Britain might have been referred to as a nation of shopkeepers, but it is a task in which I had never seen myself engaging - until today. I look over at Myka, happily ringing up a customer who purchased an original printing of Tropic of Cancer. She carefully wraps the book up with tissue paper and places it into a paper bag with a smile. She makes small talk with the woman about her purchase, asking if she had been looking for the book for a long time and if it's her first time in the shop. Once the woman leaves, it's just the two of us again.

"Hi."

Myka looks up at the clock overhead and then to me. "Hi yourself. You find something to occupy you?"

I gesture the air around me. "We're in a bookstore, I'm fairly certain I could never be bored here." I walk over to her and give her a kiss. "Time to close?"

"Yup." Myka walks over to the entrance, turning the lock and bolting the top and bottom of the door. I watch her lanky frame reach up then delightfully bend down to secure the door. It takes my brain a brief moment to gather my thoughts. "What have you been doing this afternoon?"

"Well..." I trail off and walk towards the light switch to turn off the overhead lights. Behind a nearby waist-high bookcase there is an assortment of pillows, blankets and books tossed on the floor. The small space is lit by an oil lantern I found upstairs in the apartment. With the smell of old books and furniture surrounding me, it was impossible to not enjoy holing myself away in this enclosed spot while Myka took care of the little things.

I casually eye the corner where the oil lamp emanates light and get Myka to follow the direction of my eyes. Her eyes wander to the spot and she just crosses her arms. She's smiling at the cubby I've been reading in for the past day, walking towards the very comfortable-looking space. I amble over to where she stands and wrap my arms around her waist, positioning my chin upon her shoulder, which involves me standing on my toes.

We stay like that for a moment until I break the silence. "Come join me."

Myka steps aside as I remove my arms from her waist and I lead us into the reading niche. I place myself against the wall, finally patting the space between my legs to invite her to sit between them. She obediently follows by cuddling up against me. It's wonderful to be away from the Warehouse and the day-to-day stresses of artifact retrieval and inventory; Myka's relaxed and happy, I'm rested and in a loving mood. I pull a blanket up to keep the dampness away and pick up the book closest to me and begin to read aloud.

"'"I do think it was the most fortunate thing in the world that those children should have the measles just now," said Meg, one April day...'"

"You've been reading Little Women?" Myka says as she turns her head towards me.

"Yes, is that a problem?"

"No, no, no. I think that's adorable...especially with that accent of yours." She settles herself back against me. "Go on."

She can be so bossy sometimes.

With darling Claudia's technical assistance and American accent along with my cunning and finances, we concocted a prize: one-week getaway for two to Florida. It was a bit far-fetched, but Myka's parents seem such quiet people who don't get out much and probably wouldn't notice how it all came about. I merely think of it as my/our indirect way of encouraging them to be adventuresome as well as my way of finding Myka and me alone in a bookshop for a week.