Turning the Page by Georgia Beers Read Free Book Online Page B

three hours,
    going through more papers, as well as scanning the shelves to see exactly what kind of
    inventory with which Jeff had stocked the store. It was easy to tell who his personal
    favorites were. There was a section of John Grisham novels that spanned almost three feet,
    as well as the entire series of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone novels, from A is for Alibi all the
    way to N is for Noose Melanie smiled at these, enjoying them herself, and waiting anxiously
    for the next letter.
    The remainder of the mystery section, however, was sorely lacking.
    She sighed. Jeff had obviously tried to put a little bit of everything on the shelves, and by
    doing so, had inadvertently limited his stock tremendously. Taylor was absolutely right. This
    needed to be a specialty bookstore. But, specialize in what?
    She pulled out a sheet of paper, and made a list. Lists were her friends, she'd been heard to
    say; she used them every chance she got to help clear her mind, and organize her thoughts. In
    what subjects could a bookstore specialize? She tried to think of every single little shop
    she'd ever visited, and scratched words onto the pad.
    Computers, pets, feminism, business, mysteries, classic literature, used, science fiction...
    Eight choices, right off the bat. Not bad. She smiled to herself. Then, a sudden thought came
    to her, and she made a second list, right next to the first. She looked thoughtfully at the
    eight subjects, then transferred four of them to the second list: computers, business,
    feminism, and mysteries. She leaned her chin in her hand, and studied the paper for several
    minutes before the alarm on her watch beeped, signaling lunch. She grabbed her keys and
    wallet and, locking the store behind her, crossed the street.
    Aladdin's was a charming, albeit busy, little place with two levels and an outdoor seating area
    on the roof. Melanie stopped inside the door, and faced a small flight of stairs that would take
    her to the second floor. The restaurant was small and bustling, with patrons and wait staff
    warring for space. The tables were small, mostly seating two or four, and draped in salmon-
    colored tablecloths, which blended nicely with the earthy colors that accented the rest of the
    restaurant.
    Her blue eyes did a quick scan, and she saw Ben waving to her from the top of the stairs. She
    smiled, trotting up the steps to meet him. "Hi," she said pleasantly. "Have you been waiting long?"
    "Just got here." He smiled, and Melanie noticed again how much Taylor's eyes looked like his...
    color, shape, and the way they sparkled when he smiled. He looked incredibly handsome in his
    navy suit, complete with red power tie and a gold golf club tie clip.
    He led her to a small table for two in the corner, holding her chair as she sat.
    "This is a nifty little place," she commented, looking around. "And busy."
    Ben chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound Melanie could feel in the pit of her stomach. "Yeah. It's
    usually like this at lunch. It's in a good location for business people who work in the city. It's a hop, skip, and a jump away, and the service is pretty fast."
    As if on cue, their waitress appeared to take their drink orders, and was gone just as quickly.
    "Don’t let the subtitle of ‘natural eatery’ fool you," Ben added with a smile. "It's healthy stuff, but good...not all tofu and rice cakes. Lots of great salads and soups."
    She grinned. "Salad will be good for me. I ate way too much junk food on the run in Chicago,
    that's for sure."
    "So, what brings you to Rochester? Are you on vacation?"
    "Sort of, but not exactly. The company I worked for was purchased by a larger one, and
    they're relocating to Seattle. I didn't want to go, so I took the severance package and
    decided to take some time off." She left out the fact that it had been the most difficult
    decision of her life.
    "Seattle, huh? That's a long haul."
    The waitress returned with their iced tea, asking if they were ready to order. Ben