down a short incline and stopped in front of the fence between the road and the wide stretch of the Timucua River and the Wassaw Channel that separated island from mainland. As there were no other active businesses along this short stretch of road, there was no traffic, but Honey walked over after Lolly anyway, watching out for her and taking a much needed moment or two to gather her thoughts.
“You comin’?”
Honey looked up and saw Dylan standing in front of the door to the empty space next to the garage. Her heart sank. Not that she’d held any realistic hope that Dylan actually had a workable solution for her, but he clearly didn’t understand that when she said she didn’t have the money to lease a space, she really meant it. Not even some rundown place.
Honey and Lolly crossed the road together to the narrow sidewalk that ran along the street in front of the closed up shops. “I know you’re trying to help, and I appreciate it more than you know, but unless they’re giving away leases, this isn’t going to fix anything.”
“It’s not as bad as it looks.”
“Oh, I’m not being picky about location. My previous work space was a barn, remember? I’m saying that I imagine the owners want actual money for the space, which would be a problem for me.”
Dylan gave her a hint of a smile, then used the keys he’d snagged in the truck to unlock the door to the place. “Take a look anyway.”
He pulled the door open and gestured for her to go inside first. She wondered why he had keys to the place, but the question was forgotten as she stepped inside. The air was thick and still from the heat, and dank from being closed up for so long. The front windows had been covered by white paper, long since yellowed and torn around the edges, but still allowing in enough light to see the space fairly clearly. It was narrow, but deep, and bigger than it had appeared from the outside. The center area opened up all the way to the peaked roof, with a second level balcony that ran around all four sides of the building, narrow on the sides and front, then deeper across the back.
“Oh, how beautiful is that?” She walked over to the wrought iron circular stairs set into one corner, which led up to the balcony. She put her foot on the bottom stair, grabbed the hand rail, and gave it a sturdy shake. Not so much as a groan or squeak.
“I still don’t know if I’d trust that,” Dylan said. “Or the flooring up there.”
She paused, then stepped back a few feet to look up at the second level, trying to see into the shadows up there. “Are those shelves?” She turned around, standing in the same spot, gazing upward. “Oh, they go around all three sides. Wow.”
“Used to be a bookstore,” Dylan said, his voice coming from right behind her.
She started slightly, still not used to having people suddenly in her space when caught unawares.
He didn’t move closer, but nor did he move away. She glanced at him, but his gaze was on the second level. “Came here a few times as a kid. There’s not much room up there. On the two sides it’s pretty narrow, just the walkway and shelves built right into the walls. Across the front, there are windows up there, bench seating built in. Used to be more chairs in the alcove.”
“Like a recessed reading area,” Honey said, charmed, easily picturing how it must have looked. “What’s in the back section?”
“More shelves. On the left side, in the corner, is a small office space.”
Honey looked back at him. “Really? A little office up there?”
“If I recall. Mr. Beaumont owned the shop back then, and he used to keep the door open so he could keep an eye on the kids. The kids’ section was down here and he didn’t approve of us coming to the upper level.” A smile touched the corners of his mouth. “Come to think of it, he didn’t really approve of us at all.”
“A bookseller who doesn’t like kids? Where does he think his customer base originates from?”
“Children who look and don’t touch and mind their parents. Not heathens with no supervision runnin’ wild through the place.” Smiling, Dylan looked at her. “I’d imagine you’d feel the same if the business was yours. I didn’t take it personally.” He glanced back up