“Let me run and grab it.” She moves, then pauses, turning back to him. “Next week won’t be easy.”
Straightening his shoulders, he rests a hand on the counter between them. “Change is always hard, but it’s the right thing to do.”
She blows out a breath. “I keep thinking about Monday morning and not coming here to open the doors.”
What the hell?
I know the business isn’t sustainable as is, but Ivan was clear about what he wanted. Rusten’s Reads was supposed to get a second chance under Garent’s umbrella.
I watch Misty walk away. Once she’s out of view, I march across the store.
“Bella?” Barrett smiles when he sees me approaching. “How long have you been here?”
Dropping the books in my hand on the counter, I turn and face him head-on. “Long enough to know that you’re not going to save this store.”
“You’re buying those books?”
The fact that he completely ignores what I just said sets my blood boiling. “Those and more if this is my last chance to shop here. I used to come here with Marti every Saturday morning when I was a little girl.”
“I didn’t know you were into sci-fi.”
What is wrong with him?
Gazing around the quaint little shop, I bite back my emotion. I come here almost every Saturday morning. Sometimes, I buy books for myself. Other times, I’ll pick up a few children’s books to give to Palla for her kids. There have been days when I’ll choose a handful of random books to donate to the community center around the corner.
This store is a piece of my childhood. I’d hold tight to Marti’s hand when we’d come here. The moment we were in the store, I’d take off in search of one book that she’d buy for me. She told me it was our little secret. I was her only grandchild that she brought here. Rusten’s Reads hold a special place in my heart.
“Here we go.” Misty rounds the corner from the stockroom with a book in her hand. “I found it. It’s a little worse for wear, but that means it’s been read with love over and over again.”
Barrett opens his wallet. He pushes a bill into Misty’s hand. “This should cover it. Ring it up and bag it.”
Misty glances at me. “I take it you know this kind gentleman, Bella, since you both work at Garent.”
r /> “He’s not a kind gentleman. He’s my boss,” I quip.
Misty catches Barrett’s eye. “Bella works for you? I assumed you brought your assistant from Chicago with you. Why wasn’t Bella involved in our meetings?”
Because he knew that I’d fight tooth and nail to save this store.
Raking a hand through his hair, Barrett points at the bill in Misty’s hand. The one hundred dollar bill in her hand. “That’s for this book and the two that Bella wants. Keep the change.”
Digging a hand into my bag, I shake my head. “No. I’ll pay for my books.”
Sliding the bill at Barrett, Misty smiles. “All three books are on the house. Consider it a thank you for going out of your way to save the store. I hope you’ll both be here the day we reopen the doors as Velvet Bay Books.”
Chapter 47
Barrett
Dammit.
This is not how I wanted Bella to find out about this. I have been working on this deal since I met Misty and Rusten over a coffee to discuss the future of their shop.
That was a couple of days after Ivan made it clear that he wanted me to follow in Duke’s footsteps to save the bookstore from the fate that many of the mom and pop shops in Brooklyn have met. Businesses in this neighborhood stand a fighting chance if they appeal to the people who live here.
Park Slope is one of the prime locations in Brooklyn, so I decided after meeting the Fursts and hearing them talk about Bella, that it was worth the money and effort to take them under Garent’s wing.
We signed an agreement that transfers majority ownership of the store from them to Garent. They’ll get the makeover and rebranding they desperately need. With the ideas I’m implementing, they stand a good chance of turning their business around.