River Fork was a small town, population no more than a couple thousand at best. Most of the people were born and raised in the town, and the ones who weren’t were looking for a change of pace and lifestyle. River Fork was a peaceful, quiet and usually uneventful place and the folks who lived there preferred it that way.

Charlee pulled her jacket around herself tighter against the bitter cold breeze. Glancing around quickly, she crossed the street to her Father’s shop.

Old Fork Bookshop: Books, Maps & Prints. The Green sign creaked in the wind as it hung above the shop door, gently swaying on its chain. Pushing the door open, the bell chimed and she was greeted with the familiar smell of old books and the apple cinnamon spice candles her father kept lit behind the cash register desk to “combat the musky smell”.

“Oh Charlee, I’m glad you’re here!” Nathan said, setting his box of books down on a wooden chair that groaned under the weight. “ I need you to help me get the rest of the books from the back. I already unloaded them from the truck.”

Charlee picked her way through the stacks of books scattered throughout the shop floor, careful not to knock them over. Each stack had already been grouped based upon genre, meticulously stacked according to size, the way her father always did it.

“I had Mr. Kindle bring them over from the house. There are a few more boxes sitting in the storage room. If they are too heavy give me a shout.” Nathan turned his attention back to the shelf he was pushing and positioning against the far wall. Charlee nodded and headed to the back room.

Her eyes landed on the first book that was poking out from the partially closed book. Alice in Wonderland. The red book’s cover was illustrated with a floral cover that trimmed the cover, and the center pictured a rabbit in a top hat wearing a monocle. It looked so friendly and welcoming, yet Charlee knew what strange and twisted story laid under the cover.

Picking the box up and deciding if she’d be able to carry it, she turned and cautiously headed for the door. She gritted her teeth as she tried to keep her grip from slipping and dropping the awkwardly large box. The box undoubtedly held expensive, old and valuable literature that her father had searched high and low for. He prided himself in finding antique books that were rare and restoring them to their former glory.

A streak of orange darted between her legs and she stumbled. She frantically tried to right herself before the books toppled over but it was too late. The books clattered to the floor with loud, dull thuds.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

“Theo!” She groaned. “Stupid cat!” She dropped to her haunches and quickly collected the books, inspecting them as she gently placed each one back inside the safety of the box.

Theo, an overweight orange tabby cat eyed her from his perch on the table across the room. He meowed and began the tedious task of licking his coat.

“Sorry to have inconvenienced you” Charlee muttered, standing up and once again lifting the box. She quickly crossed the room and placed it on the table next to the cat, who paused long enough to glance at the box before deciding he was uninterested and returned to his grooming.

The door chimed and two people slipped into the shop. One was a tall, broad shouldered man with sandy blonde hair worn in a short cropped style. He wore jeans and what looked like a maroon Lechland Academy letterman jacket. His companion wore a beanie and leather jacket with the collar turned up to protect against the cold breeze.

Nathan joined her from behind a shelf he had been placing books on by alphabetical order.

“Can I help you gentleman?” He asked, walking behind the counter.

“ Actually yes, I didn’t know this place had reopened.” The blonde responded, glancing around.

“Uh yes, I bought it from Mrs. Lancaster’s son. We aren’t officially open yet as you can tell, but I’ll be happy to help you if I can.” Nathan replied.

“Do you carry a copy of Chemical Magic by chance?” The young man in the beanie spoke up. He turned his head slightly and met her gaze, much to her surprise. The fact she had been caught starring hadn’t been lost on her. Neither had the fact his eyes were the clearest green she’d ever seen. He smiled, almost like he had read her mind. She felt her flash flush and she pretended to be examining the book she had absently picked up. The Andromeda Strain. She almost rolled her eyes, Yeah, that was a realistic pick.

“I am not sure. I can check my inventory, but I can’t guarantee anything yet. I’m still recording all the books that were left behind.” Nathan turned his attention to the rather outdated desktop computer he had and began typing. “Apparently Mrs. Lancaster wasn’t one for keeping inventory, or records of her sales.”

“Yeah, she was more interested in just getting as many books circulating in the town as she could. She should have just opened a library” laughed the blonde.

Charlee turned her attention to the box she had just retrieved and could sense beanie guy was watching her. Unnerved, she distracted herself by carefully taking the books from the box and stacking them neatly on the table. Theo watched her intently as if he were her overseer.

“Sorry, gentleman. Doesn’t appear to be in any of mine.” Nathan shook his head and pushed his glasses onto his head where he often forgot them. “But if you come back next week I’ll be a better help, I’m sure.”

“Okay,” the blonde responded. “We can check back.”

“If you leave me with a name and number I can contact you should I find it.” Nathan offered, pulling a pad of paper in front of him and readying his pen.

Charlee ventured a look and the beanie guy had returned his focus on his companion and her father. She wondered if these were going to be her classmates.

“Okay, I’ll give you a call” Nathan said, jotting down his information.

“Thanks.” Beanie guy replied, shoving his hands in his pockets as they headed for the door. “And welcome back to River Fork.”

“Thank you.” Nathan replied, giving them a small wave as the door chimed and they exited.

Charlee watched as they passed the shop window and her heart lurched when the guy met met her tase through the glass. He didn’t break his gaze until he and his friend had passed out of sight a few moments later.

Giving her head a slight shake to clear it, she turned back to head back to the storage room. Theo darted under her feet and she pulled short before she stumbled. She cursed and Theo meowed in return.