Onnie stopped on the sidewalk and looked up at the worn wooden sign above her. The Book Nook, was burned into the wood and surrounded by an intricate curling design that looked like steam rising from a cup. The wooden front door was painted a friendly green color and there was a large terracotta pot filled with flowers to the right of it. Just like the rest of the town, the single story building had walls that were built from a sturdy red brick and looked to have seen many seasons of rain.
Lifting her face to the sky, Onnie smiled to herself and hiked her messenger bag higher on her shoulder. The sky was a pale shade of grey-blue and a light fog seemed to have followed her down the street this morning as she’d walked. The city of Alku was cold, green, and wet, the exact opposite of what she was used to in LA. No longer unsure if she would like the change of scenery, Onnie closed her eyes and let the feeling of belonging wash over her.
Now, standing in front of her family’s legacy, she was ready to explore another jewel her new life had to offer in the new city she would call home. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the moist Washington air and rested her palm on the store’s door. Softly running her fingers over its surface, she smiled to herself at the warmth it radiated; in contrast to the weather around her. One last breath and she pushed open the worn wooden door into the bookshop in front of her.
Onnie blinked as her eyes tried to adjust to the dim interior of the bookshop.
"Grandpa! Grandpa I’m here!" Onnie called past the stacks of books lying on nearly every surface and open scrap of floor.
Her Mom had not over exaggerated the size of the bookshop when they’d discussed it. There had to be thousands upon thousands of books in this shop, she’d never seen so many in a single bookshop before. Aimlessly, Onnie wandered to the left side of the shop, which seemed to be home to the more modern literary works. There were ceiling high shelves filled to bursting with paperbacks, all organized and marked with handwritten genre cards and even more books were piled on the floor in front of the shelves. The top shelf of each bookcase we packed with hardbacks with clean gleaming spines in a multitude of colors. As Onnie looked closer she recognized some of her favorite authors, but what shocked her more was that each shelf seemed to display a single copy of each book. When she located one of her favorite romance authors she skimmed the bindings and saw that a single copy of each book they had written was present. Baffled by the sheer quantity and variety of books she moved to the right side of the shop.
In contrast, the other side of the room had sturdier hand carved shelves, filled with a rainbow of leather bound tomes neatly lined up and not a spec of dust to be found. Scattered amongst these shelves were glass cases with rare hand inked texts and delicately hand-bound journals resting on velvet beds. Onnie’s jaw dropped when she saw a hand painted copy of Le Morte Darthur resting open under glass and all she could do was stare when she saw the ancient Quran resting a few cases away.
Onnie was drawn out of her shameless drooling by the sound of a kettle whistling deeper in the store, and with great difficulty, she pulled herself from the antiquity section to walk towards the sound. As she walked deeper into the bookshop, she tried looking for the outer walls but the shop seemed to go on forever with the rolling stacks of books mirroring the sea stretching to the horizon. At the end of the center aisle, there was a state of the art cash register from a time long since past, Onnie marveled at what was probably considered an antique by today’s standards. It rested atop a peach colored marble slab that was supported by a wooden counter. The hand carved details on the rich cherry wood were exquisite but then the craftsman had inset the carvings with crystals and gold leaf to raise the counter’s beauty to a breathtaking work of at.
Still wide-eyed with wonder, Onnie reached the counter and looked into the sparkling eyes of an older woman as she emerged from a backroom. Her silver hair was set in a perfect chignon and had two pear tipped pins through it that matched the string around her long delicate neck. She wore a conservative knee-length cream skirt with a black sweater and a purple shawl over one shoulder.
"Ah, you must be Connie." The old woman said with a pleasant smile.
"Uh, Onnie actually, no one really calls me Connie. And you are?"
"Oh!" The woman exclaimed stepping forward and offering her pale thin hand to Onnie over the counter. "I’m Rebecca. Your Grandfather is a dear friend of mine and I mind the shop for him on some of his worse days.”
Onnie shifted her bag and reached out to shake the frail well manicured hand that the woman offered to her.
“You were not supposed to be here until the day after tomorrow. Abbot will be so disappointed to have missed welcoming you home, and your first time meeting his shop too! Oh, but listen to me prattle on.” Rebecca waved her hand as if to shoo away her babbling. “I swear, an old woman like me, you give me an inch and I’ll talk your ear off. Would you care for some tea? I just pulled the kettle off."
Onnie starred with her jaw slightly open at the excitable old woman for another second before catching her rudeness and answering with a stuttering, "Y-yes please."
Rebecca chuckled quietly and scurried off to the back room of the shop leaving Onnie alone once more.
Onnie mulled over Rebecca’s remark that she minded the store on grandfather’s worse days, Onnie wondered if he minimized his condition when he’d called Onnie. Just how sick was he? Grandpa had mentioned that he was slowing down and he wasn’t sure how much longer he would be able to run the shop. That’s why he had called and asked her if she wanted to move across the country, but he hadn’t mentioned that he could already barely run it. And what did Rebecca mean when she said her grandfather was happy she was home? She’d only lived here for twenty-four hours and before that she’d never even visited Washington. No one in her family had come back to Washington after her mom and grandmother had left all those years ago, not even to visit.
The delicate clinking of china signaled Rebecca’s return and she carried a silver serving tray with an antique serving set atop it complete with a large teapot filled and steaming from its spout. There were two china tea cups with matching saucers, little light purple sugar cubes, a tiny pitcher of cream and a pair of small metal tongs. On a matching plate there was a stack of crisp lilac napkins and little biscotti that Onnie could smell were freshly baked.
"Here we are now dear. Why don’t we sit over here, have a warm cup of tea and I’ll try my best to answer any questions you may have. Then later you can run over to your grandfather’s and you two can chat. I bet you have a lot of catching up to do."
With a smile, Rebecca turned and walked to the side of the bookshop that Onnie had seen the antique texts and with just a few quick steps, Rebecca disappeared behind one of the heavy shelves. Onnie began to follow after the old woman past a large bookcase that was open to both sides and stuffed full with aging paper scrolls. As she followed Rebecca with hesitant steps, Onnie couldn’t help but feel strange when thinking about Rebecca, there was nothing outwardly wrong with her, but she gave Onnie a weird feeling. Assuming it was the overly friendly attitude and high energy level the woman possessed, Onnie shrugged off the strange vibe and followed on. After she had zigzagged past a few large shelves, the room opened up into a quaint sitting area with four mix matched wingback chairs that surrounded an oversized ottoman in the center of them. The atmosphere was further enhanced with light being cast from only a few lamps in this section of the shop and it made Onnie feel relaxed and sleepy.
Rebecca had made herself comfortable in the emerald green wingback and placed the tea tray on the ottoman in the center of the ring of chairs.
"Come here dear, this tea won’t drink itself." Rebecca said smiling up at Onnie warmly as she filled two cups with a deep amber colored liquid. "Don’t be shy, sit. You haven’t been here long enough to not be chilled by the fog. Some tea will do you good."
Onnie stepped forward slowly but stopped with a frown and turned to look back over her shoulder at the front of the store.
"Don’t fret dear. I’ll know if we have a customer." Said Rebecca reassuringly before patting the wingback next to her.
Onnie lowered her bag to the floor near the empty chair and sunk into it slowly, taking a steaming cup of the potent smelling tea from Rebecca. She leaned forward and brought the cup to her nose, inhaled the tea’s pungent aroma and smiled to herself. She recognized the jasmine and lavender notes that were expertly hidden under a spicy flavor that she couldn’t quite place.
"There now, that’s better isn’t it. Drink up while it’s hot." Rebecca said before she sipped from her own cup and watched as Onnie sipped hers.
"How was your trip here? Your Grandfather told me you were driving the distance by yourself.”
Onnie lowered her cup back into its saucer and cleared her throat softly. "Yes, I did drive it alone, it was fun, a mini adventure. Oregon was so green and the mountain pass in Oregon was breathtaking.”
“How lovely. Did you manage to get all of your belongings moved safely as well?” Inquired Rebecca as she picked up a biscotti, dunked it into her tea and swirled the cookie around a few times.
”Everything I own fit in my car with me. A new life, new possessions and all that. Mom thought gave me the idea actually, she figured it would be a good way to start over in a way.” Onnie blew on her tea out of habit even though it was already the perfect temperature.
"Oh, and how is your Mother doing?” Rebecca asked leaning forward with interest. “I have not spoken to her in quite a few years.”
“She’s great!” Onnie said with a smile she couldn’t help. “Happily living in Maine with Lewis in their dream home. Misses us kids though.”
“I bet she does.” Rebecca said as she rested her hand on Onnie’s knee and gave it a soft squeeze. After letting go she sat back in her chair and resumed swirling her biscotti in her tea. “She was always such a lovely girl. She used to run up and down the rows here laughing and giggling. She like to pretend she was a princess trapped in a tower by the wizard.” She took a bite of the soggy cookie and reached for a napkin. “Would you tell her hello for me?" Rebecca’s face lit up as she spoke, there was an obvious connection between her and the little princess in the tower from all those years ago.
"Yes, of course.” Onnie agreed as she skipped over the fact that her mother had never mentioned Rebecca before. “Mom always told us how much she loved Grandpa’s shop. She misses it here too, she was really excited when I told her I had decided to move to Alku.” Onnie reached forward for a biscotti as she spoke. “When was the last-”
Rebecca lifted her hand suddenly, cutting Onnie short. "I’ll be right back my dear." Rebecca stood, placed her cup on the tiny table next to her chair and walked back around the corner shelf towards the front of the shop.
Onnie continued to sip her tea slowly while she mulled over everything she’d learned from Rebecca, she had come into the bookshop this morning hoping to start work early and to see her grandfather. Worry gripped her heart when she realized that he must be more than slowing down if someone else was running the shop for him. When her mom told her stories of her grandfather and the bookshop he owned they were always filled with a spry old man covered in ink up to his wrists and smudged across his brow. Apparently he had never hired another person to run the store for him in all his years of owning it, and he rarely took holidays. He had only taken one vacation that Onnie or her mom knew of, he had come to Onnie’s high school graduation. Onnie still had no idea why he wanted to come, he didn’t attend any of her brother’s graduations before and he never attended any of their college ones after that, not even hers. Grandfather just called her Mom the week before graduation, told her he was coming into town to meet his granddaughter and asked if she had a spare ticket for the graduation ceremony. Since their first meeting, Onnie and he had spoke a few times around the holidays. Now all these years later, Onnie was ready to get to know him and catch up on lost time. Not to mention learning where he had been for the last twenty-six years of her life.
Suddenly antsy and with Rebecca off doing whatever it was that she was doing, Onnie had more time to admire the cozy space around her. As she cradled her warm tea cup in her hands she admired the two antique Tiffany lamps standing between each pair of wingback chairs. Even though they were both on, they did very little to light the space around them and Onnie attributed the intimate atmosphere to them. Onnie lifter her hand and slowly ran her finger along the edge of the glass shade and grinned at the soft sound it made. She skimmed her eyes along the bookshelves near the sitting space and noticed that between every few shelves there was a lamp jammed in between them providing the only source of light for customers to browse by. For whatever reason there being none of the modern harsh fluorescent lights made Onnie very happy. As she continued with her visual tour of the shop’s tea area, she looked down and slipped off one of her tennis shoes. She ran her foot over the soft thick carpeting and wiggled her toes. The combination of the oversized chairs, soft lighting and plush carpet was well balanced by the army of shelves standing at attention throughout the quiet space and some of Onnie’s trepidation about her choice to move vanished. The Book Nook was a warm and cozy place and she could envision herself coming into work in the mornings happy and ready to work.
Raised voices from the front of the shop broke Onnie’s trance causing her to jump and to break her tactile connection with the carpet. Slipping her shoe back on, she placed her cup on the tea tray and pulled her cell phone from her pocket to place it on silent. Tiptoeing, she crept around the bookcases she had passed while following Rebecca to the sitting area and head back to the front counter. Onnie stopped at the edge of the last large bookcase that was blocking the view to the register. Holding her breath, she leaned into it to listen.
"Where is it Rebecca? I need that book." Said a deep male voice with a boom.
"It still hasn’t come forward Gabriel. You know how this place works; at its own pace. The book will show itself when you’re ready for it."
Onnie removed a thick scroll from the center of the shelf creating a gap that she could see through to the other side. Careful so as not to push anything off of shelf and onto the floor on the other side, she peered through.
A man was leaning on the marble counter staring intently at Rebecca. His hair was a rich chocolate brown and it had fallen forward obscuring his features from where Onnie was spying. His work-out shorts exposed the legs of a marathon runner; lean and powerful while not being bulky or overly lumbering. The fleece jacket he wore outlined that his arms and torso were also just as lean and fit. What was most striking about the stranger was his height, he must have been at least six and a half feet tall. As Onnie’s eyes continued to wander over the stranger she couldn’t help but blush at his perfectly sculpted backside, but the man’s frustrated voice broke her ogling.
"I’m ready Rebecca, look at me! When I’m not teaching I do nothing but train, day in day out! I can do this. Tell her to give me the damn book.” The man slammed his fist on the countertop in front of him. “You know how important it is that we do it before he gets any worse, it has to be now!"
"You know I cannot force her to do anything she does not wish to do Gabriel. You must wait and trust her to provide it for you when the time is right. You cannot believe she will fail you?” Rebecca asked quietly.
“Of course not, she’s never been wrong before.” He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration giving Onnie her first glimpse at his sculpted nose and chiseled jaw line.
“Continue your studies, I will contact you when it is found,” Rebecca rested her hand on the man’s forearm, “you have my word."
Gabriel sighed and raised his hands in surrender. "Fine Bec, fine. You win. Call me the moment that book shows up.” He wagged his finger at Rebecca. “Give the old man my regards."
"I will. Take care of yourself Gabriel." Rebecca placed her hand on his cheek, her eyes filled with tenderness. "You’re not eating enough again."
Patting her small hand on his whiskery jaw, Gabriel sighed. "Take care Bec."
Gabriel turned and placed his hands in the front pockets of his jeans as he stepped forward. Out of the corner of his eye he caught Onnie watching them through the scrolls and their eyes connected. Onnie heard the man’s breath catch as he stopped short to look at her.
Onnie stumbled back, embarrassed at being caught eavesdropping and replaced the scroll on the shelf quickly. Making sure Rebecca wouldn’t catch her not sitting in her chair, Onnie raced back into the sitting area and picked up her tea, drinking half of the now lukewarm liquid in one gulp. She focused on slowing her breathing and removing the blush from her cheeks while she sorted over everything she’d just heard.
It sounded like Rebecca was having trouble finding a specific book for that customer. She had mentioned another woman was looking for it so maybe there was another clerk Onnie would get to meet that just wasn’t working today. Another stab of worry hit Onnie if Grandfather needed not one, but two people to help cover the store for him. Looking around at the stacks of books covering most of the surfaces in the shop, Onnie noticed just how cluttered and disorderly the store looked and while it did added a nice touch of ambiance, it must be nearly impossible for the staff to find anything. The clutter made Onnie wonder how long it had been since her Grandfather had been in the bookshop to check on things and just how far had the place slipped in his absence.
The sound of footsteps cleared Onnie’s head as Rebecca rounded a shelf and smiled. "My apologies. How is your tea? Would you like me to top it off and warm it up a bit? Mine must be cold by now as well."
Onnie smiled up at her as she regained her composure. "Yes please, thank you." Pushing her thoughts of the shop’s mystery clerk and the stranger’s urgent demands for a book aside, Onnie offered her cup to Rebecca.
Bending slightly, Rebecca took the cup gingerly in her hand and poured more tea into it before handing it back to Onnie. Rebecca poured more tea into her own cup and then settled back into her cushy chair, sipping her tea with a sigh of contentment. "Now where were we dear?" Rebecca looked at her with a warm smile and a knowing twinkle in her eye.