Just Breathe

Chapter 2

Kelly turned the sign on her front window to "Closed" and locked the door. She tidied the displays on her way across the room, moving items around until she was happy with how they looked.

One day she was going to buy better display tables and cabinets. But for now, the old-fashioned shelving worked.

She stopped in front of the display of toy cars from the 1950s. They were selling well. She'd bought most of them at an auction in Great Falls. The bidding had been strong, but she'd come away happy, not paying more than she thought they were worth.

A loud banging on her front door made her jump.

She unlocked the door and let Avery in. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

Avery unwound her scarf. "I was heading home from college and thought I'd see how your afternoon went."

"It was good. Mr. Chapman collected the model bridge he'd ordered and I sold more of the vintage toy cars."

"Did Tanner come in?"

Heat hit Kelly's cheeks. "He apologized for bidding against me."

"And?"

"And I apologized for being annoyed. He wanted to give me the paperweights."

Avery's eyes widened. "He really was sorry."

"I exchanged Emily Dickinson's poetry book for them."

"I'm glad you got that sorted."

Kelly frowned. "I've tried talking to him before when he's come into the store, but he usually doesn't say much."

"Maybe he's shy."

"Shy?"

"Just because he looks confident it doesn't mean he's comfortable around people."

"But he works for a security company. He has to be comfortable around people."

"All I'm saying is to keep an open mind. Our family is full of extroverts—sometimes it's easy to think that everyone else is the same."

Kelly locked the door. "Did you want to stay for dinner?"

"Do I look as though I'm hiding from my family?"

"Only a little bit. Has your dad been talking about your grades again?"

"He's disappointed I'm not doing better. I'm not an A student."

"Are you passing all of your classes?"

"Yes."

Kelly walked into the corridor at the back of her store. "Have you told him that?"

"Of course I have, but it's not enough. I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Talk to your mom and see what she says."

Avery sighed. "She always agrees with Dad. I wish I had a family as big as yours."

Kelly climbed the staircase leading to her first-floor apartment. "Be careful what you wish for. Having five brothers and a sister isn't as great as you think it is. No one listens to what you say, but they're all really good at telling you what you should be doing."

"Sounds like my dad."

"It will all work out."

Avery followed Kelly into her apartment and dropped her backpack on the floor. "When did it get better for you?"

Kelly grinned. "When I moved away to college."

"That doesn't help."

"I know, but sometimes distance really does make the heart grow fonder. You're an only child. Your parents don't have anyone else to worry about."