“Yeah, but this is a party, not work.” Rarity watched as Janey answered her phone.
“Hello? Come on, please stop this. It’s annoying.” She hung up the phone.
“Everything okay?” Rarity didn’t want to pry. “If you have to be somewhere else rather than the party, it’s fine. This is just a going-away party. You can meet Darby when she comes back.”
“Oh, no. I want to come to the party. I’ve just been getting some random calls. I know someone’s there, but they don’t say anything. It’s creepy. It doesn’t matter if I pick up or not. In fact, it’s worse if I ignore them. They just keep calling until I forget and pick up the call. Once I do, they don’t call back for a few days.” She glanced at the phone, then tucked it into her tote. “I’m thinking about getting a new number. One that’s not listed with the campus. But I’ve had this for years. Campus security thinks it’s just prank calls. Maybe a frat joke. But it’s not just during the school terms.”
“That’s scary. How long has it been going on?” Rarity didn’t like the sound of this at all.
“Just since last December. Just before term let out.” Janey dug out a pen. “Don’t worry about it. I’m handling it. I think I’m going to get a new number, though. I’ll let you know as soon as I do.”
“Sounds good.” Rarity wondered if Drew Anderson could help Janey. Since she lived in Flagstaff, technically, it was out of his jurisdiction, but maybe he had some ideas. She’d introduce him to Janey tonight and see if he could give her some suggestions.
Janey pulled a stool closer to the bookshelves. “I’d love to see where you live. And I have to change somewhere. So it’s either the bathroom here or your house. You pick.”
“Let me know when you have an ordering list. I’ll show you how to put it in the software.” Rarity left Janey alone to work as she went back to work on the schedule. Book people were always the best. She thought Janey was going to fit in nicely.
Chapter 3
By the time they got to Rarity’s house, changed, and got Killer set up, they were already late for the party. She’d convinced Janey to leave her car at Rarity’s since the parking would be limited at Darby’s. “We’d probably have to park just as far away in the other direction.” Rarity’s phone rang while they were walking over to Darby’s. She glanced at the display before answering. “Archer, we’re a few minutes away still.”
“Sorry, did I get our wires crossed? Was I supposed to pick you up?” His voice sounded warm and caring, and Rarity smiled as she listened.
“No, we’re just running late.”
“Okay, then...” He paused. “Wait, you’re not bringing Killer, are you? The party’s already going, and he’s not going to like all the people. I’ll run him back to the house when you get here.”
“No, I’m not bringing Killer. He’s safe at home. I turned on Harry Potter for him to watch while we’re gone.” She smiled at Janey, who had been trying not to listen, but Killer’s movie preferences had her grinning. “Janey’s with me. One of the new bookstore hires. We decided to walk over together.”
“Oh, okay. Hey, Drew’s waving me over. Come find me when you get here.”
She tucked the phone away. “It’s nice having people concerned about your whereabouts, but sometimes, it’s a little too clingy. That was Archer, my boyfriend, wondering where I was.”
“Sorry I made you late. I could have changed at the bookstore and met you at the party.” Janey glanced around at the houses. “I didn’t even know this subdivision was back here. I’ve only driven through Sedona on my way down to Tempe.”
“It’s a good neighborhood. Lots of snowbirds, so we don’t have much traffic. Although people are starting to rent out their places when they’re not here.” They turned onto Darby’s street while they talked. “I love my cottage. Of course, it was the pool that sealed the deal. I’m obsessed with swimming. It’s a good stress reliever.”
“I take dance classes. Sometimes an exercise-dance mix, but I always have a dance class scheduled. Tuesday, I start a barre class. So I can’t work late those nights. Just a warning.”
Rarity laughed. “No problem. I’ve got the book club that night, and most of my regulars are either in the club or know to stay away while it’s going. I don’t think I’ve had a walk-in on Tuesday night for months.”
“It must be hard running your own business. You don’t have family around Sedona?”
Rarity shook her head. “No. I moved here because of Sam Aarons, the woman who owns and runs the crystal shop next door. She’s my best friend. We met in college and stayed close. Then I was diagnosed with breast cancer. After the cancer treatments were done, I moved here to start a new life. One where I wasn’t doing marketing projects and trying to quantify the results to my bosses.”
“Now, you’re the boss.” Janey was a great listener and easy to talk to.
“True, but that has fewer perks than you would think.” They spent the final few minutes before they reached Darby’s house talking about Rarity and the store. Before she knew it, they had arrived. Music flowed out of the open front door, and people were standing and sitting all over. Rarity had been right about the cars. There were parked cars on both sides of the street as far as she could see. “And we’re here. Let’s go find Archer, and I’ll introduce you to some of my friends.”
They made their way through the crowd. Rarity recognized a few people, but no one she considered a friend. Darby must have invited a lot of her college classmates, as Janey knew people they passed that Rarity didn’t. It took a while for them to finally find Archer. When they did, he was not only with Drew but also Sam and Marcus. Drew and Archer were talking about local football teams, and Marcus looked bored. Sam brightened when they came up to the group.
“Rarity, I’m so glad you’re here. Now, maybe we can talk about anything but football?” Sam gave Rarity a hug.
Drew pulled Sam closer. “Sorry, hun. That last game was killer. Rarity, good to see you again. And this is?”
“Sorry, this is Janey. She’s my new Darby. Although Darby will be so missed, I had to hire two people to replace her.” Rarity reached over and gave Darby a hug as she came up to the group.
“I’m sure that’s not true. Hi, Janey, nice to meet you. I hear you’re handling the little kids’ events for Rarity. I’m glad someone is, because that wasn’t something I wanted to do at all.” Darby handed everyone a champagne glass from a tray the server held who’d followed her through the crowd. “Rarity sponsored the first round of drinks, so you guys better get one before everything’s gone. More people showed up than I expected.”