Page 38 of Autumn at the Cat Cafe

“Nice to meetcha.” Owen shook his hand, still peeking insidethe shop. “I miss this place. Could always find a decent book to pass the time when the pharmacy was slow. I can’t get into any of the stuff that comes out now. Earl was always good for some quick conversation too.”

“But not too much.” Via smiled.

“Nope. The man had his limits. Would you mind if I have a last look around? There will never be another shop like Second Chapter.”

“Sure,” Leo said. “Take your time.”

Owen’s smile returned. “Thanks.” He came inside. “So you’re a Harvard man.”

Harvard Boy... Via walked over to Sir Meow, stroked his fur, and listened in.

“My son, Tim, went to MIT.” Owen ran the edge of his finger against one of the dusty bookshelves. “Works in Seattle for that big computer company. Been there almost ten years. Me and Clara keep hoping he’ll come back home, but it’s not likely. He likes it there.” He looked at Leo. “I’m assuming you’re from Philadelphia. That’s where Earl said he hailed from.”

“No. New York City.”

“Oh. He didn’t mention he had family there.” Owen paused. “Actually, I don’t recall him talking about his family at all.”

Leo smoothly diverted the conversation from family to the bookstore. He asked Owen what type of books he liked, who was his favorite author, and other small-talk questions that Earl would have detested but Owen seemed to enjoy answering.

“What’s your favorite thing about Second Chapter?” Leo asked.

Owen tapped his chin. “Obviously the location. Smells like old books in here too.”

“That’s a plus?” Leo asked, wrinkling his nose slightly.

“Sure. And there’s plenty of variety to choose from. You never know what kind of gems you’ll find in here.”

Leo’s brow raised. “You’ve found valuable books?”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. Earl didn’t care much for that kind of thing. He just bought what he liked.”

Leo nodded, as if he were taking mental notes. Via sure was. “What about the dust?” he asked Owen. “The mess?”

“Part of the charm. If I wanted to go to a cookie-cutter bookstore, I’d go to Mentor. Or Beachwood. Or any other bigger city around here.” He frowned. “Sure am gonna miss it,” he repeated, almost inaudibly.

Via had no idea Owen was so attached to Second Chapter, and a spark of hope lit in her. This was exactly what she wanted Leo to understand—how important the shop was to Earl’s customers and friends. Maybe that would make him more discerning about who he sold the building to.

“Thanks for letting me reminisce. Clara’s got supper going, so I’d better get home.” Owen headed for the door.

“Nice to meet you.” Leo turned to Via. “I’ll be in the back for a minute.”

She nodded and went to the door with Owen. He was halfway out when he turned to Via. “I’m a little floored Earl never mentioned he had a nephew. I talked about my kids and grandkids with him all the time. Seems like a nice guy. Hope he stays in town for a while.” He pushed up the collar of his jacket and left.

Via turned the lock until it clicked. If things were different, she might hope for that too.

Leo returned to the front of the shop to see Via behind the counter again. He’d arrived at Second Chapter about fifteen minutes before they were scheduled to meet, the list of books that Earlwanted him to find in hand. Since he had some time, he decided to check out the bathroom. It indeed needed redecorating. If he were going to keep the property, he would just gut it, maybe add on an extra one—

Then he stopped himself. Although he no longer worked in real estate, it was ingrained in him, including figuring out ways to rehab and enhance a property to bring in a higher price. For a business like Second Chapter in a small town like Pecan Corner, cleaning, organizing, and getting the bathroom in decent order were all he needed to do. If he were actually going to keep the business—and he wasn’t—he’d want to make some upgrades.

He realized while he was talking to Owen that he left his list in the bathroom. It was good to get some intel from one of Earl’s friends and avid customers. The more he knew about the history of Second Chapter and how his uncle ran his business, the better.

Leo stopped in front of the counter. Sir was still there, and Via set down a big plastic tub with a fake-butter name on it. As soon as Sir saw him, he presented his fluffy belly for more pets. “What’s in there?”

Via smiled and peeled off the lid with a flourish. “Keys.”

He peeked inside. Whoa. “It’s all keys?”

“That’s what Earl said. I’ve never looked through them.” She ducked behind the counter again.