too.”
“Well, I’d better get to the shop.” Milo tipped his chin toward Bloom Box. “Gotta make sure the wedding orders are ready to go. We had two today. I love the idea of a Halloween wedding. So fun.”
“Totally. I’ll see you later.”
“Bye.”
Mark went through his morning routine, then opened the door to admit the pair of customers who waited on the sidewalk. He greeted them, directed one lady to the mystery section, and was reorganizing the gift card tower near the registers when his father walked in.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Morning, Markell.” Bruno held up a bag. “I stopped for coffee, and Aaron sent some of those pumpkin things you like so much.”
His mouth watering, Mark nearly snatched the bag from him. “Yes! I’m not even hungry right now, but I’ll never say no to one of these.”
Bruno chuckled as Mark dug out a scone and bit into it. “I brought the candy for later as well.”
“Thank you,” Mark said in a pastry-muffled voice. They always got a fair amount of trick-or-treaters. The little ones came in the late afternoon, their parents taking advantage of Heartsville’s safe, brightly lit downtown strip. Every shop in the area handed out sweets or toys.
“Is everything ready for tonight?” Bruno asked.
Mark nodded. “Yep. We just have to rearrange the chairs and tables and set out the snacks after close. Angie doesn’t start until eight so she can help.”
The plan was to let people come in and pick a spot before Shepherd spoke at 11:30. At midnight, NaNoWriMo officially commenced and the writing would begin. The kickoff party was scheduled to end at three, and Bruno would be opening the shop tomorrow so Mark could get some sleep. Mark didn’t anticipate any sales, but the idea was to get potential customers in the door. Hopefully, they’d return later to write at Bookmarked and maybe buy some books while they were there.
Bruno set his coffee cup next to one of the registers and tucked his bags behind the counter. “And your man? Is he nervous?”
Mark smiled. His father had taken to calling Shepherd “his man” since their dinner last Sunday. At the start of the evening, Shep had seemed withdrawn and quiet, saying almost nothing, but gradually he’d loosened up. Then they discovered he and Bruno shared a love of Doctor Who and the old 1960s Batman TV series. By the end of the night, they’d bonded, quoting Adam West, arguing amiably about who played the best Doctor, and laughing like a pair of long-lost friends. It warmed Mark’s heart to watch them together and made him hope for things it was probably too soon to be hoping for.
“He’s a little anxious,” Mark said. Shepherd had practiced his speech on him the night before, and even with Mark as the only listener, he’d gotten flustered. “But Britt will be there for most of it, and I think that’ll make it easier for him.”
Bruno leaned against the checkout counter and crossed his arms over his burly chest. “Maybe it’ll help him knowing we’re there too. I always tell my students to look for their friends in the audience when they give presentations. Sometimes it calms their nerves just to see a familiar, encouraging face.”
Mark glanced at him in surprise. “You’re coming back to watch?” Usually, his father only stuck around until Angie showed up.
“Just for the beginning. I’ll need my beauty rest if I don’t want to scare off your customers tomorrow.”
Mark laughed and gave Bruno an impulsive hug. “I’m sure Shep’ll appreciate it. And I will too, of course.”
Bruno patted him on the back with a big hand. “You know I’m always rooting for you, in both business and love. You like him very much, don’t you?”
Mark suppressed the dopey grin that tried to overtake his face. He lifted one shoulder, aiming for casual but probably missing by a few hundred yards. “Maybe.”
Bruno smiled knowingly, but he let Mark off the hook by changing the topic. “I brought some power
“Well, I’d better get to the shop.” Milo tipped his chin toward Bloom Box. “Gotta make sure the wedding orders are ready to go. We had two today. I love the idea of a Halloween wedding. So fun.”
“Totally. I’ll see you later.”
“Bye.”
Mark went through his morning routine, then opened the door to admit the pair of customers who waited on the sidewalk. He greeted them, directed one lady to the mystery section, and was reorganizing the gift card tower near the registers when his father walked in.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Morning, Markell.” Bruno held up a bag. “I stopped for coffee, and Aaron sent some of those pumpkin things you like so much.”
His mouth watering, Mark nearly snatched the bag from him. “Yes! I’m not even hungry right now, but I’ll never say no to one of these.”
Bruno chuckled as Mark dug out a scone and bit into it. “I brought the candy for later as well.”
“Thank you,” Mark said in a pastry-muffled voice. They always got a fair amount of trick-or-treaters. The little ones came in the late afternoon, their parents taking advantage of Heartsville’s safe, brightly lit downtown strip. Every shop in the area handed out sweets or toys.
“Is everything ready for tonight?” Bruno asked.
Mark nodded. “Yep. We just have to rearrange the chairs and tables and set out the snacks after close. Angie doesn’t start until eight so she can help.”
The plan was to let people come in and pick a spot before Shepherd spoke at 11:30. At midnight, NaNoWriMo officially commenced and the writing would begin. The kickoff party was scheduled to end at three, and Bruno would be opening the shop tomorrow so Mark could get some sleep. Mark didn’t anticipate any sales, but the idea was to get potential customers in the door. Hopefully, they’d return later to write at Bookmarked and maybe buy some books while they were there.
Bruno set his coffee cup next to one of the registers and tucked his bags behind the counter. “And your man? Is he nervous?”
Mark smiled. His father had taken to calling Shepherd “his man” since their dinner last Sunday. At the start of the evening, Shep had seemed withdrawn and quiet, saying almost nothing, but gradually he’d loosened up. Then they discovered he and Bruno shared a love of Doctor Who and the old 1960s Batman TV series. By the end of the night, they’d bonded, quoting Adam West, arguing amiably about who played the best Doctor, and laughing like a pair of long-lost friends. It warmed Mark’s heart to watch them together and made him hope for things it was probably too soon to be hoping for.
“He’s a little anxious,” Mark said. Shepherd had practiced his speech on him the night before, and even with Mark as the only listener, he’d gotten flustered. “But Britt will be there for most of it, and I think that’ll make it easier for him.”
Bruno leaned against the checkout counter and crossed his arms over his burly chest. “Maybe it’ll help him knowing we’re there too. I always tell my students to look for their friends in the audience when they give presentations. Sometimes it calms their nerves just to see a familiar, encouraging face.”
Mark glanced at him in surprise. “You’re coming back to watch?” Usually, his father only stuck around until Angie showed up.
“Just for the beginning. I’ll need my beauty rest if I don’t want to scare off your customers tomorrow.”
Mark laughed and gave Bruno an impulsive hug. “I’m sure Shep’ll appreciate it. And I will too, of course.”
Bruno patted him on the back with a big hand. “You know I’m always rooting for you, in both business and love. You like him very much, don’t you?”
Mark suppressed the dopey grin that tried to overtake his face. He lifted one shoulder, aiming for casual but probably missing by a few hundred yards. “Maybe.”
Bruno smiled knowingly, but he let Mark off the hook by changing the topic. “I brought some power
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