Page 22 of Undeniable You
“Have fun.”
Jo smiled. “We will.”
The restof the week passed at warp speed. One minute I didn’t have floors and the next, I did. One minute I had no shelves, and the next, I did. The place was finally looking like an actual bookshop.
Pretty soon, my orders of books would start coming in, which was too exciting for words. They were one of the last touches to make before we opened, and I’d planned a day for all my friends to come and help me stock the shelves. I’d agreed to pay them in books and alcohol for helping.
I also had a section of the store for gifts and book accessories, including bookmarks, reading lights, and book sleeves and covers. I’d also considered the idea of having some adult items for those readers who liked books that were a little bit spicier, but I wanted to open and find out who my customers were and maybe do a survey first. I’d also been planning (with Sophie’shelp), my first few bookish events for the store, and I couldn’t wait for our first book club meeting in particular. Even if the only people who showed up were my closest friends. I’d already had to beg my moms not to come, since we’d be talking about romance books and that would be really awkward. They’d probably just come anyway.
It was all still overwhelming, but I was getting more and more excited the closer we got to opening. I’d even reached out to a few local newspapers and journalists to see if they’d do an interview or story about the shop. I already had my talking points prepared about how important and lucrative the romance genre was and how it was still treated as frivolous and silly or pornographic and disgusting. The haters could never seem to make up their mind on which.
Every night I came home and was tired but satisfied with the work I was doing. Jo had started staying a little later to ask me how it was going and since she was a romance reader herself, sometimes I ran ideas by her.
“I say yes to the, uh, toy thing, but I think waiting and doing a survey is a good idea too,” she told me on Friday when I’d returned home.
I nodded. “Good. I know it might be controversial, but I also think it would be good. There are women who are reading these books about men being wonderful and able to give them, ah, you know, and then they go home to husbands that don’t. Why not take matters into their own hands? Literally?”
Jo snorted. She had Juniper in her lap as she braided her hair.“You won’t find any argument from me. I’m a big fan of allthat.” Our eyes met and I tried not to laugh. Sometimes we had to get creative when it came to talking about adult things around Juniper. Fortunately, she was usually oblivious, but in my experience, kids always heard the things you never expected and then repeated them in the most inopportune moments.
I couldn’t be the mother whose daughter started talking to other kids about vibrators.
I leaned back on the couch and watched Jo finish up the braid. Juniper had sat still for most of it.
“I wish I had someone to do my hair for me,” I blurted out. My exhaustion had kind of deleted any kind of filter which was probably why she should go home so I didn’t say something that would cause her not to come back.
I needed her to come back. My daughter needed her.
“I could. I mean, if you wanted.” Her face went red and her eyes went wide behind her glasses. She was wearing them more and more and I wondered if she just needed them for reading or all the time. They looked good on her.
“No, that’s definitely above your paygrade. I’ll figure it out.” I wouldn’t, not in the way she just had natural talent for it. The idea of her braiding my hair was far too intimate, though. If Sophie was doing it, that was different. I couldn’t say why it was different if Jo touched my hair. It just was.
Jo finished up Juniper’s braid and got up from the couch with a sigh.
“Any plans tonight?” I asked.
“Reid’s working at Sapph, so I’ll probably head over there to make her give me a free drink or two.” She shrugged. “Nothing too exciting.” Going to Sapph seemed exciting to me, but our lives were very different.
“Mama, can we have a sleepover?” Juniper asked.
Jo gave me a questioning look.
“Sometimes we do what I call a sleepover where we watch movies late into the night and cuddle up in a pillow fort in the living room and sleep there. The next morning we order breakfast.”
Jo grinned. “That sounds kind of perfect.”
“Jo Jo, have a sleepover with us!” Juniper said, getting up and running to throw herself at Jo, who caught her before Juniper could crash into her.
“Jo has plans tonight, Juni,” I said, hoping this wasn’t going to lead to Juniper getting upset. Being so attuned to my daughter’s moods was a superpower and I could sense things could take a turn at any moment.
“Aw, I’d love to. Raincheck?”
Juniper narrowed her eyes and pouted. “That means no. Like when Mama says ‘maybe.’”
I choked on a laugh. This kid really had my number.
“What if I promise? I promise that I will have a sleepover with you in the future. You can count on it.”
“Fingers promise,” Juniper demanded, holding up her hands. This was something that I’d done with my moms. I’d always said that a pinky promise was too small since you were just swearing on one finger. If you really wanted to make a true promise, you’d swear on all your fingers. So my moms and I started holding our hands when we promised. I’d carried that tradition on with my own daughter. Hadn’t even thought about it, really.