Janey blushed at that introduction. Her long, straight blond hair and bright blue eyes made her look like many of the heroines in the books she loved to read. “I have to admit, I am. It’s a guilty pleasure, but I’m also boning up on kids’ books, so just reach out if you need anything.”
Rarity stood as Caleb sat. “I’m so excited to learn more about Janey and Caleb. They’ll be attending our book club until they get comfortable in their new roles; then we might not see them again. At least not in the Tuesday night group. So let’s get started talking about our newest read.”
Sam came in about twenty minutes late, her face flush with either exertion or excitement. She had a stack of cookie containers from Annie’s Bakery. Malia Overstreet, one of the regular club attendees, was listing off all the things she hadn’t understood in the book. And the list was long.
Rarity smiled at Malia and held up her hand. “Since refreshments have arrived, let’s put a pin in your list and return to let the group chime in after a few minutes. Maybe someone else had some of the same issues with the book?”
Malia glanced around the circle at the others. “I’d like to hear what other people think about her personality. I just didn’t get her. At all.”
“Malia, you never get characters who are the slightest bit different than you. You expect everyone to act the way you would.” Holly Harper, another member of the group and Malia’s best friend, stood and walked over to the treat table. “Sam, can I help open the oatmeal chocolate chip container?”
“I do not think everyone should be like me.” Malia had followed Holly to the treat table. “Hi, Sam. Nice to see you. And don’t give her the cookies. She just wants to eat them.”
Rarity smiled as she watched the exchange. Shirley hadn’t gotten up for cookies. Instead, she was still crocheting a pink afghan. She saw Rarity watching her, and she paused.
“No cookies?” Rarity asked.
“My doctor says I need to cut out sweets. I’m not going to waste my sugar allotment on Annie’s cookies when I have a batch of my peanut butter drops sitting at home waiting for me to take over to the home tomorrow. They’re George’s favorite.” Shirley went back to her project.
Rarity went over and sat next to her, Killer on her heels. He always seemed to know when someone was hurting. “How’s George doing?”
Shirley wiped her cheek with the back of her hand and pulled out yarn to keep from losing her stitch. “He’s fine. Calmer now that I’m not mother henning all the time. You know they asked me to limit my time at the home to evenings.”
Rarity nodded. “That must be hard on you.”
“I was a stay-at-home wife for years. When the kids left, it was me and George. Besides my volunteer stuff, my life was making George happy. Now I don’t even do his laundry. What am I supposed to do with my time? My doctor doesn’t want me baking cookies.” She locked gazes with Rarity. “It’s hard not to be needed anymore.”
Rarity reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “You’re needed. You just need more structure in your life. I told you to come work for me. I need someone a few days a week, even with hiring Janey and Caleb. It would give you something to do.”
“I don’t know. I love books, but do I want to make what I love my job?” Shirley chuckled. “You’re trying to solve my problems, and I’m complaining. Sorry about that. Let me think about it, and I’ll let you know soon. I need to get some more coffee now and stretch my legs. Sitting is the new smoking, you know.”
Rarity watched as Shirley moved to the back, greeting other club members as she went. Killer whined from where he sat on Rarity’s lap. She ran a hand down his back. “I know, buddy. Shirley’s sad. But people get that way sometimes. We’ll just have to watch her.”
“Watch who?” Sam bounced into the chair next to Rarity. “And who are you talking to? Killer?”
“Sometimes he’s the only one around to listen. So why were you so late? Did you get a big order?” Rarity asked.
Sam ran the crystal shop next door, and she knew a ton about the different types of stones. She turned the stones into jewelry for people to clean their chakras or bring some energy into their lives. Sam had made Rarity a necklace when she went through chemo, and she still wore it, mostly because she loved the way it looked.
“No, not an order. I’m still working on getting stock ready for the Fall into Sedona festival next week. It’s better than that.” Sam giggled and bounced in her chair. “My brother is coming to town tomorrow. Actually, he’s already here. He’s staying at the hotel at the end of town. He’s coming by the shop tomorrow. I haven’t seen Marcus in years. And the best part? He’s thinking about moving here. He works from home, so he can work anywhere. Isn’t that amazing!”
Rarity didn’t know a lot about Marcus except that he went away for college and never came back to Arizona, not even for his parents’ anniversary party Sam held last year. Oh, and he did something in computer software development. But Sam was happy. Rarity didn’t want to be that friend who rained on everyone’s parade. “That’s wonderful. I hope to meet him.”
“Of course you will. I’ll bring him over to the shop. And he can come to Darby’s party. It’s going to be amazing. I hope Drew likes him. Being a cop, he has a certain standard. Marcus can be a bit unconventional.” Sam pursed her lips, as if she was thinking about the differences between her brother and her boyfriend.
“And on that note, it’s time to finish up this discussion.” Rarity stood and clapped her hands. “Let’s get back together and finish up with this book. I’ve got a new one I want you all to consider for the next open slot. I’ve also got next month’s book ready to purchase at the front counter.”
They continued discussing the current book, a domestic thriller. Malia allowed that maybe some of the reasons she didn’t like the character were her personal bias, but several other members agreed with her that the main character let herself be victimized, then whined rather than taking control of her life. Anytime the group read a book where the main character didn’t deal with the cards she’d been given gracefully and full force ahead, the book got slammed in the meeting.
Rarity thought it was probably because many of the Tuesday night group were cancer survivors. They knew life wasn’t fair. They’d lost friends during their journey. Now, they took their lives into their own hands. And, mostly, didn’t whine about their circumstances.
After they’d finished the meeting, Rarity was ringing up a purchase for Holly when Janey and Caleb stopped at the register. They looked like they were heading back to Flagstaff, where they lived by the college.
“Thanks for coming tonight. I wanted to give you a flavor of what a book club might be like and have you meet some of our patrons. Of course, your clubs will be kids, so it’s probably not comparable.”