"A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference." – Winnie the Pooh
Considerate
Dr. Temperance Brennan stepped into the Paige Turnerbookstore on a mission. Above her head, a soft bell chimed, announcing her presence whether she wanted to or not. The musty scent of aging paper mixed with a hint of vanilla from the candle that burned at the counter filled her lungs, evoking memories of similar boutiques that she had visited around the world. Row upon row of neatly shelved books that had been organized first by genre, then by author, beckoned to her to set aside any personal agenda and plumb their depths.
Plumbing- Booth's plumbing to be specific- was what had brought her here today in the first place, however, and she was singularly determined to complete the task before indulging any of her own whims. Beginning in the self-help section and moving to the home improvement one she hoped that it would be worth the effort. She had scoffed at Sweets' suggestion initially, but the issue did seem very important to Booth and she wished to be a good friend.
Her eyes alighted on the book in question and she smiled smugly. Booth's lackeys had wasted several hours frequenting book retailers across the metro area and it had taken her mere minutes in a shop that no doubt was overlooked by the common passerby. Task complete, she determined that she still had a good deal of time before she was needed at Booth's office, so she could now indulge herself.
Her first stop was the mystery section, where she confirmed that there still were no copies of her book present. Paige, the owner of the small boutique, had assured her the first time she'd shopped here that, in the used book industry, the absence of a book was a good thing and meant that a majority of her readers had chosen to keep their books rather than trade them in for something newer.
Next she moved onto the classics section with a brief sojourn in the reference area to see whether any useful osteology books had come in since her last visit. By the time she needed to leave, she had an armload of books that she had decided to purchase.
"Would you like any of these gift-wrapped, Dr. Brennan," Paige asked as she rung up the selections.
Brennan considered it for a moment, then shook her head, "No thank you and would you please ring this one up separately," she indicated Booth's book.
"Of course," the other woman smiled congenially, tucking the separate receipt into Booth's book, "Would you prefer a separate bag for it as well?"
Nodding, Brennan paid both totals and exited the store, feeling very pleased with the venture's outcome. Now not only would she be enabling Booth to regain a lost skill, but by allowing him to pay for the book himself she would not be drawing undue attention to the monetary disparity that existed between him, nor would she insult his virility.