Chapter 41
Over the next two days, Dot and Danny’s team painted, put up the bookshelves, relaid the carpets, brought in the new furniture, and restocked the books.
Mary and Jake took on painting the frames for the front two bay windows.
“I’ll tape, you roll,” Jake said.
“Deal.” Mary had on short denim overalls, a hot pink cropped tank, and white canvas sneakers, and had her hair in a high ponytail.
At one point, Jake ran a white paintbrush up one of Mary’s legs.
“Watch it, Jake Taylor!” she said, fully putting on her Staten Island accent. “I have three older brothers, you know.”
“Yeah, but one’s a priest.”
“That’s no use to you. He’ll only pray for you after kicking your butt.” She tried to dot his dimple with her paintbrush, but he caught her hand, and they wrestled for leverage.
BY SUNDAY MORNING,everything looked a mess.
“I don’t know how we’ll possibly finish by six tonight. This place is a wreck,” Dot fretted as she looked at the piles of books to be shelved. “We haven’t even hung the paintings up yet. And the children’s section is under a pile of scrap.”
Danny caught her shoulders and said, “We’ve got this.” Then he pulled a list from his back pocket and took a pencil from behind his ear. “Look. I’ve got it all planned out. You don’t have to worry. Let me run point here and I give you my word, it’ll be done.”
She realized she’d been trying to control everything. Maybe he was right. She should trust him and follow his lead.
“I just want it to be perfect,” she said.
“It’ll be perfect, I promise.” Danny held her gaze for a beat longer than normal. Then he pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. While she was distracted, he brought his hand around and poured a small cup of water over her head.
“Ack! What in the world?” She shivered and shook her head. Droplets flew around her.
“That’s for the cupcake.” He backed away before she could playfully swat him.
“Hey, you two.” Tommy walked in with coffees from the Roasted Rooster coffee shop. “Black coffee for Danny and a vanilla latte for Dot.” He handed a cup to her. She was glad for the interruption.
Dot admonished herself, “Get your head in the game.” This was no time time to get sidetracked.
OVER THE NEXTfew hours, Dot could see that Danny was right about it coming together.
After just three days of work, the floors gleamed with a new oak stain and the rugs perked up in color after their cleaning. New shelves filled the store and were straightened, polished, and packed neatly with books. The children’s section now had colorful plush cushions, cozy chairs, and a small table for crafts. They’d painted the walls a creamy ivory and added sconces to bring in more light. Slimmer yet comfortable seating was placed strategically to get people to sit and stay awhile. And one of the best features was a table Danny had made himself that was perfect for displaying new releases, which would help draw customers to check out the latest stock.
While it was shiny and more modern, Readers Falls still felt warm and inviting. It smelled fresh, like new paint and sunshine.
“I love it when a plan comes together,” Danny said, as he gathered everyone outside. He’d had a new awning made for the store, and it was time to mount it before the Jankowskis got back.
“I just want to say, on behalf of Dot and myself, that it really means a lot to us that you’d give us one of your summer weekends to do this for Ted and Jeanie. They’re special people. And this community really needs this bookstore.” The team clapped their hands at that.
“I love how it turned out. And I... well, I love you all. Thank you for being here.” Danny blushed and looked away. He wasn’t used to giving speeches.
Jake saved him from showing any more emotion. “Let’s go, Reader Falls!”
Everyone cheered as Tommy and Fletcher, the two tallest men there, hoisted and affixed the new sign to the front of the store.
“Is it centered?” Fletcher yelled to Harper, who was on point to make sure it was placed correctly above the door.
“A little to the right. Now a little to the left. Down a bit. Okay. There! It’s perfect.” Harper gave a thumbs-up from across the street.
After Tommy and Fletcher came down off the ladder, Dot climbed up a few rungs to say a few words.