by Debby Mayne
With the taste of excitement laced with balsamic-vinaigrette salad dressing, I drive Puddin’ back to the shop, where I see Amanda standing by the door, looking out. She blinks when she sees us, but she doesn’t budge from her spot.
“Looks like she’s daydreaming,” I say.
Puddin’ nods. “She’s been like that ever since she and her husband decided to move. It’s like she’s already gone.”
“Would you mind asking her to stick around until I get off work?”
Puddin’ gets out, leans over, and sticks her head in the window. “I sure hope she hasn’t signed anything with that guy.”
“That makes two of us.”
She walks toward the door of the shop, turns to wave, and then goes inside. I pull away, praying that it’s not too late to execute my plan. The more I think about it, the more I like the thought of being a co-owner of a fashion boutique.
Then I laugh. I’ve never been that into fashion, but I’m changing. I don’t want to continue wearing what the twins have called my “harsh” look. I want to get in touch with my more feminine side. I’ve been wearing my hair in softer curls around my face, and several people have commented on how much better I look. That feels good. And it doesn’t hurt that Elliot’s appreciative gazes have increased since I’ve made some of these changes.
As soon as I pull into the office parking lot, I see the cars of the Southern Foods executives all lined up in the reserved spots. I was hoping for a few minutes to pull myself together and construct a letter to hand my boss before I meet with them.
The receptionist smiles and makes a gesture toward the conference room. “I told them you’d have to go to your office to prepare when you got back from lunch, but they wanted to set up.”
“Thanks.” I smile back at her. She’s been working for me long enough to know that I hate rushing things.
It takes me about fifteen minutes to write and print my resignation letter. It is brief and to the point, without much detail. The less I put in there, the less I’ll have to explain. I don’t want anyone trying to talk me out of what I’m about to do.
I fold the letter neatly and stuff it into the side pocket of my briefcase before I stand up, take a deep breath, and head for the conference room. My boss greets me and points to the chair. “Have a seat, Shay.”
“Hey,” I say, trying to keep my voice light. All the men in there look so glum. “Is everything okay?”
My boss casts a nervous glance toward one of the other men before looking me directly in the eyes. “I’m afraid we have some bad news for you, Shay. When we agreed to this merger, we were assured everyone would be able to keep their jobs.”
I narrow my eyes. “What are you saying, Dan?”
He purses his lips, visually scans the group, and then settles his gaze on me. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to let you go.” Before I have a chance to say anything, he continues. “I managed to negotiate a severance package that should get you through several months while you look for something else.” Then he tells me the amount of the check that I’ll be getting.
Once I recover from shock, the desire to jump up and give my boss—or former boss—a hug nearly overwhelms me. Now I don’t have to worry about delivering my resignation letter or withdrawing any of my savings to purchase the shop.
“I’m so sorry, Shay. You’ve done an incredible job, but unfortunately, we can’t afford to duplicate the positions.” He leans forward and lowers his voice. “In all honesty, the reason we’re letting you go is that you make more money—but I never said that.” He grimaces. “Unfortunately, it’s all about the bottom line.”
I try not to show my glee as I nod. “I understand. When is this effective?”
He closes his eyes and swallows hard, letting me know this is difficult for him. “Immediately. If there is anything I can do, don’t hesitate to call. I’ll write you a glowing reference.”
“Thank you.” I stand. “Do you mind if I leave now?”
Once I get to the door, I practically run to my office. I can’t wait to get everything out of my office and start my new life. As I toss things into a cardboard box, I realize that I’ve never really personalized my workspace.
I pause on my way out to say goodbye to the receptionist. Judging by the look of pure horror on her face, it’s obvious she’s as surprised as I am by the turn of events.
“I am so sorry, Shay. What are you going to do now?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be just fine.”
“Keep in touch, okay?”
Hallie’s been picking Jeremy up from preschool on her way home from the high school that gets out early. That gives me more time at the shop. At first, Digger didn’t like that idea, but after the first day, Jeremy seemed to have found an extra dose of love for his big sister, so Digger agreed that it’s okay as long as Jeremy doesn’t feel neglected. Hallie likes the extra money I give her for her gas, so it’s turning out to be a win-win situation.
This morning, I gave her the party hats we never used at the reunion on account of the barn blowing up. “Can you take him to Chuck E. Cheese’s?”
“Sure, but I’ll need extra money for pizza.”
I hand her a twenty.
She keeps her hand open. “I’ll see if some of the other kids from his preschool want to join us.”
I hand her another twenty.
When I hear the bells on the door, I snap out of my thoughts and walk out to the floor to see who it is. I have to do a double take when I realize it’s Shay.
“Are you playing hooky from work?”
Her whole face lights up. “No. When I returned from our lunch, I got laid off. Isn’t it amazing?”
“Amazing good or amazing bad?” I ask. She’s acting awfully weird for someone who just lost her job.
“Southern Foods is completing the merger, and they don’t need me anymore, so not only did they let me go, they gave me a severance package with enough money for the down payment on this place.”
Now I’m concerned. I sure hope my boss hasn’t finalized the deal with that other guy. “I haven’t talked to Amanda yet.”
“Can you call her?”
“Now?”
She nods. “I’d really like to talk to her before it’s too late.”
“Okay, wait right here. I need to go get my phone.” I walk to the back room, pull my phone out of my purse, and call Amanda’s cell phone.
“I’m about to go into a meeting,” she says. “Can I call you back later?”
“I know it’s none of my business, but if you’re about to meet with that guy who wants to buy the shop, I’d like you to wait.”
“Puddin’, you know I can’t wait. I have to sell.”
I clear my throat, straighten my shoulders, and suck in a breath. “I know, and that’s why I’d like to make an offer.”
“You?” Her voice squeaks.
“Yes, me. Well, me and my sister-in-law.”
“Shay? Why would she—”
“We want to be business partners.” The very sound of that makes me smile. “Please don’t sign anything until you at least talk to us.”
“How soon can y’all do this?”
“As soon as you can get here. Shay’s in the shop right now.”
“Okay.” Amanda pauses. “Let me tell him there’s an emergency and I have to run to the shop real quick. I don’t want to turn him away just yet. You know, just in case . . .”
“I understand.” I’m so excited, I’m about to pop. This is happening so fast, I don’t know if I’m coming or going.
“I’ll be there in half an hour.”
I walk out to the sales floor and see Shay chatting with one of our older customers. Shay pulls out one of the dresses on the rack, holds it up to the woman, and says something I can’t make out. They both look over at me at the same time.
“Shay has such a good eye for fashion,” the customer says before turning back to my sister-in-law. “I didn’t plan on buying anything today, bu
t this looks perfect for the ladies’ lunch at the club. Let me go try it on.”
As soon as she’s set up in the fitting room, Shay comes out. “Well? Is it too late?”
“Almost. I think if we’d waited another hour, it would be. She was about to go into a meeting, but I told her I wanted to make an offer.”
Shay grimaces. “I wish you hadn’t—oh, never mind. Let’s find out how much she wants, and we can work from there.”
I’ve obviously messed up, but it’s too late now. “There’s so much I have to learn about business.”
“You’ll do fine.” Shay’s attention is diverted to something outside. “Here she comes.”
My heart pounds out of control as Amanda walks into the shop with a curious look on her face. “Hey, Shay. I hear you and Puddin’ want to buy the shop. Is this true?”
I have to force myself to keep my mouth shut as Shay extends her hand to shake Amanda’s. “We’ll need to get more information before we can make an offer, but we’re definitely interested.”
Amanda nods. “I don’t have a lot of time to negotiate, so here’s what Ahmad offered.” She states a dollar amount that shocks me because it’s so low. “Can you match that?”
I turn to see Shay’s reaction, but her face is expressionless. She rubs her hands together for a few seconds before she finally nods. “Yes, and I can throw in another couple of thousand so you won’t have any regrets.”
Now it’s Amanda’s turn to look shocked. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.” Shay turns to me with a questioning look, and I nod. Then she looks back at Amanda. “Is it a deal?”
Amanda smiles. “Yes, it’s a deal.”
Shay hesitates for a moment. “Then why don’t we sign something to make it official?”
“Now?” Once again, Amanda looks confused. “Don’t you want to take a look at the books to make sure everything is in order?”
“Not really. Puddin’s been keeping your books, and I trust her.” She glances my way and gives me a conspiratorial smile.
Now I’m beaming with pride. Shay couldn’t have said anything that would have made me happier, even if she said I was her favorite sister-in-law.
Since we don’t have an official contract drawn up, Shay constructs something that takes her about ten minutes. I know she’s been doing stuff like this for a long time, so I completely trust her.
Once all three of us have signed the temporary agreement for Shay and me to purchase La Chic, Amanda says she has to go talk to the other guy and let him down easy. I turn to Shay as soon as Amanda is gone.
“That was fast, but I have one question. Why did you offer her more money?”
“It’s only a couple thousand dollars, and I thought it might seal the deal. I didn’t want to take any chances, in case he increases his offer.”
Now that the reality of what just happened sets in, my nerves get ahold of me. “I sure hope we did the right thing.”
“Yeah, me, too.”
Puddin’ and I have owned La Chic for almost a month now, and I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun working. I’m teaching her about the big-picture aspects of business, and she’s helping me with some of the day-to-day details of running a boutique. Our talents complement each other, and our profits are already up by ten percent.
“I think we can do better than this,” Puddin’ says. “I have some ideas to bring in some younger customers.”
“As long as we’re careful not to neglect the regulars.”
“Of course.” Puddin’ beams. “I love owning this place. If we keep increasing our profit like we have so far, we’ll be in high cotton.”
I laugh. “I don’t know about you, but to me, this is better than striking oil. It’s nice to actually earn the money.”
“I agree.” I see her eyes darting past me. “Don’t look now, but you have a visitor.”
I don’t have to look. I hear the soothing tone of Elliot’s voice. “I’m in the mood to have dinner with a fashion expert. Do I have any volunteers?”
Puddin’ chuckles. “I would, but I promised Digger I’d fix him some pot roast tonight.”
“Then you’ll have to settle for me.” My heart pounds as he gives me the look that makes me feel as though I’m the only woman on the planet.
He tips his head toward me. “Pick you up at seven thirty?”
I nod. “See you then.”
As soon as he leaves, Puddin’ sighs. “I have a good feeling about you and Elliot. Why don’t you run on home now and start getting ready?”
“I don’t want to leave you alone.”
“I’m perfectly capable of handling this shop by myself. I want you to be relaxed for your date.” She quickly glances away, making me suspicious.
“What’s going on, Puddin’?”
“Oh, nothing. Just go get your purse and leave, okay? I want to be alone.”
I laugh as I make my way back to the office to get my purse. On my way out, I call over my shoulder, “I don’t think you’ll be alone long. Here come the Junior League ladies.”
“Oh, boy.” Puddin’ chuckles. “At least they like to spend money.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” I’ve noticed that when Rita or any of her friends comes in alone, they often just window shop. However, as a group, they’re very competitive. There are days when we make more money from their clique in an hour than from the rest of the day’s receipts combined.
I go home and take advantage of the extra time to get ready. I pour some bubbles into the bathtub and fill it while I prepare some iced tea. Then I put on some soothing music to enjoy while I soak and sip my tea.
By the time Elliot arrives to pick me up, I’m relaxed and happy. He smiles as he takes me into his arms. “There’s something I need to tell you.” He leans back a little and tips my chin up so I can meet his gaze.
“What’s that?”
He clears his throat. “I was going to wait until later, but I don’t think I can. You look amazing, and my nerves are on the edge of my skin.”
I laugh. “The way I look makes you nervous?”
He makes a goofy face as he nods. “Yes, I’m afraid so.”
“Should I do something different?”
“No.” He pulls me closer again. “Don’t do anything different.”
“Now you have my curiosity up. What do you want to tell me?”
“Promise this won’t scare you away?” He lifts an eyebrow and waits.
“I don’t know. Are you about to tell me something scary?”
Elliot nods. “Yeah, it’s scary, all right.”
“I can’t promise—”
He gently presses a finger to my lips to shush me. “I love you, Shay.”
My heart stops momentarily. Then it beats double time. “You do?”
“Are you surprised?”
“Yes.” I think for a moment as we lock gazes. “Actually, I was more surprised when you kept coming around after the craziness at my family reunion.”
“One of the things I love most about you is how much you care about your family.”
“One of the things?” I tease. “You mean there are others?”
“Yes, and I’ll tell you all about them, but it’ll take a while.” He turns me toward the door.
“I have all the time in the world.”
I have to keep pinching myself throughout the evening. Who would have thought I’d own a dress boutique and be half of a couple with Elliot Stevens? Certainly not me. I keep learning new things about myself, one of them being that the scarier things get, the more exciting the outcome. Of course, not everything turns out so great, but as long as you don’t give up, there’s always hope.
This book is dedicated to my family, including my husband, daughters, sons-in-law, granddaughters, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins—especially the crazy cousins. Y’all know who I’m talking about.
Debby Mayne writes family and faith-based romances, cozy mysteries, and women’s fiction and is the a
uthor of more than 60 novels and novellas—plus more than 1,000 short stories, articles, and devotions for busy women. Debby is currently an etiquette writer for The Spruce.
Debby grew up in a military family, which meant moving every few years throughout her childhood. She was born in Alaska, and she has lived in Mississippi, Tennessee, Oregon, Florida, South Carolina, Hawaii, and Japan. Her parents were both from the Deep South, so Debby enjoys featuring characters with Southern drawls, plenty of down-home cooking, and folks with quirky mannerisms. High Cotton is the first book in the Bucklin Family Reunion series.
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