Now Hiring {Bookshop Episode II}

    Corey swung her legs out of bed at 7:45 on Monday morning. She ran her fingers through her hair, momentarily enjoying the classical Pandora station she had set as her alarm. When she reached over to switch it off, she noticed that RoseJ_1844 had followed her on Instagram. Corey frowned, but set her phone aside while she made her bed. When she was finished, she checked his profile. There were a few pictures of a young man with messy brown curls, brown eyes, and a little bit of beard stubble on his cheeks. The rest of the page was composed of pictures of books and artistic angles of brick walls. Yep, it was definitely Rose. Corey considered her options, then blocked him. Why couldn’t he leave her alone? She sighed.
She scooped up the black skirt and white button-up that she had laid out the night before and went into the bathroom to shower. After she dried her hair, she put on a little more makeup than usual. She had a job interview today, and she wanted to make a good impression. She scrambled two eggs, ate them, brushed her teeth, and filled her travel mug with coffee.
On her way out of the house, Corey picked up her purse and put on a cardigan to protect herself against the chill outside. As she reached for her keys, her hand brushed against An Orphan Boy and knocked the bookmark sideways. She picked up the book too, straightening the bookmark again. She had read part of it over the weekend. Now she understood why Rose liked it so much. He was the protagonist.
There were a few small changes. His name was Richard instead of Rose, and the book was set in 1862. Corey had to admit, the book was very detailed. Katelyn’s writing was refreshingly simple, and it wasn’t as hard to get through as she had expected. Even Rose’s character wasn’t a drawback. His attitude was exactly the same, which meant Corey spent a lot of her reading time yelling at fictional Rose to not be so stupid, but artistic license couldn’t fix everything.
As much as Corey wanted to walk and bring her camera along, she didn’t think the Publix manager would be too happy if she was late. She checked the time. It was nine o’clock now, so her interview was in half an hour. She got in her car and rolled both windows down before she pulled out of her driveway.
Corey was antsy the whole drive. This wasn’t her first time applying for a job, but job interviews still weren’t her strong point. The wind ruffled her hair as she drove, making her shiver. She had the heat turned all the way up, but the wind was so strong it didn’t do any good. Still, she didn’t roll the windows up. She disliked being shut in a metal box on wheels and not having any fresh air. She finally did put them up when she pulled into the Publix parking lot. She climbed out of the car, forcing a cheery smile onto her face and smoothing her skirt. Breathe in, breathe out. She felt ready.
Corey walked out of the interview feeling very confident. If she got the job, she would be fine for another six months, maybe a year. She just needed money until she found a photography studio that would hire her.

But two weeks later, Corey was slumped on the couch in her pajamas, hanging up the phone after a rejection call. She stared at the phone screen, feeling crushed. She had been jobless for a week now, and she needed another one soon! Three or four more weeks seemed impossible.
She got off the couch and walked into her bedroom to get dressed and pick up her camera. Photography was the only thing that could possibly improve her mood. As her best friend Merida had once said, she “needed to shoot something.” Corey smiled at the memory. Merida had done the lettering for the “Photography is Therapy” poster on Corey’s bedroom mirror, made from a photograph of Corey’s favorite skyline. Although she was a little intense, not unlike her princess namesake, she was amazing at lettering.
Once Corey was dressed and had combed her honey-blond hair into a ponytail, she picked up her lens bag and put the camera strap around her neck. The weight calmed her instantly. She checked the battery and took a few test shots of her room, then pulled on her coat and started outside.
Corey was glad that she lived so close to downtown. It was a twenty minute walk from her house to her favorite restaurant, and there were sidewalks the whole way. She shut her front door and took a deep breath. The air smelled like the pecan tree in the yard next door. Corey was also proud to say that she lived in the prettiest neighborhood in the city. Not the most modern, but the quiet streets and old houses drew her eye more so than sleek apartment buildings.
She raised the camera to her eye and took a photo down the sidewalk. She checked how it had turned out, adjusted the settings, and retook it. There was no one on the sidewalk at this time of morning. It was 10 a.m., prime time for just about nothing. A squirrel raided the birdfeeder a few houses down the road while irritated cardinals squawked at it. Corey got a little closer and snapped a photo.
She made her way down the quiet sidewalk, drinking in the familiar scenery and taking pictures every few minutes. The streets got a bit busier as she neared downtown. First it was a man and a little girl on a bicycle, then a woman jogging, then a teenage boy carrying a shopping bag and an umbrella.
Corey turned the corner onto First Avenue. She loved the sight of the red brick buildings and colorful window displays. She had walked down this sidewalk hundreds of times in varying company. She stopped to admire the formal wear in one window, and realized that she didn’t really know where she was going. She turned her back to the window and leaned against it while she decided her course. Her favorite Italian restaurant was a few blocks down on the other side of the road, but she wasn’t hungry. Of course there were numerous clothing stores, but Merida wasn’t here, and Corey hated shopping by herself. She didn’t need clothes, anyway. Then she remembered the playground at the end of the sidewalk. School was in session today, so it was probably almost empty.
Perfect, Corey thought. She stood up and set off towards the playground. She bumped an acorn with her foot, and stopped to watch it roll into the storm drain. Then she noticed the smell of hamburgers, and looked up to find that she was approaching the McDonald’s next to the bookshop.
Why someone had decided to open a McDonald’s in the middle of downtown was beyond Corey. The bright yellow “M” was an eyesore next to the more tasteful restaurant signs, and the whole block smelled like french fries. Still, the fact that it was still open proved that people ate there, so it wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
She was about to continue past the bookshop when she noticed Rose. He was outside the bookshop, washing the windows. Rose was the last person Corey wanted to run into today. She panicked and ducked inside the McDonald’s.
How was she supposed to get to the playground now? She could just go home, but the inside of her house might be too depressing. She took a straw out of the box and started to pick the paper off. She could call Merida to come rescue her. That would give her an excuse to ignore Rose. That, or Merida might start yelling at him for being a creep.
“How may I help you, Ma’am?” Corey looked up and realized the cashier was talking to her.
“Uh, I’ll have a cheeseburger and a Sprite,” she said awkwardly to the boy punching her order into the register. “Please,” she added.
“Well of course,” the boy replied.
The boy flashed Corey a smile when he handed her order over the counter. She smiled back. She had to admit, he was kind of cute.
“Have a wonderful day,” the boy called after her. Yeah, he was really cute.
Corey picked a fry out of the bag and reminded herself that she had bigger things to worry about. For starters, she just spend eight dollars on fast food, and she didn’t have a job anymore. One cheeseburger wouldn’t empty her bank account, but she would start running low on funds pretty soon.
What places were hiring in mid-January? Corey wondered as she chewed her burger. Toys R Us didn’t need seasonal workers right now; that’s why she didn’t have a job. She had experience as a cashier, but Publix didn’t want her. She could buy a copy of the newspaper on her way home and look at job listings. She wanted to find one as soon as possible. Until then, she would have to give up new camera equipment and expensive Italian food.
Suddenly, she had an idea.

♡♡♡

So, the setup for this series was supposed to be two episodes, but it ended up being a little longer than expected. I'm sorry.
I'm probably posting something else next week, so it will be a bit before part 3.
Let me know your thoughts! I'm enjoying writing this so far. Any guesses about the twist in the next part? (If someone gets it right I'll be shocked because I haven't even hinted at it yet.)

P.S. I'm very happy with my new sign off.