“What if you started out small? You could build your customer base while you worked for Tess.”
Annie shook her head. “It would have to be the other way around. I’d need to bake in the morning and work for Osborne and Sons in the afternoon. It would make things difficult for Tess.”
“She’ll be able to find someone to help at the café.”
“Probably. It’s just such a big step. When will you be ready for someone to start using the kitchen?”
Dylan picked up his glass. “Renovations on the inside of the warehouse start in two weeks. It will be noisy and dusty, so using the kitchen then wouldn’t be a good idea. It will take five weeks to complete the internal changes. You could move in after that.”
Annie thought about her business plan. She could get help with creating a website, start building a client base, do the hundreds of things she thought she had three years to complete. “I appreciate the low rent, but it really is too low. I don’t feel right accepting your offer.”
“We could renegotiate the rent in twelve months’ time once your business is more established.”
Annie put her knife and fork down and stared at Dylan. “Why are you doing this for me?” If she didn’t know better, she’d swear panic swept through Dylan. He clamped his lips together so tightly that she didn’t think he was going to say anything. She waited, hoping he’d answer her question.
He pushed his empty plate away. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I can hug you, touch your hand. I feel more comfortable around other people. It means a lot.”
“You don’t need to give me cheap rent on the kitchen. Knowing I’ve helped you is enough.”
Dylan shook his head. “It will never be enough. Besides, I’ve still got a long way to go. If I charge you less money than someone else, you might feel more inclined to keep helping me.”
“Blackmail?”
Dylan grinned and Annie’s heart did a somersault. “Not exactly blackmail. More like a mutually beneficial relationship.”
“That involves hugging, touching hands and dancing?”
Dylan’s grin turned into a full throttle laugh. He groaned and rubbed his ribs. “I can’t laugh. It feels like someone’s jabbing me with a branding iron.”
Someone was poking Annie with a hot branding iron, too. But it wasn’t because she had bruised ribs. She suspected her heart might be in danger of being trampled under Dylan’s expensive boots.
Mutually beneficial relationships were based on need. Once Dylan didn’t need her, there wouldn’t be a reason for them to spend time together. Even if they stayed friends, she didn’t know if she could watch Dylan practice touching someone else.
If she put her heart issues aside, Dylan’s offer was too good not to at least think about. She might be wary of starting any long-term relationship, but she wasn’t foolish. If she could figure out a way of making her dream a reality, she’d do it.
She picked up her knife and fork and glanced at Dylan. He was waiting for her to make a decision. “Okay, I’ll think about it. I’ll look at my business plan and see whether I can make it work in seven weeks.”
Dylan’s eyes gleamed. “You won’t regret it.”
Annie wasn’t so sure about that. Regret came in many different forms and she hadn’t found one type that didn’t leave big gaping holes of loneliness inside her.
***
Molly leaned across the dining table and pointed to the list in front of Annie. “I’ll help build your website, get you social media savvy and design your flyers.”
Annie looked up. “Are you sure? That’s a lot of work.”
“I’ve got ten days available between my next assignments. The website won’t be difficult, especially if we use a template. Writing the text that goes on the website will take time, so I’m leaving that to you. We’ll stick with Facebook and a couple of other sites for our social media platforms. The flyers won’t be hard to design.”
Sally and Tess nodded.
“Molly’s right,” Sally said. “I’m in charge of updating the text for the animal shelter’s website. It takes more time than you think to get everything looking good.”
Molly, Tess, and Sally had wanted to get together to see if they could help Annie start her business in seven weeks.
Tess looked at the list. “Put me down for helping with any promotional stuff.”
Molly frowned. “We’ve forgotten about the photos. Put me down for that, too. And if you want to take pity on me, I could take home the meals we photograph for my dinner.”
“Doesn’t Becky cook either?” Tess asked.
Molly shook her head. “My sister has the same baking disaster gene that I have. Nan tried to teach us to cook, but we had a knack for flower arranging and not food.”
Sally pointed to one of the lines on Annie’s list. “I can get the flyers printed and put them in mailboxes with Tess. I could ask the local schools if you can advertise in their newsletters? There’s got to be a lot of moms, dads and grandparents who need home cooked meals.”
Annie added school newsletters to her list and put Sally’s name beside it. “I still feel bad about not being able to work at the café. Are you sure you’ll be able to find a replacement in the next few weeks, Tess?”
“I’ve already thought about that,” Tess said. “I’m going to ask Caitlin Jones if she’s interested in working with me. She’s looking for a job that works around college.”
“Can she cook?” Molly asked.
Tess nodded. “She worked in the café with Annie and I last summer. She’s a good cook with lots of potential. If that doesn’t work out, Kate said she’d come in and give me a hand for a few weeks.”
Annie put her pen on the table and stared at her friends. “We’ve covered almost everything on this list. I don’t know whether to be relieved or terrified.”
“It’s exciting,” Sally said. “I can’t see how your company could fail.”
Tess patted Annie’s arm. “I was nervous before I started Angel Wings Café. It’s a big step opening your own business.”
“At least you’re not tied into a huge lease agreement,” Molly added. “That has to take some of the worry off your shoulders?”
“It does, but my head’s spinning with everything I need to do in the next few weeks.” Annie had counted each of the tasks on her list before her friends arrived. There were forty-three separate things she needed to do, and that didn’t count the extra ideas they’d come up with tonight.
Molly put a mug of coffee in front of Annie. “One step at a time, that’s what Becky constantly tells me. And she’s right. Once you’ve checked Dylan’s construction schedule, you’ll be able to factor in what you need to do.”
“Thank you all for your help. I couldn’t do this without you.”
Sally walked across to Max, the Irish Wolfhound that had become her over-sized shadow. He’d fallen asleep halfway through their planning session, curling himself into a ball the size of a dining table. He whimpered in pleasure as Sally rubbed behind his ears. “We’re here to help you, Annie. That’s what friends are for.”
“I still appreciate it. I know you all have busy lives.”
“Talking about busy lives,” Tess said. “Is everyone coming to Holly’s wedding tomorrow?”
Molly took the lid off the cookie jar and bit into a chocolate chip cookie. “I’ll be there.”
Sally reached into the jar and scowled. “Did you take the last cookie?”
“You ate all of the other ones,” Molly said with a grin. “I thought I’d better be quick considering the sweet tooth you’ve got.”
Annie stood up and took a plate of caramel, oat and almond bars out of the pantry. “Try these. They’re amazing.”
Sally took the closest bar and bit into its soft center. “Yum. You should sell these in the café.”
“That’s the idea,” Tess said. “I’ve got to make the most of Annie before she leaves.”
“I’m not going far.” Annie passe
d the bars to Molly and Tess. “If you need me in an emergency I’ll only be a fifteen minutes from the café.”
Tess bit into one of the chewy bars and sighed. “You’ll be so busy that you won’t have time to help. Is Dylan coming to Holly’s wedding with you?”
Heat hit Annie’s cheeks as three pairs of eyes zoomed in on her.
“You asked Dylan to go to the wedding with us?” Sally sounded shocked.
“Annie asked Dylan to go to the wedding with her, not us,” Molly said. “The poor man wouldn’t know what to do with himself if we all kept him company.”
“I can’t believe you managed to convince him to come to Holly’s wedding.” Sally reached for another caramel bar.
“You’ll put on five pounds if you have another one,” Molly said with a wicked gleam in her eyes.
Sally glanced at the plate of sweet bars and sighed. “Do you think Dylan will dance with you?”
Annie sat down and smiled. “We practiced last night.” Everyone in the room looked at her. “What’s wrong?”
Tess coughed into her hand. “Don’t you remember what happened at Connie’s wedding? He practically hid the moment the music started.”
“He won’t be hiding tomorrow night,” Annie said with confidence. “Once he got over the touching thing we discovered he’s a pretty good dancer.”
“And how would he be getting over his touching thing?” Molly asked.
Annie frowned at her friends. “It’s not like that. Something happened to Dylan in Afghanistan. He just needs time to get used to being around people again.”
“A bit like Max,” Sally said with a touch of sadness in her voice. “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”
“Even if they do have the cutest brown eyes in town,” Tess said.
“Dylan’s got blue eyes.” Annie gazed around the table, then over at the Irish Wolfhound snoring in the corner. She bit her bottom lip. “You were talking about Max, weren’t you?”
Tess smiled. “I was, but it’s nice to know Dylan has cute eyes, too.”
Annie covered her hot cheeks with her hands. “We need to change the subject before I say something even more embarrassing.”
“You don’t need to be embarrassed.” Sally’s hand darted toward the plate in front of her. She grinned at Molly. “Dylan’s tall, dark and handsome. Half the single women in Bozeman will be carving a path to his front door once you’ve helped him sort his touching issues out.”
Annie’s temperature went from hot to cold in less time than it took Sally to eat her caramel bar. Half the single women in Bozeman accounted for a lot of women. Dylan could become the center of everyone’s attention. The thought wasn’t all that appealing.
“I’m sure he’ll survive,” Molly said. “But from the look of your face, Annie, I don’t think you will?”
Annie plastered a smile on her face. “Dylan can date anyone he wants to. It’s not as if he’s my boyfriend or anything.”
“What is he, exactly?” Sally asked.
Annie didn’t want to go anywhere near the answer to that question. “My landlord.”
Max heaved a big doggy breath in the silent room.
Molly picked up her coffee mug and pointed to the list in front of Annie. “You need to add another line…”
Annie picked up her pen and frowned. “What have I forgotten?”
“Working out how you feel about Dylan. It might help both of you.”
Annie dropped her pen. “I already know how I feel about him. We’re friends. Kind of.” Molly looked so closely at Annie that it made her uncomfortable. “He’s coming to the wedding with me as an experiment.”
“Is that a bakery term for a date?” Sally asked.
Annie crossed her arms in front of her chest. “It’s not a date.”
Sally shrugged her shoulders. “It doesn’t matter what you call it, really. The big question is what are you going to wear?”
And that, Annie decided, was so much better than talking about Dylan.
***
Dylan tugged at his tie. He’d picked Annie up from her apartment and met Logan and Tess at the Holy Rosary Church. By the time Sally and Molly joined them, he’d almost relaxed into wedding guest mode.
He didn’t mind weddings, sometimes he even enjoyed them. He’d been to enough of them not to worry about the sideways glances from family and friends, wondering when his turn for matrimonial bliss would arrive.
He’d even managed not to run in the opposite direction when a well-meaning relative had once asked him to dance. He had a standard line of excuses, reasons why he couldn’t dance with anyone.
But for now, he was safe. The dancing part of this wedding wouldn’t come until later. He wouldn’t have any relatives watching him, and no one in his family knew about Annie.
In the next few minutes, Holly Fraser would marry Richard Davis. Her six sisters, wearing dresses from The Bridesmaids Club, were standing beside her at the front of the church. The rainbow of colorful silk and satin dresses was unexpected, different to the standard sameness of most weddings he’d been to. He liked what Annie and her friends were doing in The Bridesmaids Club, the difference they were making in people’s lives.
Annie nudged his arm. “What do you think about Holly’s dress?”
He watched Holly turn to Richard and hold his hands. They were about to exchange wedding rings and pledge their unending love for each other. He couldn’t have given the same promise at their age. They looked so young, so sure that everything would end in happily-ever-after. He knew from personal experience that life had more potholes than plain sailing. Sometimes it was hard enough standing on your own two feet without supporting someone else.
He felt Annie’s eyes on him and he focused on Holly. The skirt of her wedding dress was big and puffy, with little sparkly beads sewn everywhere. “It looks good on her.” And he meant it. Holly was tiny, so small that she looked as though she’d get trampled in a crowd. But he’d seen the grin she’d sent her groom-to-be. Richard had smiled back in a shy, determined way that spoke volumes for how he felt about his bride. Dylan had a feeling that nothing would happen to Holly while her husband was beside her.
Annie nudged his arm again. He bent his head and wondered if the people behind them were getting annoyed. Annie couldn’t sit in one place for longer than five minutes without talking or fidgeting.
“That’s one of our dresses too,” she whispered.
“I didn’t know you had bride’s dresses?”
“We’ve got everything,” Annie whispered. “Lots of everything.”
Dylan knew space was already at a premium in the loft above Logan’s garage. The number of dresses in The Bridesmaids Club had grown beyond what any of Annie’s friends had thought would happen. Pre-loved dresses arrived most weeks, filling the clothing racks faster than they could find homes for them.
With the final words of the service finished and the marriage license signed, there was only one thing left to do. Richard Davis kissed his young bride tenderly on the lips. Dylan felt Annie tense beside him. She looked inside the tote bag she’d brought with her, pulled out a handful of tissues and blew her nose.
“You okay?” he asked as the Church organist pounded out the opening notes of the last song.
Annie looked up. Her big blue eyes shone with tears. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? You don’t look it.”
She nodded her head once. “I’m sure.”
Dylan frowned, but decided not to ask what was going on. After her unhappy marriage, he had a pretty good idea about why she had tears in her eyes. Disappointment and grief did that to a person. Sometimes those feelings snuck up on you so fast that the only way out was through tears or anger. The best you could do was hold on to what was real, let the moment pass and wait for the next moment to arrive.
He watched Holly and Richard walk down the aisle. Their bridesmaids and groomsmen followed behind, smiling and waving at the people they knew. He tried to remember a time
when he’d felt that kind of happiness. It wasn’t easy.
“That was lovely,” Molly said from beside Annie. “Why do I suddenly feel so old?”
Sally leaned forward and grinned at Molly. “It could be because Holly’s only seventeen.”
Molly lifted her camera to her eyes and snapped a photo of Holly’s parents. “You’re probably right. I was still at school when I was seventeen. I hadn’t even dated all that much.”
Dylan tried to remember what he’d been like when he was seventeen. He definitely hadn’t been ready to get married. Dating, on the other hand, had been a different story.
Logan and Tess were the first to leave their seats. “Is everyone going to stay for a cup of coffee or go straight to Holly’s parent’s house for the reception?”
Annie looked at Dylan. “What would you like to do?”
He didn’t think arriving early at Holly’s parent’s home would work, especially if someone decided to turn the music on. “Why don’t we stay here for a while?”
“Okay.” Annie looked at Tess and Logan. “We’ll stay.” She picked up her bag and slung the strap over her shoulder. “If there are too many people in the foyer, we can stand outside.”
Dylan could already hear the noise from two sets of families and friends as they celebrated Holly and Richard’s marriage. A small wedding wasn’t an option when there were nine siblings in one family and seven in the other. He didn’t think families came in super-sized editions anymore, but he’d been wrong. He thought it was hard being the brother of three sisters. Six would have driven him insane.
When he arrived in the entrance foyer, Dylan’s heart kicked into overdrive. People were standing shoulder to shoulder, talking loudly over the top of each other. He felt a small hand slip into his. He looked down at Annie and she smiled.
“Let’s go.” She led him through the crowd, only stopping after they’d walked through the big glass entrance doors. Someone had already opened them, almost as though they’d known the foyer wouldn’t be big enough for all of the people at the wedding.
Loving You (The Bridesmaids Club Book 2) Page 13