6 Mountain Brothers for Christmas

“Can we come?” Sarah asked, already getting to her feet.

“Don’t you want to finish your game?” I asked.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want Sarah with me. I just knew my mood was only going to get worse.

“I want to come with you,” Sarah said.

“Not this time,” I said. “Stay here and play with Emily.”

“We can bake cookies after the game,” Emily said. “What do you think?”

“Yeah!” Sarah pumped her fist in the air with excitement. I smiled at her.

I looked at Emily one last time before I got up to leave. It was hard to read the emotion on her face. I left the house and climbed behind the wheel of my car. With a sigh, I cranked the engine and drove the five minutes into town. Emily’s face was still burned in my brain, and I was determined to get rid of it. She’d only been back a few days, and already, I was cranky and frustrated. Not for the first time, I wondered if I made the right decision in hiring her back.

I parked in a random parking spot and got out. I didn’t really have any errands, but I couldn’t be in that house for another second. With Emily staring at me with hidden expectations, it was too much. I still didn’t know what our kiss meant, and I wasn’t in a hurry to find out. From the way Emily was acting, though, she definitely was.

As I walked, I stumbled acro

ss an old bookstore. It looked closed, but when I stepped closer, I saw the lights on inside. I pushed open the door and was immediately hit with the smell of old books. I inhaled deeply, a smile spreading across my face. I couldn’t remember the last time I spent any time in a bookstore.

“Can I help you find anything?” someone asked from behind me.

I was halfway inside the store and I whirled around to see an old man looking up at me.

“No, thank you,” I said. “I’m just looking around.”

“I don’t know you,” the man said.

“No, you don’t.”

“I know everyone in town,” he said. “I’m Harry.”

“Sean,” I said simply. “I just moved here.”

“Well, Sean,” Harry said. “Welcome to my store. It’s nothing special, but we have some good things if you dig a bit.”

“I’ll do that,” I promised.

“Let me know if you need anything,” Harry said.

I nodded and Harry hobbled away, leaning heavily on a curved cane. This town became stranger with each new person I encountered. It was like the entire place had its own heartbeat, completely unique and unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

In a way, it was inspiring, but it was also disconcerting. I’d lived in San Diego for over thirty years. It was odd to be away from the ocean and my previously busy life. I thought again of the email that had driven me so far from my home.

I’m Sarah’s biological father…I want to see her…

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. There wasn’t anything I was looking for in particular, so I just wandered through the store, picking up different books as I moved. Most everything in Harry’s store was old, but seemed to be soaked in history. I found a barely recognizable copy of Gulliver’s Travels that I almost bought, but I thought better of it. I already owned three copies, and there was no reason to add another to my collection.

I continued lingering in the shelves for most of the afternoon. My excitement at finding a bookstore overshadowed my hunger or sense of time. I lost myself in the old books and amazing smells. It wasn’t until I stumbled upon the notebook section that my blood really began to burn with excitement.

The notebooks were the only thing in Harry’s store that looked new. I picked each one up, flipping it open to examine the pages inside. My own notebook wasn’t yet filled, but I couldn’t resist the urge to buy a few more.

After looking for a long time, I picked two. One was a leather-bound journal, tied with a delicate leather string. The other was a typical notebook, bound tightly with lined pages on the inside. I loved them both. As I made my way to the counter, I grabbed a pack of new pens and added that to my stack. Setting them on the counter, I pulled out my wallet and waited to hear the total.

“Just notebooks, huh?” Harry asked.

“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “That’s it for today.”