Dosia’s head snapped up. “What?”
Calliope lowered her voice so JJ couldn’t hear her. “Don’t even think about it,” she repeated. “I finally got you back here. You’re staying.”
Dosia’s eyes narrowed. “Stay out of my head, Auntie.”
“I’m not in your head,” she argued. “Your thoughts are all over your face. Mom and Dad are thrilled to finally have youandJJ back. Don’t take this away from them.”
“Way to lay on the guilt,” Dosia grumbled. She reached over and snagged a cookie, much to her daughter’s dismay. Biting into it, she said, “You still haven’t told mewhyI’m here.”
Calliope’s smile was bright enough to lighten the room. “I’m giving you your dream.” She held open her arms and did a twirl around the place. “I’m giving you the bookstore.”
Dosia’s jaw dropped. “What?”
For as long as Dosia could remember, all Calliope had ever talked about was running the bookstore. Now she finally had it and she was, what, giving it up? Why? What had happened?
Dosia shook her head, trying not to let hope take over. Despite being older, she was a generation under Calliope. When her grandparents had decided to retire, of course they gave the shop to their daughter and not their wayward granddaughter who wasn’t even living in the state. But…it had still hurt. Dosia had felt overlooked. Growing up so close to Calliope, sometimes she forgot that she was thegranddaughteror thenieceand not a daughter or sister.
Calliope and Dosia had spent most of their childhood in this store. They’d helped to rearrange it, keep it clean, and eventually gave their opinions on stock. When Calliope had taken over, it had been Dosia’s suggestion for her to start supplying indie authors as well.
“I don’t understand. What’s changed? You love this store.”
Calliope nodded, looking excited rather than heartbroken. “I do, but it’s time it went to its rightful owner.” She looked around, nostalgia on her face. “The past couple of years, I’ve felt like I’ve been just keeping it running for you. Until you were ready.”
Dosia noticed that Calliope had that dreamy look in her eyes she got when she was seeing something that hadn’t happened yet as she stared around the store. “You’ve… I mean, you’ve seen me running this store?”
Calliope nodded again. “I knew when I accepted it from my parents that it would one day be yours. But you weren’t ready. It wasn’t time.”
“And it is now?” Dosia questioned.
“I wouldn’t have called you home if it wasn’t.”
Dosia’s eyes flitted about the room. To the extensive romance section with contemporary, historic, romantasy, and more books to the non-fiction, mystery, and world literature, and to the corner where a little mat was set up by the children’s section. They used to have a used textbook section, but that was now used for specials and showcase authors.
There was so much Dosia wanted to do with the store, including hosting book clubs, author book signings, kid days, and such. She’d been slowly making suggestions to Calliope, not wanting her aunt to think Dosia thought she could run the store better.
“What do you say?” Calliope asked, like she didn’t already know the answer.
“What about you?” As much as Dosia wanted to accept, she wouldn’t until she knew what was next for Calliope.
“There’s an opening two stores down I put a deposit on.”
Dosia’s eyebrows went up. “For what?”
“I’m going to open a New Age shop.” She swiped her hand in front of her like she was reading off of an invisible banner. “Going to call itWitch Upon a Star.” She smiled widely, almost mischievously. “There’s just something about that name that I love.”
Dosia stared at Calliope for a long moment. “You’re serious? I mean, this is already a done deal, and Grandma and Grandpa are okay with it?”
“First,” Calliope held up a finger, “they gave me the store fair and square, which means I can do what I want with it. Second,” she held up another finger, “I am an adult and can do as I please. Third,” she added a finger, “the only thing the lawyer is waiting on is your signature.”
“And fourth,” Dosia added without censure, “you’ve already asked them and got their approval?”
Calliope waggled her eyebrows. “You know me so well, niece.”
Dosia laughed. A feeling of elation filling her as her shoulders relaxed. She felt like a weight was being lifted off of her.
She couldn’t believe this was really happening…but it was. The bookstore was finally hers, and all she had to do was avoid her daughter’s father to be able to keep it.
CHAPTER 3
