Of Wolves and Wings

Chapter One

"Andi, where do you want these?" I looked up from the inventory sheet at my one and only employee, Sadie. Sadie was young, still in high school. Her appearance might have been a little on the scary side to some, what with the gauged ears, septum ring, and multiple tattoos; but, she was efficient, when she could be separated from her phone. She also had the one quality that made her stand out among the other applicants. She was infatuated with literature.

She was standing in front of the counter I was working behind carrying a box of books. "Um, up here on the counter will be fine. We'll get them checked off the inventory list and then priced. Once we get the shelves in I'll have you organize them."

"Cool," was her only response as she hefted the heavy box up onto the counter with a grunt.

I smiled my thanks at her as she turned to go unload more boxes from the back of the moving van. I rubbed my hands over the counter and sighed in contentment. This counter was quite possibly my favorite piece of my dream so far. It's top was made from an old piece of oak, so worn down from years of use that it was almost buttery soft under my palms. It had come from the little library before they tore it down and carried lots of good memories for me. It was one of the few things in town that did. But, that was part of the reason why I moved back here. It was time to make new memories, to not let the old ones haunt me anymore.

The wind blew through the open door and I caught a familiar scent. I smiled and turned around. My eyes took in the sight of the tall, brown haired, brown eyed man in front of me. His sweet and easy smile was stretched across his lips. He wore a button up polo shirt with the logo of his company on it and the name Sargent underneath. He grumbled often about the polo, but I told him it made him look more professional. He was more of a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy. I couldn't blame him, it was hard to find clothing that fit his muscular frame.

"Excuse me, miss? I need you to sign here for the sign, please." I chuckled at the gleam in my best friend's eyes. The politeness was a put upon air. We had known each other for five years now. In fact, we knew each other so well that one might say there were even times when we could read each other's thoughts.

"Sure thing," I said to Landon with an eye roll. Landon was not only my friend, but he was also the graphic designer I had hired. He had such an eye for detail that his company had quickly taken off when he followed me here to Harbor Grove, Texas. I took the clipboard from his outstretched hand and quickly scrawled my name in the designated spot.

Sadie snuck in with more boxes, grumbling under her breath about "slave labor." I didn't care, though. She could complain all she wanted. My mind was humming with excitement. Today was the day my dream started to come true. Well, one of them anyway. The only one I allowed myself to think about. The other one was locked securely away in the dusty basement of my heart. That dream wouldn't be happening anytime soon, or ever.

I handed the clipboard back and he tore off the front page, giving me the carbon copy of the receipt. "You want to supervise its placement?"

I clapped my hands and squealed. "You bet! But, not because I think you guys won't do a good job. Just because I'm so excited."

"Whatever you say, Andi girl," he said with a chuckle.

"Sadie, I'm going out to watch them put up the sign. Listen for the phone will ya?"

"It's not going to ring before we are even open," was her reply from the storage area in the back of the shop. I rolled my eyes but otherwise ignored her. Her teenage angst was not going to dampen my mood today.

I stopped on the sidewalk next to Landon and shielded my eyes from the sun with a hand. "Alright fellas, let's lift her up," he said to the man operating the crane. The man gave him a mock salute and proceeded to lift the name of my baby, my business, onto the side of my building.