Summerfield: Chapter 17

Somehow, I found myself in the same furniture and décor shop as earlier choosing curtains and bookish decorations for Josh’s store. “Great, the old ladies are going to have a field day with this one,” I thought.

Josh opened the door for me and held the small of my back to usher me in. We perused the aisles and finally settled on some simple tan valances for the side windows that reminded me of old book pages. Then Josh found some cozy reading chairs for customers. I suggested he purchase some small coffee tables. That way, customers can put down their coffee and display some coffee books on them.

Satisfied with his purchases, he made arrangements for them to be delivered to his bookstore the next day. As we walked back towards our businesses Josh asked, “You hungry?”

I knew I was going to regret it, but I replied, “Yes.”

“Wanna grab a bite to eat?”

“Sure,” I relented.

Jenny’s diner was only a few blocks away, so we walked. I swear living in a small town is like being on a reality show. People of all ages were out and about and eyed us up and down. They didn’t even try to hide it!

In retrospect, I’m sure we were a sight to behold. Me in my dark designer boot cut jeans, wedges, silk shirt, and black sunglasses while Josh wore a faded plaid button down rolled above his elbows, worn out jeans, and dirty knock off tennis shoes.

At the diner, everyone still had their eyes glued to us, but I chose to ignore them and focus on my grilled cheese sandwich and side salad. Josh got a hamburger and fries. We chit-chatted about unimportant pleasantries. Mostly we just ate, or, more accurately, I ate while Josh spoke to almost everyone in the building. Was it small town thing to speak to literally everyone or did Josh really know every person in the entire town? Is he well-liked? It seemed so. Everyone greeted him with a smile, a hug, a handshake, or a pat on the back.

“You ready to go?” he beamed at me like he had just won the lottery.

“Yes.”

I donned my shades as we headed out the door.