Ink and Shadows(Secret, Book, & Scone Society #4)
Ellery Adams
Chapter 1
O’What may man within him hide, though angel on the outward side!
—William Shakespeare
Nora Pennington stood on the sidewalk, frowning.
Most people wouldn’t understand her reaction to the bookshop’s window display. The window was full of cute plush toys inspired by children’s book characters. With the help of parachutes made from autumn leaves, Curious George, Olivia, the Very Hungry Caterpillar, Babar the Elephant, Peter Rabbit, Pete the Cat, Paddington Bear, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Winnie-the-Pooh, Arthur, Frog and Toad, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Maisie, and the Pigeon floated in a bright blue sky. All the animals were aiming for the same landing zone: a giant book. The book glowed, illuminating the fur of the closest parachuters, and its open pages were covered with letters made of rainbow glitter.
At the top of the window, a biplane piloted by Stuart Little trailed a yellow banner with the words FALL INTO A GOOD BOOK!
That August, the window had drawn smiles from locals and visitors to Miracle Springs, North Carolina. Then, September came, but summer wouldn’t let go. It was as hot and humid on the first day of school as it had been on the Fourth of July. Plants wilted. People drooped. The whole town was sunbaked and dry. It was hard to believe that October was right around the corner.
Autumn’s refusal to kick summer to the curb had gotten under everyone’s skin, including Nora’s. She stood outside, shading her eyes from the sun’s glare, and tried to imagine a festive fall scene in her display window. But nothing was coming to her. It was too hot to think.
“Are you channeling the Grouchy Ladybug?” asked Sheldon Vega.
Nora’s friend and employee pointed at her ALL THE COOL KIDS ARE READING T-shirt, which happened to be red.
“I’m pensive,” she said. “More Harriet the Spy than grumpy insect.”
Stroking his silver goatee, Sheldon looked at the window. “This display let our customers hang on to that summer freedom vibe while also giving them hope that they’ll still have time to read in between soccer games, PTA meetings, back-to-school nights, and the zillions of fall festivals I saw listed in the paper. You people are festival addicts.”
Nora laughed. “I had the same reaction when I first moved here. When I saw the festival calendar, I thought it was some kind of a joke. Molasses, Railroad, Guinea, Folk, Irish, Scottish Games, Greek, Clay, Cherokee, Zombie, and Mountain Bike Festivals. I’m a big fan of all of them. You know why? They draw big crowds. And a portion of those crowds find their way to Miracle Springs. From now until New Year’s is our moneymaking season, and I’m hoping it’s a banner one. I’d like to put something away for a rainy day.”
Sheldon nodded. “My nest egg could definitely use a little more yellow in its yolk.”
“Then we need to pick up the pace, starting with this window. Our next display needs to be less cutesy and more compelling.”
“We raised the bar too high these past few months,” said Sheldon. “We became the Fifth Avenue department store at Christmastime—full of magic and wonder and sugarplums. This month, our sugarplums were a little flat.” He tugged at the ends of his peach and purple bowtie. “Happens to the best of us.”
Nora smiled. Sheldon had that effect on her. Though he’d been working at the bookshop for only five months, she didn’t know how she’d ever managed without him. He had a profound love of reading, an excellent eye for design, and he made the world’s best coffee.
Sheldon Vega had inherited his love of reading and his ability to put people at ease from his Jewish mother. His self-assurance and passion for good food came from his Cuban father. Sheldon was in his sixties and looked like Don Johnson’s character in Django Unchained. He had a penchant for sweater vests, Nutella on toasts, and bear hugs. He suffered from chronic pain, which caused him to be absent or late to work. Nora had liked him from the moment they’d met.
“Lots of shops have their Halloween displays up,” Nora went on. “It’s one of the things I hate about retail. We always have to jump the gun on holidays. Valentine candy hits the shelves January first. And on February fifteenth, out comes the chocolate bunnies and jellybeans.”
Sheldon shuddered. “And those revolting marshmallow chicks.”
Nora turned to him. “So what should we do? Hang up ghosts and goblins even though it feels like we’re a desert planet from Dune?”
“Ghosts and goblins. Dracula and Frankenstein. Do they really have a wow factor?” Sheldon pursed his lips. “These stuffed paratroopers failed. They didn’t lure people inside. We need to do better.”
“True,” said Nora. “But in our defense, September is all about back-to-school. I’ve talked to a few of the moms about their schedules, and it stressed me out just listening to them. They’re driving kids here and there, working all kinds of hours, hitting the gym, stocking the fridge, prepping meals, balancing the books, and keeping everyone in their house happy. I’ve been shoving copies of Mrs. Everything into their hands and wishing I could afford to give away a spa voucher with every purchase.”
Sheldon held up a finger. “Hey, now. You might be onto something with this. Today’s women are women of power. Gifted, talented, and driven women. Magical women. Why not fill the window with women like that?”