Summerfield: Chapter 23

It was the lunch hour, so my staff were all on break. Some stayed at the shop to eat brown bag lunches, while others headed for Jenny’s Diner. I brought a sandwich and some kale chips. I was sipping on some green tea and planning the rest of the week when Josh walked through the door, the new jingling bell on the door alerting me to his presence.

“Hi,” Josh hesitated as he sat at the booth in front of me.

“Hi.” I went back to my notes. I didn’t mean to be rude, but I was in focus mode. I know my face said, “Why are you here right now?”, but I didn’t have time to care.

“So, I have this idea….it might be brilliant. It might be stupid…” He sat down across from me in the booth, “I mean I’m sorry to bother you. I know you’re real busy right now, but…”

“Spit it out,” I didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but I was on a time crunch.

Josh let his excitement flow as he explained his idea. “The brick wall between our two buildings…the bricks are loose anyway. We can have the wall torn down so customers can go from one business to the other. Readers can wander over to your shop and get some coffee when they get thirsty. Also, your customers can grab a drink and then head over to my store to look at books. It’s a win-win situation here.”

I looked at him like he was crazy. I’m sure I sounded angry, but I was stressed out. “Are you kidding me, Josh?? I have less than a week until my grand opening and you want to tear down a wall in my shop, spreading dust and debris everywhere after I’ve cleaned this place from top to bottom! No, the answer is no,” and I looked back down at my work.

“Well, excuse me for suggesting something to help your business!” I had never heard him get angry before; it seemed to come from nowhere. “I have been nothing but helpful since you got here. I’ve shown you how I feel about you, and you act like you care one day and then totally shut me off the other. I’m sick and tired of it!” My mouth opened in shock as he rushed out the door, slamming it so hard the walls shook.