A.N. I apologize for the wait on an update so soon after saying I wanted to update every couple of days. I've had some family issues lately, and haven't had much time to write. I'd like to thank my editors who are amazing at helping me grow in my writing skills.
Danny hung up the phone as he put the key in the lock of his new apartment. Slipping the phone in his pocket as he opened the door; looking around, he smiled. The interior was a nice blend of white and black; the counters in the kitchen were white marble. Danny walked over to the window that stretched from floor to ceiling. He looked out at the view that overlooked the harbor. There was an island out in the harbor, and Danny smiled. Maybe he would go explore it, and see if there was anything interesting on it. It looked like a normal island with trees and bushes. Turning away, he walked into the kitchen only to remember that he hadn't gone food shopping yet. Groaning and throwing his back he grabbed his keys and walked back outside. Heading towards the elevator, he nodded at an old lady down the hall, she nodded back at him as she walked inside her own apartment. He stepped into the elevator and hit the lobby button.
As he walked out of the lobby, the sun was starting to hit the horizon. Danny remembered there being a grocery store on the same street as the bookstore. As he turned the corner, Danny looked at his phone, hoping he had gotten a message from Rachel accepting his offer yet. He hadn't heard anything, or seen her in the past couple of days. He looked up to find himself in front of the bookstore. He smiled at the sold sign in the window and continued walking. Danny saw the grocery store lights up ahead.
As Danny walked into the grocery store and grabbed a cart, his phone buzzed indicating that he had a text. Looking down at it, he smiled a little.
"Hello? Is your offer still open? -Rachel" Danny stops in the cereal aisle, and grabbed a box of Fruit Loops. He chuckled to himself after seeing the cereal. He puts it in the cart he had grabbed.
"Hello! Yes, my offer is still open. If you want, show up tomorrow at 9 am, and help me start with cleaning. -Danny" He walked down several aisles, getting the essential food items; like fruits and vegetables, sandwich making items, and ramen noodles. He walked around the store for about an hour before checking out and heading home to make dinner.
The following morning, he left his apartment and walked towards the bookstore around the corner. He smiled to himself, seeing Rachel already standing outside the bookstore.
"Good morning!" He waved at her, and got the key out to open the door. She gave a small smile and wave back at him. Walking into the store, he motioned for her to follow. "How have you been?"
"I've been good." She responded quietly. She followed him inside hesitantly. She was still unsure about this hyperactive guy who she met only a couple of days ago. He seemed nice, but she was feeling some very strange emotions from him in her slight pokes at his aura.
"I need to make a checklist of things to be done." Danny said looking around, then pulled a handheld notebook out of his jacket pocket. He set down his mug of coffee on the counter before turning to her. "If you wouldn't mind, I would like it if you went through the shelves and start putting the books in boxes while I go check the stock room."
"Where are the boxes?" Rachel asked looking around for them. Danny smacked his forehead and chuckled.
"Right, I was supposed to pick those up before I came in. I'll run and get those, would you go through the stock room and see if there are any boxes you could start with?" He put the notebook on the counter before rubbing the back of his neck. Rachel nodded and headed towards the back as Danny walked out the front door.
The rest of the day was spent putting books in boxes and labelling the boxes with keep, sell, and a very small pile of toss. They both hated putting books in the toss pile, but some were in such bad shape that they would have to order new ones soon anyway. It was late when they left that night, both agreeing to be back early in the morning.
Danny got there first in the morning, and opened the door to get started for the day. He worked for a little while, finishing off the small pile left over from the night before. He was just putting the last box on the keep pile when Rachel walked in.
"Good morning. Sleep okay?" Danny asked her, wiping the dust from his hands. She nodded and set a small box on the table. "What's that?" Danny walked over curious.
"I figured it could be a thank you for giving me a job, and for listening to my advice about the books." Rachel gave him small smile and shrugged. Danny smiled wide and looked in the box as she opened it. "I was picking up my tea this morning and decided to get donuts."
Danny took a donut with chocolate frosting and sprinkles. He was careful to eat it away from books and made sure he had clean hands before getting ready to work. "I got a message this morning saying the new shelves were ready for pick up, so I'll see if they will deliver them for us. Then we should see about getting these shelves down so we can put them up tomorrow."
Rachel nodded and headed over towards some shelves. "I can start with these while you do that." Danny agreed and headed towards the small office in the stock room to make the call.
The rest of the week went fast, as they took out the old shelves, and installed the new ones. By Saturday they were almost done. Only a few of the replacement books had yet to arrive, but Danny was eager to open the store.
"Hey Rachel!" He waved to get her attention from where she was putting books back on the shelves. She looked up from the history section as she put the last book on the shelf. "What do you say to dinner tomorrow night to celebrate the opening?"
She tilted her head a bit in thought before nodding. She walked over to where he was behind the counter.
"Then it will be my treat." Danny offered, and looked around. "Meet here tomorrow night? I'll just be doing a bit of touch up tomorrow, so you don't have to come by until we meet for dinner." She nodded and looked around.
"It looks nice. I'm glad you decided to clean it up and make it a nice place." Danny agreed, and put his hand to the back of his head.
"I think we're done for today, don't you?" He grabbed his mug and the keys before motioning for Rachel to join him in his walk to the door. Rachel nodded and held the door open for him.
"I'll see you tomorrow, about 6:30 pm?" It had been a fun week, but she was looking forward to a day to relax and read a book she had borrowed from the store. Danny nodded and waved as he walked towards his apartment.
"Goodnight Rachel."