Love & Great Buildings

ONE

CHAPTER ONE

Rosemary Mathews found herself glancing once again at the clock hanging on the far wall. It was utterly ridiculous how time seemed to have come to a standstill. How can it only have been five minutes? Surely at least an hour's past.

The stack of papers on her desk was still dreadfully high. Bills, invoices, projection figures. If she stared at them for a moment longer she feared she'd lose what was left of her mind. What had she been thinking? Tackling the online market had been one thing. Though she still had nightmares about web design...

But another physical store?

She dropped her head into her hands and groaned. "God, I must have lost my mind."

"Can't lose what you never had!" Jules' voice sounded from the hall. Rosemary had to stifle a laugh. Trust Jules to add levity to any situation, especially when it was sorely needed.

"Some friend you are!" She retorted, giving up the ghost and pushing her chair back from the desk. She needed to walk away, if only for a short while, or she would certainly go mad. And while she knew Jules had everything to hand up front, showing her face around never hurt.

Jules was perched on the edge of the front counter, a magazine laying half open beside her, when Rosemary emerged from the back. "You love my honesty, don't lie." Jules smirked, kicking her feet back and forth.

She narrowed her eyes, pointedly glaring at Jules' swinging legs. "I don't recall paying you to lounge about."

Jules stuck out her tongue. With a roll of her eyes, Rosemary playfully smacked her in the back of the head. Mock outrage flooded Jules' face and she reached up to rub the back of her head. "Oy! Watch it!"

Rosemary looked around the front room; a woman was browsing through the non-fiction section and an older gentlemen was holding two cookbooks in his hands, seeming to debate which one was worthy of purchase. Otherwise the store was empty. There had been a handful of customers in the morning but that had trickled off come midday. It was just after the New Year, and the lull was not completely unexpected. They'd done a fair run right up until Christmas and had come out ahead, which was no small feat. The slowness would pass, it always seemed to. Thankfully online sales seemed to be holding steady, so no matter what they would be fine, at least for the time being. But still Rosemary was trying, very desperately, not to panic. Maybe she'd been a bit too ambitious...

"No, Rose," Jules warned, snapping Rosemary's attention back into the present. "Stop it. I know that look. We're fine. You're fine. Relax."

"Easier said than done." Rosemary sighed, leaning against the counter. "I know," she started again, hands raised to stop Jules' protest. "I know we're fine. I've been over the books and so has Evan. This is a risk but there is every chance it will pay off. I'm just having cold feet."

Jules laughed in earnest. "You overthink, my dear." She hopped off the counter and with a knowing look walked over to help the man with the cookbook dilemma.

___

With the front door shut firmly behind her, Rosemary collapsed, gratefully, onto her couch and let out a sigh of relief. Exhaustion weighed down her limbs and all she wanted to do was sleep. Maybe for the next few years. She sighed at the thought. God, if only. She refused to let herself think about the massive amount of work still awaiting her attention back at Stories Untold.

Groaning with the effort, she pushed herself up from the couch and stumbled towards the kitchen when her stomach growled making its presence known. It had been a long time since lunch and her body protested violently at her lack of self-care. But there had been far too much to do and eating had been the very last thing on her mind. She glared at the contents of her refrigerator; a wilting head of lettuce, a quart of milk, and a bottle of white wine. Take-away it is then. And a serious round of shopping tomorrow. Lest I starve and waste away to nothing.