As she ate, she pulled out the work she’d done for Lilly. It was good, but maybe it could be better. She worked on tweaking the words as she ate, and then she put the folder in her tote. She’d look at it again tomorrow at the bookstore if she had time before Lilly showed up to sign books. She’d gotten her first payment for work today deposited into her checking account. At first, she’d thought it was an error, a deposit put into the wrong account, but then she’d checked her email and found her “pay stub” from Lilly’s financial manager. She needed to keep this job going. The money might cover her return to college.
When dinner was over and she’d calmed down, she grabbed the remote and called Watson to join her on the couch to watch some television. It was their “Sunday” since she had to work tomorrow at the bookstore. She needed to chill for a bit, or she’d never get to sleep.
* * *
Thursday morning, her mom was already at the bookstore when Meg and Watson walked down the hill. She’d made Watson a tote bag, which would get him through until she took him home at ten that night. It would be a long day for him, but she’d rather have him with her where she could watch for him than alone in the apartment. She still couldn’t believe that someone had untied him last night.
“You’re early.” Her mom put a cup of coffee in her hand after she unleashed Watson. “I appreciate you adjusting your schedule for this. I lost track of time this month.”
“No problem.” Meg tucked her tote under the counter, then took a sip of the coffee. She hadn’t made any at the apartment this morning, hoping the walk would wake her up before she arrived. It hadn’t completely done its job. “When’s Lilly arriving?”
“Jolene said she’ll be here at one. I’m printing off the preorder and signing instructions now for those who asked for the books to be personalized.” She pushed a stack of paper closer to Meg. “Tuck one of these in each book and stack them on the side table. Lilly likes to sign on the title page. The ones that want only a signature, we’ll handle separately.”
Meg’s eyes widened at the stack of papers. “And you’re still printing?”
“I told you, Lilly having her release day events here saved the bookstore.” Mom hit a key, and the printer started spitting out paper. “Over two hundred people signed up and prepaid for tomorrow’s release party. I’ll have another list tomorrow. We’ll be having that event over at city hall. The bookstore won’t hold that many people.”
“Do you need me to help move books?”
“No, Junior and Dalton will be helping out, so they’ll move the boxes. I wish we could have it here.” Mom glanced around the bookstore. “I used to get a lot of impulse buying before and after the events. Now, unless I can talk Glory into working, I’ll have to close the store. We’ll bring over her other books, in case a reader needs one of the backlist books.”
Meg saw that Watson had curled up on his bed behind the counter. She woke him and took the bed and his water to the back room, where she could keep an eye on him. Then she grabbed the papers. “I better get started if I want to be even close to ready by the time Lilly gets here.”
She started opening boxes and then transferred a box to the table her mom had set up. Then she carefully put the signing instructions in each book, between the right pages to make it easier for Lilly. Man, her hand was going to be cramped up by the weekend. After this, she was probably heading out to more signings. Meg wondered if she’d leave her with assignments. Meg glanced at the sleeping Watson. “I’m worried about your expensive food, you understand.”
Watson didn’t respond.
When she took a break from the boxes and went out front, she grabbed her folder from her backpack and took it to the signing table. Mom had already set up three fine-point black Sharpies for Lilly’s use.
Then she turned on the radio to a local station, grabbed the next stack of papers from the counter, and opened another box. She could count this as either cardio or core work, since she had been bending over, grabbing books all morning long. She’d finished the stack of books when her mom came into the room. She had more papers as well as a takeout bag.
“Lunch is ready,” Mom called out. “I ordered Chinese.”
“I’m starving,” Meg admitted, taking the papers from her mom. “Okay to eat back here?”
“I’ll be up at the counter. The ferry landed, so I may be getting some customers.” Mom looked through the bag and pulled out a container. “Let me know when you’re done, and I’ll give you the number of books we need a straight signature on. We also need some signed stock for the store. I don’t like to bother Lilly after the event. I know these things wear her out.”
“It would me, too,” Meg admitted. Her dad had suggested she go into sales as a career, but the idea of talking to people day in and day out, trying to sell something, was overwhelming. She knew she was an introvert, but she hadn’t considered that in her career planning. Maybe in her next career, she should. She dove into her order of shrimp fried rice.
She’d finished setting up the back when she heard Lilly and Jolene greeting Mom as they entered the shop. She hurried to clean off Lilly’s signing table. She’d already taken the empty food containers out to the trash bin, but you could still smell the ginger in the room.
Jolene came in first. “Oh, I’m glad you’re here. When you didn’t show up this morning, I thought maybe something had happened.”
Guilt filled Meg. She grabbed the folder and handed it to her. “I’m so sorry. I knew you were going to be here, and Mom asked me to help her set this up for Lilly. I assumed you knew I’d be here. The next time, I’ll reach out and let you know.”
A smile curved Jolene’s lips. She checked the times on the front of the folder. After putting the folder in her tote, she pulled out a new one and handed it to Meg. “Lilly told me you’d be here. She had no doubts. She had me bring the next assignment. So far, you’ve been living up to her trust. Don’t abuse it.”
Meg didn’t have time to answer, because Lilly and Mom had come into the room. Mom pointed to the table. “We’ve got you set up over there. Meg’s here to help with anything you need. Water, coffee, maybe food?”
“We ate before we left. My chef likes me to eat most of my meals at home so he can adjust my calories as needed. It feels like I’m always on a diet, but he’s super creative with making vegetables taste good.” Lilly walked over and put her arm around Meg. “And this one. Your daughter is also very creative. Did you know that, Felicia?”
Mom laughed as she nodded. “She’s always been a bit of a storyteller. And not just for written projects. I’m glad she’s working out for you. I love having her back home.”
“Yeah, cheap labor,” Meg teased as she opened another box of books. And started stacking them on the back table.
“Not only for that reason,” Mom replied. “Anyway, I’ll let you get busy. Coffee?”
“Please.” Lilly sat down and glanced at Watson, who was staring at her, waiting to be acknowledged. “Nice to meet you, Watson. Your mom has told me so much about you. Who’s a pretty boy?”
