Read 01_The Best Gift for Free Online Page B

you, Blake? Any family?”
    Slowly he shook his head. “No brothers or sisters. My parents live in Oregon.”
    “Also too far away for Thanksgiving. Maybe you can see them at Christmas.”
    Not likely, Blake thought. But she didn’t need to know that. He started to turn away, but suddenly found himself speaking. “By the way, I like what you did with the shop.”
    A.J. looked as surprised by the comment as he was. He had no idea where those words had come from. He’d certainly had no intention of complimenting her. But she rewarded him with a dazzling smile. “Thank you.”
    Suddenly Blake felt as if he’d just hit the proverbial runner’s wall. It was a familiar experience that squeezed the breath out of his lungs and left him feeling limp when it occurred at about the twenty-one mile mark of a marathon.
    But the only thing racing right now was his heart.
    Which made no sense.
    And it made him want to run as fast as he could away from this red-haired source of disruption in his life.

Chapter Three
     
    “I think I figured out a way to make up the Sunday sales.”
    Blake’s stomach clenched. Barely a week had passed since A.J. had rearranged the shop, and now she was on to something else. Which meant more upheaval. Change seemed to be this woman’s middle name. Warily he looked up from the computer screen.
    A.J. shifted a large box in her arms and smiled. “Chill out, Blake. Maybe you’ll like my idea.”
    He doubted it, and his skeptical expression told her so.
    “Maybe not,” she amended. “But here it is anyway.” She placed the box on a chair and began pulling out a variety of items, which she lined up on the desk. “It occurred to me that people who are shopping for books are often shopping for gifts. Now, there are plenty of gift shops around. But not many that carry items like these, handmade in third-world countries. Good Samaritan, where I used to work, is starting a craft program, and a portion of the profits from the sales will benefit the artists. A lot of people in those countries are in desperate need of income, and a program like this is a godsend for them. Plus, I think it will drive traffic to our shop and more than make up for any sales we’ve lost by closing on Sunday. It’s a win-win situation all around, don’t you think?”
    Blake looked at the array of items now displayed on his desk. Wood carvings, metalwork, woven placemats, pottery. Some were crude folk art. Others reflected great skill and artistry. None seemed appropriate for the bookshop. Nor was there room to display them without sacrificing space for their primary product.
    A.J. spoke before he could offer his opinion. “Lots of bookstores carry small gift items,” she pointed out. “And space isn’t really a problem. I thought we’d intersperse a few items in the display window among the books. They’ll add some visual interest. And I found out the jewelry store next door is getting new display cases. I asked Steve about buying one of his old ones to replace our sales counter, and when he found out what I was going to use it for, he offered to donate it. So we’ll be able to display a lot of these items without taking any space away from the books. Isn’t that great?”
    Blake stared at A.J. After three years, he knew Steve Winchell, the owner of the jewelry store, well enough to say hello when they met in the parking lot. But that was about it. In less than a month, A.J. was on a first-name basis with all of their neighbors.
    “Earth to Blake.”
    He caught her teasing tone and frowned. “This might dilute book sales.”
    “I don’t think so. In fact, I think these items will draw new customers into the shop, and they might end up buying books as well. Plus, I bet some of our regular book customers will also buy these items as gifts. We can monitor it, though. If I’m wrong, I’m certainly willing to reconsider.”
    But she wasn’t wrong. Within the first week, that was obvious. Blake told himself that part