“It’s melting out there,” One of the customers wiped at the sweat on his forehead. “God bless your shop for the air conditioning,”

“I hope you had a chance to enjoy our lemonade,” The tall man on the other side of the counter pushed up his glasses. “One of the youngsters made it by herself. Absolute heaven,”

“Ah yes!” The man grinned and took the bag. “It was so refreshing that I felt like I had just taken a cool shower!”

“Have a good day, Mr. Moore,” The cashier chuckled at the response

“You too, William”

Chuckling to himself, he brushed the curls out of his eyes before rolling his shoulders, catching sight of one of his employees.

“Can you watch the counter for a bit?” He asked if the girl, who nodded and took his place.

 He made rounds around the shop, making his way up and down the landing, inquiring if everyone was alright, and taking note of a few special orders some of the customers asked him to get brought in. A white Persian cat strutting beside him with her tail flicking in the air behind him, accompanying the man.

“Hey, Will,” A mailman waved up at him from the ground floor, William leaning over the railing to look down at him. “Got your delivery!”

“Oh!” He nodded and made his way down the spiral staircase, coming to stand before the delivery man who held out a clipboard for him, pointing to where he had to sign. “Books?”

“As always,” The mailman chuckled as William followed him towards the front entrance where he had a trolley standing with cartons on cartons laid on it.

“Wonderful,” He clapped his together. “Could you help bring them in?”

Nodding, the delivery man wheeled in the trolley, putting them under the stairs and out of pedestrians’ way.

“Thank you,”

No soon had the mailman left, William sat cross-legged on the wooden flooring, cutting open the tape and took out the books laid inside, softly humming along to the instrumental music playing on the speakers.

Pulling open the door, the girl stared in awe at the three-floored bookshop in front of her, her eyes wide as she spun around to take everything in, the number of books having her reeling. Pulling her golden hair into a ponytail, she walked forward and bumped into one of the customers leaving.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” She turned and apologized, watching the man leave, waving away the apology as she grimaced and walked backward.

A screeching yowl had her squeak and jump, turning just in time to watch a white fluff run around the corner and away from her.

“Snowflake-!” Someone began to call out to the creature when he turned around and bumped into a customer, sending both of them staggering and the books in his arms clamoring to the floor along with his glasses. “Oh, damn it-!” He groaned at the fact that he had to reorganize them now.

“-I am so sorry!” The young woman gasped and instantly bent down to help him pick up the dropped texts.

“My apologies,” William spoke as he fixed the glasses on his face and picked up the books. “I wasn’t watching where I was going-” He said and looked up at the woman once they had gathered all of them, his breath stuttering in his throat.

She was ethereal with her porcelain complexion and startling grey eyes watching him from behind a curtain of ruffled golden hair.

“Let me help you put these away,” She grinned and stood up from the floor with a stack of books in her arm, William following her example. “I’m Sienna,” She stuck out her hand.

“William,” He introduced in response and shook her hand, marveling at how soft her palm was, the fear of breaking it registering in the back of his mind.

Since she insisted on helping him put the books into their places, William let her given how he was short-staffed today. The curly-haired man informing her where every book went while Sienna put them under their designated genre.

“So, what’s the system for this bookshop?” Sienna inquired as she put another book under ‘fantasy’.

“The shelves are divided up in genres like fiction includes fantasy, horror, humor, romance, sci-fi, coming of age, and such. Then in non-fiction, there are biographies, autobiographies, textbooks, self-help books, and the like.” William informed as he put away a book. “You can’t borrow, but books can be ordered. In the back, there are counters for refreshment with seating for you to sit down and read through a book, and if you like it but can’t afford to take it home, we will note down your page number and book title so that you can come in again and resume where you left off.”

“Wow,”

“Oh and those that like fluffy animals, little Snowflake there is a people’s person and will readily cuddle with anyone,”

“That’s amazing,” Sienna gasped. “The owner should have called this book heaven instead of Pens and Prints! I mean, wow!”

“It was an option, actually,” William dusted his hands. “But I felt that ‘book heaven’ was rather farfetched for a bookshop that was just starting.”

“Oh, do you know the owner?” Sienna turned to him with those intelligent grey eyes and smiled up at him.

“I am the owner,”

“What?” She gasped. “No way! You’re so young!”

“I’ve been running this store for four years now, actually,”

“That is so amazing!”

“Thank you,” William’s cheeks flushed as he scratched at the back of his neck.

“So…” Sienna looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to supply his name.

“William-”

“-So, William, I can sit here and read, but I can’t borrow them, right?” She inquired to confirm.

“Yes, exactly. Or you could buy them and take them home,”

“I see,” Sienna ran her delicate fingers over the spines of the books under the horror genre and picked one out. “And if I need anything, I can come to you?”

“Me or anyone you see with a nametag,”

“Alright…”

William gave her a small smile to see her reading the back of one of the books as he stood with his hands to his back, about to ask her something when one of his employees called out to him.

“William!” The boy groaned. “Snowflakes is up on the bookshelf again,”

“Oh, God, is Ron there?” William grunted as he made his way towards his employee.

“What do you think?”

“When will that boy learn to stop harassing my poor kitten?”

“Not for another five years,” His employee snorted as they made their way up to the third floor.

There, a little boy, no more than five sniffling in front of the bookshelf with his mother standing over him in exasperation, offering William and apologetic smile as the owner shrugged, saying ‘what can we do about it’. Climbing up the ladder in the corner, he picked up his Persian kitten from atop the bookshelf and returned to the floor. The boy instantly holding his hands out for the cat as Will placed the feline over his shoulders.

“I’m sorry, Ronnie,” William apologized. “But Snowflake is a little scared right now and I can’t give her to you,”

“Kitty!” The boy gestured for the cat to come to him as the owner gave an apologetic smile and handed him a lollipop from his pants pockets, the toddler instantly forgetting about the cat as he gawked at the candy in his hand.

Sighing in relief, William made his way down the stairs and resumed stocking up the books after taking up a quick shift behind the counter, one of the older customers asking if they could take Snowflake off his shoulders as the cat readily walked over to them.

He even went out on a quick refreshment run before returning to find Sienna huddled into one of the beanbags and reading the book in her hands.

His staff changed from the day shift to those in the evening and more people came and went, but Sienna remained a constant, lost in the world of fiction her choice created in her mind.

It wasn’t until later that night when the crowd had thinned out that Sienna stood up from the beanbag, stretching in her place and shook out the soreness in her joints and smiled down at the book in her hand. Shaking her head at herself she made her way over to the front of the store where William was seeing off one of the last few remaining customers before smiling at her dazed expression.

“Enjoying?” He chuckled as she scoffed and nodded in confirmation. “Buying?”

“Yes, please,” Sienna handed him the book as William scanned it, her gaze falling to the curled up white kitten on the counter, sleeping soundly.

“Passing through?” William inquired as he handed her the bag.

“Pardon?”

“You’re not from here, so I was asking if you’re staying in one of the motels.”

“Oh, no,” She shook her head. “I’ve just moved here with my husband,”

“Husband?”

“Why yes,” Sienna beamed with pride and showed off the silver wedding band on her finger. “I got married last month and we’re moving here from London. I came up first, but James will follow in a day or so, had to wrap up a couple of things,”

“Ah,” William’s shoulders deflated. “I see,”

“Yes,”

“Well, then, have a good night, Mrs…?”

“Anderson,”

“Mrs. Anderson,” William nodded. “Congratulations on the wedding,”

“Thank you,” Sienna grinned in response and made her way out of the store as the owner sighed and braced the counter.

Scratching the sleeping cat behind her ears, he took off his glasses and put them to the side.

“You hear that, Snowflake?” He murmured to the dozing feline. “She’s married,”