The Quietest Shop on Main (Shops on Main #3)

Chapter 18

18

S kyla pursed her lips and blew hard at a chunk of hair that just wouldn’t stay out of her face, only to scowl when it flopped right back down to block her vision. “Stupid hair,” she grumbled, shaking her head to get it away.

No such luck. With her hands above her head as she hung garland across the doorframe, it appeared she was going to be stuck with a hairy eye for at least a few more minutes.

She paused her holiday decorating for a moment to yawn. Exhaustion seemed to be her middle name, which was weird because she’d never had so much help before.

Analiese regularly visited Grandpa, which allowed Skyla more time to take care of business or do things around the house. Dalton treated her like a princess and was constantly massaging her shoulders or rubbing her feet. He did more dishes than Skyla , and she’d become as pampered as royalty.

But when everyone went home at night, everything seemed to change.

The nights were not only cold and lonely, but they were long and full of anxiety.

Grandpa wasn’t sleeping well. He was up and down multiple times in a night, and though he wasn’t loud, Skyla could still hear him. When he went to the bathroom, when he shuffled through the family room, when he got a glass of water.

She heard it all, and she was wide awake for much longer than he was. Grandpa’s movements might wake her up, but her own mind kept her from falling back asleep.

Thoughts, concerns, anxieties…every emotion that led to her being unable to find rest seemed to be rushing through her head.

Worry for Grandpa’s illness.

Worry for her future without family.

Worry about Analiese healing.

Worry about Dalton on the cold, rough ocean.

Worry about how much she was falling in love with him.

Skyla blew at the hair again, but it still ignored her. “Whatever,” she muttered, her mood a little darker than usual.

She really needed to get some sleep.

It was the holiday season, and Skyla was growing more grumpy rather than more jolly. This wasn’t her normal behavior, and she didn’t want to go down this road.

A tap against the glass of the front door had her jerking her head down. The shop wasn’t going to open for another twenty minutes, so who…?

“Oh!” Skyla smiled at her guest, then readjusted the garland. “Just one minute, Harmony.”

Harmony clutched a wrapped package a little tighter and nodded, shifting her weight in her heeled boots.

The woman was elegance personified.

Her strawberry blonde hair was twisted into an impressive up-do, her scarf looked silk, the pea-coat she wore complimented her dark blue eyes, and the slim cut let everyone know that Harmony Patton was built like a model—from her sharp cheekbones to her ultra-long legs. Her sophisticated air and knowledge of the art world only added to the big city vibe she had going, even though Harmony had been born and raised in Lighthouse Bay.

She was the kind of beauty that intimidated others, and while Harmony wasn’t exactly the chatty type, she was too loyal a friend to drive people away for long.

Skyla had once heard someone call Harmony cold and aloof, but Skyla knew better. Harmony was thoughtful and kind, but she also seemed completely comfortable in her own skin, which meant Harmony was perfectly content to run her own world and not be bothered by others.

After finally snagging the garland on the nail, Skyla quickly climbed down from her stepladder and wiped her hands on her jeans before opening the door. The little bell above it rang in the misty, foggy morning.

“Hey, Harmony! Sorry about the wait. Come on in!”

Harmony smiled, her teeth perfectly straight and bright white. Seriously. Why had she stayed in such a small town? Skyla couldn’t be sure, but she liked Harmony too much to try to get her to leave.

“Good morning,” Harmony said, her tone slightly breathless. “I know you’re not open yet, but I wanted to bring this by before the day got going.” She held out the package, and Skyla’s jaw went slack.

“Uh…this is for me?”

Harmony’s smile only widened as she nodded. “Yep! I wanted to say thank you for helping me find that book. I knew it was a long shot since it wasn’t in print any more, but you were such a help. So…” She shrugged. “I brought a thank you gift.”

“Harmony,” Skyla said, her own smile becoming much more genuine than before. “You didn’t need to do that.”

“I know.” Another dainty shoulder shrug. “I wanted to.” Harmony waved a leather gloved hand. “Go ahead. Open it. See if you like it.”

“Oh, I already know I’ll love it,” Skyla said, though she obeyed and began to pull off the paper.

“You haven’t even seen it,” Harmony argued.

“So?” Skyla paused and looked over. “It’s from a friend, isn’t it?”

Harmony sighed. “If you get any sweeter, Sky, you’re going to become a bin of cotton candy.” Harmony shook her head. “You give people like me a bad name.”

“That’s ridiculous…” Skyla’s voice trailed off as she finished unwrapping the gift. “Harmony,” she breathed. The paper fell to the floor, unheeded, as Skyla gripped the picture and held it up in front of herself so she could take it in better.

The photograph was taken during a spring sunset, if the colorful wildflowers were any indication. With just a few blooms in the front lower portion of the picture, the photographer captured the brilliant purples and pinks of an Oregon Coast sunset directly over the ocean.

Lines of whitecaps showed the individual waves, with a slim stretch of clean sand between the flowers and water break.

It was beautiful, peaceful and the exact type of view that Skyla loved.

“It’s so gorgeous,” Skyla whispered. She looked up at a beaming Harmony. “I…I don’t feel like I can take it,” Skyla argued. “It’s too much for simply finding you an out of print book.”

Harmony laughed a little and rocked on her heels. “Sky…that photo isn’t worth hardly anything. The photographer is a nobody in the art world.”

Skyla looked back at the picture, still completely enchanted. “They’re not a nobody to me,” she responded. She took a deep breath. “I love it. So much. Thank you.”

Carefully setting the picture on the counter, Skyla went over to give Harmony a hug. She needed this moment. A piece of beauty to break up the troubles and depression she’d been struggling with.

A reminder that spring would come and life would go on.

That there were good things to come, even if the current timeframe looked a little bleak.

“I’m so glad you like it,” Harmony said, squeezing Skyla tight. The art dealer pulled back. “I’ll let you get ready to open. Thanks again for your help.”

Without another word she slipped out, and Skyla’s gaze went immediately back to the photo. Her fingers caressed the framed edges, only to come to a stop. There in the corner, the artist had signed their name in a thin, gold script.

Photography by Harmony

Skyla huffed and glanced at the door where Harmony had just left, before shaking her head. “Harmony…you’re something else.” Skyla tucked her hair behind her ear. “Thank you, for more than you can know.”

“Two more!” Luca bellowed.

Dalton tried not to wince. He needed every bit of strength he had to keep the bar from falling into his ribcage. Blowing out his cheeks, he pushed. His arms shook, his face heated, and Dalton was positive a vein was throbbing in his forehead, but he managed to pull out the last two reps that Luca was bellowing for.

“That’s it, man.” Luca grabbed the bar and helped direct it to the hooks. “Take a breather.” He chuckled. “You look like something that came in with the seaweed.”

Dalton didn’t move from the bench, instead gasping like a landed fish as he tried to convince his lungs they were getting enough oxygen.

The clanks of other weights and steady thumping of the treadmills weren’t the most soothing background noise to Dalton’s death, but he didn’t have the energy to change it, either.

“You’re gonna be pulling in the big ones soon,” Luca added, coming around front and holding out his hand.

Dalton swung his arm up and tried not to appear as wimpy as he felt. His arms were burning, and his lungs still felt like they were on fire. “I hate you,” he panted as Luca pulled him upright.

Luca laughed and slapped Dalton’s back. “Good. That means I’m doing my job.”

Dalton grinned and shook his head. “Your job isn’t to kill me.”

“Nah. It’s to make you wish you were dead, until all the women notice your muscles. Then you’ll be thanking me.” Luca paused. “Except…from what I’m hearing, there’s only one woman you want to have notice you.”

Dalton raised his eyebrows, neither confirming nor denying. They hadn’t been hiding their relationship, but he wasn’t exactly the type to run around announcing it to the public, either.

“Squats!” Luca barked. “Let’s go.”

Dalton held back a groan and forced his aching body into action. What he wouldn’t give to be cuddling with Skyla right now instead of working out.

Still…Luca wasn’t exactly wrong. Every time Dalton noticed Skyla’s eyes on his chest or shoulders, he couldn't help but feel a little prideful that she was attracted to him as much as he was attracted to her.

Today was not the day Dalton would be thanking Luca, however.

He still hated the guy.

“Even librarians need a little enticement,” Luca shouted with a grin.

Dalton glared, then glanced around to see if anyone was listening.

When a guy from the back corner started walking their way, Dalton threw his head back. Awesome. This is exactly what he needed.

“I do believe I heard a reference to a female,” Tate said with a dark chuckle. He leaned his shoulder against a machine. “Wassup, big bro?” Tate jerked his chin toward his brother Luca.

Luca raised an eyebrow. “No distracting the clients.”

Tate’s smile only widened. “I don’t think I’m doing the distracting.” He looked at Dalton. “It sounds like Dalton is distracted all on his own.”

“I hate both of you,” Dalton grumbled, getting into position for the squats.

“Sounds like Luca is doing his job,” Tate offered.

Luca grunted. “I already said that.”

“I’ll back you up.” Tate pounded a fist against his chest twice. “I got you.”

Dalton tuned them out, counting in his head.

“One,” Luca said.

Dalton faltered. “What? I’m already at twelve.”

Luca’s smile grew predatorial. “One.”

“The trainer is always right,” Tate said cheerily. He folded his arms over his chest. “But I’m sure he’s willing to make an exception if you’re willing to spill about the librarian .”

Dalton rolled his eyes. “I thought we were lifting weights, not gossiping like a quilting circle.”

Luca shook his head. “Tate can’t help it. He was dropped on his head as a baby.”

“That’s why I have such good hair,” Tate said, running a hand through his sweaty locks.

Grumbling, Dalton started doing squats again.

“One…one…one…”

He scowled. “Luca. We need to send you back to school. Having one eye shouldn’t have anything to do with your ability to count.”

“Nah, but his shoes are on,” Tate threw in.

That one had Dalton snickering.

This time, it was Luca’s turn to scowl, and it was much more impressive than Dalton’s. Having an eyepatch, burn scars, muscles bigger than a car, and a bald head were apparently the only way to be taken seriously.

“Fine,” Luca muttered. “One…two…three…”

“Glad to see Kindergarten wasn’t a complete waste,” Tate threw over his shoulder as he picked up a nearby set of dumbbells. “After all…Ser wasn’t even in that class to distract you.”

Dalton grinned even as sweat poured down his temple and landed on his shirt. His quads were turning to mush. It was days like this that he wondered if all the work was worth it.

“How long have you two been together?” Tate asked.

Dalton stood, put his hands on his hips and began shaking out his legs. “A few weeks.”

Tate smirked. “I knew it. Have you taken her on the boat yet?”

Dalton’s lack of response was apparently all the brothers needed to chuckle. And people thought girls were the chatty ones.

“That’s the way to do it,” Tate said with a slow nod. “She can’t get away on a boat, ya know?”

Dalton was struggling to hide his smile, so he scratched his chin. “We went fishing.”

“Is that what they call it nowadays?” Luca asked, inadvertently mimicking Mr. Bowen.

Tate put down the weights, his chest heaving from the set. “Just so I’m clear, we are talking Skyla, right? The quiet one?”

“That’s who he was holding hands with at the last meeting,” Luca affirmed.

Tate nodded again. “I need to start paying better attention. Those stupid neighborhood things are turning into matchmaking conventions.” He put a hand to his chest. “My question is, why am I being left out?”

“I think that question is your answer,” Luca retorted.

Tate groaned. “Big brother…you are a killjoy.”

“No. I’m on the clock.” Luca raised his eyebrows. “He’s paying me to extract information so I can blackmail him with it. You aren’t involved.”

Dalton scrubbed his face. “You McCoys were always trouble.” He pointed to Luca. “Of all of them, I thought you were the safe one.”

“It’s because of Ser,” Tate inserted. “Ever since getting married, Luca’s feminine side has been coming out more and more.” Tate shivered. “On second thought, maybe it’s good I haven’t found anyone.” He stood and began walking away. “Good luck, man.”

Luca shook his head. “Ignore him. He’s jealous.” One side of Luca’s mouth raised in a smirk. “Skyla’s a catch. Hold onto her.”

Dalton shook his head, laughing. Those two were something. But still…”I’m doing my best,” he said more to himself than Luca while bending his knees to get ready for another round of squats. “I’m doing my best.”