Topher doesn't know the middle-aged man's name, but he recognizes him as soon as he enters the store. He's a semi-regular, not one of those customers who's there every weekend, but every few months he makes an appearance. He always wears a suit and appears mildly harried, so Topher assumes he visits Denver on business. He usually heads straight for the Staff Picks shelf and seems very self-sufficient, so Topher doesn't rush to offer assistance when he spots him but instead continues restocking a display of new memoirs. He is surprised when Liam calls him over to the register.
"This is Topher," his manager introduces him. The semi-regular nods in recognition. "Good to meet you, Topher."
"What can I help you with?" Topher asks.
The man sighs.
"I don't know if you can, but…well, I've been reading your staff picks for years. They're always great. I mean, they're always great for me. But this time I'm trying to find a gift for someone and I'm not sure what to get her. I thought you might be able to suggest something."
"Oh, sure!" Topher says, flattered. "What kind of things does she like reading?"
"Hmm…well. She's a lawyer. Anything law-related."
"Fiction? Scott Turow and John Grisham both have new books out."
"I think she's read them, actually. On second thought, something that has nothing to do with law might be a better idea."
"Sure, ok. Anything else she's interested in? Does she like non-fiction as well?"
The man nods.
"She does. Uh…she loves baseball. Especially the Yankees."
Topher snaps his fingers. "We just got a new history of the Yankees in! Incredible pictures! Let me go grab it and you can take a look."
The book is huge and ornate, and its price is in the triple digits. The man's eyes light up when he sees it and he takes it from Topher immediately. For a moment Topher thinks his work is done, but his hopes are dashed when the man, tucking the book under his arm, says, "That's perfect for my daughter's birthday. Not really what I was looking for for my friend though.
Friend. Not girlfriend, not fiancée, not wife. Topher is sensing a potentially ambiguous situation. Topher knows ambiguous situations well.
"Maybe you could tell me a little bit about her. It might help me figure out what she'd enjoy reading. "
The man furrows his brow.
"Huh. Well…she's smart. Brilliant, really. Funny. Kind. Misguided in a lot of ways…can be a bit of a bleeding heart. Tough. Stubborn. Irritating as hell when she sets her mind on something. Beautiful…not that that has anything to do with anything."
Topher is starting to get the picture.
"She sounds like a very caring person," he says gently, thinking for the hundredth time that he really should have finished that psychology degree. He would have been an excellent therapist.
"She is. "
"Is she married? Any kids?"
The man shakes his head. "No. She was married. Unhappily. That's been over for years, but she's been pretty reluctant to get involved with anybody else."
It all clicks into place for Topher now. In the twelve years he's worked at the Tattered Cover, Topher has been called upon to find books for every conceivable situation. People come looking for books to escape into and books to help face reality; books to make them laugh and books to soften loss and comfort the bereaved. Books to add excitement to quiet lives; books to add calm to chaotic ones. But perhaps most often, people look for books that will let others know they understand them. That they listen to them. That they love them.
"Wait here," Topher tells the semi-regular excitedly, feeling the tingle that always lets him know he's on the right track. He heads for the fiction section and returns with three titles: The Time-Traveler's Wife; The Remains of the Day, and Love in the Time of Cholera. He hands them to the man, watches him read the blurbs on the back, thumb through the first pages, and smile.
"I think she'd enjoy any of those," Topher says.
"I think you may be right. I'll take them all. Thanks, Topher. I had a feeling I could trust you."
"Good luck," says Topher, meaning it.
He watches the man take the books to the register, grabbing a few of the staff picks on the way as well, presumably for himself. He has the gift books wrapped and heads out the door with his full shopping bag, checking his watch and speeding up his pace. Business traveler. Topher is sure of it.
"It's a shame you don't work on commission!" says Liam, clapping him on the shoulder.
Topher chuckles. "Tell me about it!" he agrees, but inside he is aglow with satisfaction. The times when you know you've made a perfect match between book and reader are the high points of any bookseller's day, and Topher is pretty sure he's done it once again.