They parted awkwardly, and shortly afterward, Trixie popped into the store. She sometimes dropped by when business at the consignment store was slow, but it had been a week or two since he’d seen her. “Hey, Kyle.”

“How’s Trix?” It was his standard greeting.

“Weird,” she said. “I see Gary every morning, walking by my front window on his way to work. It’s not only that he’s dressed in a suit and doesn’t even glance at my store, just keeps straight on, it’s the fact that he works at that bank that gnaws at me.” She said the word “bank” as though it were a synonym for excrement. “You even talk to Gary anymore?”

“I’ve been cut off,” Kyle admitted.

“We all have.” She shook her head. “So how’s business?”

“It was up for awhile with the new foot traffic, but now it’s settled back down to its usual crappy self. Oh, and one of my customers is going to open up a rival book store.” He smiled brightly. “How are things with you?”

Trixie sighed. “Remarkably similar.” She nodded toward the window. “I didn’t even bother to lock the store when I came over. No one’s going in there this afternoon. Not even to steal anything.”

Kyle frowned. “Why’s that? I would think people who’ve just cashed a check or withdrawn some money might want to spend it.”

“Are they spending it here?” She raised a Spock eyebrow.

“Good point,” he conceded.

“And now the bank’s actively working against us. I assume they’re financing your new rival?”

“They are,” he admitted.

“They’re also supporting a new consignment store over on Manzanita, which, of course, is closer to Wal-Mart and Safeway and all the new stores that are draining us dry. I mean, I’m barely making it as it is. How am I supposed to fight that?” She looked at him across the counter. “So what do you think the goal is? Put the stores to either side of them out of business so they can expand?”

The thought hadn’t even occurred to him, and he was disappointed with himself for being so slow on the uptake. Of course that was the plan. Brave New World and It’s New to You would close, and the bank would tear down the walls that separated First People’s from the two businesses, tripling its size. Or, who knew, maybe the two stores would be torn down and the extra space would be used for parking. The bank could definitely use a parking lot.

“I think we should speak again at the next council meeting,” Trixie said. “In fact, I’m thinking we should form a more formal downtown business association to protect our interests.”

“Count me in,” Kyle told her.