on?”

I laughed. “Not a chance.”

When we entered the store, it was larger than I expected.

From the outside, I hadn’t recognized the bookstore occupied two storefronts.

I’d thought the second was a café. Actually, it was.

While connected to the bookstore, the large room sported a coffee bar, but where I expected there to be tables, rows of chairs lined the space.

I turned to Emma and pointed. “Is that why we’re here?”

Emma smiled. “One reason. We’ve got almost an hour to browse the shelves. Remember how much you loved to go to Borders when we were kids?”

I remembered. Back then, I could spend hours and hours lost in the bookstore. Sadly, I couldn’t remember the last time I picked up a book that wasn’t work related.

“I’m so happy you guys made it,” Robyn said as she appeared from between the bookshelves. She opened her arms wide. “Welcome.”

As the group exchanged greetings, I couldn’t help but notice how the space suited Robyn. It might sound cliché, but she seemed in her element, as if the bookstore was a part of her.

“Please,” she said. “You ladies browse. Get a cup of coffee. You have plenty of time since the program doesn’t start for another forty-five minutes.”

Annie smiled. “I’m going to take a quick look around, but I can’t stay. Still, I must check out your bookstore.”

Robyn tilted her head. “Other plans?”

“I’m having coffee with Beverly.”

I had to stifle my laugh at Robyn’s wide-eyed expression. It was the same one we’d had when Annie told us last night. Once Robyn recovered, she said, “That’s wonderful.”

“She’s not as bad as she acts,” Annie said. “She’s just in pain.”

“I’m so glad she met you.” Robyn turned to me. “Another example of serendipity.”

I exaggerated an eye roll. “Yeah, whatever.”

Robyn grinned, obviously getting used to my sarcastic ways.

As the others drifted away, I asked Robyn, “What’s the program about?” I tried for casual and thought I pulled it off.

“Oh, no.” Robyn wagged her finger at me. “I have strict orders not to reveal anything.”

“Afraid I’ll bolt?” I grinned.

“There is that concern.”

“Ugh. Am I going to hate it?”

“I hope not. If you keep an open mind, you might even find it useful.”

“Okay, I give up.” I held up my hands as if surrendering. “Would you mind giving me a tour? I haven’t been in a bookstore since I was a kid. Well, the college bookstore, but that doesn’t count.”

Robyn slapped her hand against her chest. “I’m wounded. Not once in your entire adult life?”

I shrugged. “I might have gone in to order a coffee. Does that count?”

“Hardly.” Robyn put her hand on my back and guided me toward the front corner. “Let’s start over here in our new release section.”

“There are that many new feminist books?” My eyes widened as I took in the shelves.

Robyn chuckled. “I don’t just sell feminist books. I’ve got the latest Freida McFadden and Taylor Jenkins Reid.”

“Who?”

Robyn shook her head. “You don’t read, do you?”

I looked away from her, not wanting to see her judgment.

“Hey.” She touched my arm. “I’m not trying to make you feel bad. It’s just I’m a book nerd, so I couldn’t fathom not reading.”

“I used to love it.” My eyes locked on hers. “As a kid, I always had my nose in a book. I don’t know why I stopped.”

“Do you want to read again?”

I nodded. “But I’m lost. I have no clue where to start.” Then I grinned. “If I only knew someone who could help me pick out a couple.”

Robyn laughed. “You know this isn’t a high-end clothing store where you get your own personal shopper, don’t you?”

“Like I told you, it’s been a while since I’ve visited a bookstore, so how would I know?” I gave her my most innocent smile.

“Okay, fine. You win. It’s not like I have a bookstore to run or anything.”

As she guided me toward the shelves, I asked, “How do you get away to teach at the resort?”

“I have excellent help. My team can manage the customers when I’m gone, and I do the finances and ordering after hours. Besides, I come close to breaking even.”

I gave her a side eye.

“I mean, Vera pays me, and then I pay someone to be here since I’m not, so it’s a wash. But I love doing it—teaching, leading groups.”

“You’re good at it.”

Robyn paused in front of the history section. “Thank you. That means a lot, especially coming from you.”

Coming from me? I wasn’t sure what she meant by it but decided not to ask. “How long have you owned the store?”

“Almost eight years. Enough about me. We’ve got books to pick out.”

I thought I detected a shadow cross her eyes, but it was gone when I looked closer. It must have been the lighting.

When Emma found us in the stacks, it shocked me to discover I’d been with Robyn for over half an hour. Time had flown.

“I see you’ve found a few books.” Emma motioned toward the stack I carried.

“Uh, yeah.” I cupped my hand over my mouth and pretended to whisper. “The owner is worse than a used car salesman. I only intended to buy one.”

Robyn grinned and held out her hand. “I can put the rest back.”

In an exaggerated motion, I twisted and put my body between Robyn and my armload of books. “Keep your hands off my books.”

“All fun books?” Emma asked.

I sighed and let her examine the titles.

“I approve, so you better get them rung up. The program is going to start in ten minutes, and you’re going to buy me coffee,” Emma said.

“I am, huh?”

“Yep.” Emma winked at Robyn.

“I’ll leave you two to argue it out,” Robyn said.

“No, I didn’t mean to chase you away,” Emma said.

“Actually, the time got away from me. I should check in with Mary Lou, our speaker for today.” She gave me a huge smile. “It was fun showing you around.” She nodded toward the books in my arms. “When you finish those, come back, and I’ll hook you up with more.”

Before I could tell her how much I enjoyed her tour, she rushed off.