Eric’s eyes widened with excitement. “Dude, you could get a hot-air balloon. Or do one of those flash mob things.”
Tyler shook his head. “No. I already know what I need to do. Are you finished? I fed you and so now I own you for the next hour or so while we go shopping.”
“Shopping? You’re not going to buy her clothes, are you? Because Tim Merriman bought Delany Nichols a pair of shorts and it did not go well. Epic mistake. Just sayin’. You should get her a puppy. Girls love those. David Hammerstein bought his girlfriend an Australian shepherd, and she couldn’t stop crying.” Then he added, “From happiness.” He shrugged. “Girls are weird.”
“No clothes or puppies. What I have in mind is much better.”
Eric gave him a dubious look. “Nothing beats a puppy.”
Tyler hoped this was one instance when his brother was wrong.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Sleep didn’t come easily for Lanie Sunday night. On Sunday afternoon, she’d gotten a call saying that her legal team might have found a solution to the injunction. The attorneys planned to be at the courthouse first thing Monday morning, and hoped they’d be able to overturn it before the store opening.
Stephanie had been excited when Lanie told her the news, and the two of them called their employees and told them all to come in at nine thirty…just in case. Then Lanie suggested they take the offensive and try to get the media on their side. Stephanie usually sent out press releases, but after the injunction, they hadn’t sent them. Lanie had Stephanie type one up and e-mail it to the local newspapers and TV stations, informing them of a surprise opening if all went well. And if didn’t, they’d take their story to the media and hope the public outcry over losing a Margo Benson Boutique would put pressure on the store blocking their opening.
At least they hoped it’d work that way.
The hardest part was that she couldn’t tell Tyler. He might not be on the case any longer, but he was still tied to the law firm. With any luck at all, she’d open the store, get her promotion, then stay in Kansas City and build a life with Tyler.
But Lanie was so worried she’d clue Tyler in that she told him she was spending the night at her own apartment on Sunday night. Alone. He’d sounded so hurt, she almost told him the truth, but she told herself to stay strong; the end result would be worth it.
On Monday morning, Lanie was at the store an hour and a half early. Weeks before, they’d hired a security team to help with the crowds, and even though they wouldn’t know until close to ten if the judge had reversed the injunction, they were going to keep going as though they were opening. The local television stations had run segments about the “secret opening,” and now people were already lining up out front. The last thing Lanie needed was for things to get out of hand, so she made sure the security team was up to speed on how to handle the crowds if they opened, and came up with an alternate plan in case they didn’t. Once she was assured they were prepared, she went inside and paced the floor, checking everything.
All she could do was wait.
When the employees showed up at nine thirty, she and Stephanie made sure that everyone knew their places…and then they waited.
At ten, they hadn’t gotten a call from the attorneys yet, and Lanie and Stephanie peered out the window, wondering how long to wait until they told the crowd that the Margo Benson Boutique hadn’t been allowed to open.
“I’m calling corporate,” Lanie said ten minutes later. “Maybe they can tell us what’s going on.” She called the legal department, but the assistant still hadn’t heard anything.
When people began to chant—“We want Margo! We want Margo!”—Lanie made the executive decision to address the crowd. She and Stephanie came up with a plan, then ducked through the tarp and faced the crowd. The people lining the sidewalk cheered, and Lanie started to address them, but her phone rang in her pocket. She pulled it out to see if it was one of the attorneys, but saw Aiden’s name instead. She silenced the call and dropped it into her pocket. He was probably calling to see if the store had opened. She’d call him back later.
The crowd was bigger than she’d expected, especially since there had been very little publicity. People filled the sidewalk from one end of the block to the other and had spilled out onto the street.
“Thank you all for coming for our grand opening!” Lanie shouted as she waved.
Stephanie beamed next to her.
The crowd continued to chant, but Lanie lifted both hands. “I’m sure you all are eager to find out what’s behind this tarp. Am I right?”
The crowd whooped and cheered.
“I’m Lanie and this is Stephanie, and we’ve spent the last five months preparing for this day.” Stephanie moved to one edge of the tarp, which had been prepared to be removed, while Lanie moved to the other. “And now, what you’ve all been waiting for—” They tugged the edge, and the fabric fell, revealing the sign as she announced, “Welcome to Margo Benson Boutique, Kansas City!”
And that’s when she saw him.
Tyler was wearing a dark suit, which she’d learned over the last month meant he was either going to court or meeting with an important client.
Had he just come from court? Was he back on the case? No. He wouldn’t do that to her—do that to them.
But why was he here? Had he shown up out of curiosity? Was he here for support? She couldn’t deny that seeing him now took her breath away. His gaze was glued to hers, but his deadpan expression gave nothing away.
Stephanie caught her attention. Lanie still had a job to do.
“Now, we would love for you to come inside and check us out, but there’s a not-so-small problem.”
The crowd let out a groan, but Lanie held up her hands to settle them down. “Stephanie and I are ready for you. The fifteen employees we have inside are excited to meet you and show you around, but the Jackson County court system has decided to keep us closed for a while.”
The crowd released sounds of restlessness.
The phone rang in Lanie’s pocket again. “Stephanie is going to tell you a little bit about what’s happening.”
Stephanie gave her a questioning glance, and Lanie pulled out her phone and gestured toward it. Steph’s eyes widened in understanding and she turned toward the crowd of people. “We’d like to make it clear that everything about the store is up to code. The store is perfectly safe. But one store in the area—”
Lanie moved close to the front door, and checked caller ID. Aiden again.
The fact that he’d called twice in such a short period was a warning of some kind, so Lanie called him back.
“Aiden, what’s up?”
“Is this a bad time?”
She laughed. “I’m just standing in front of two or three hundred people. What’s up?”
“You opened?” he asked in surprise.
“Nope. We just decided to go ahead and use the publicity to get public support for the store.”
“Good thinking.”
“That’s why you’re about to pay me the big bucks,” she said with a laugh.
“Lanie, that’s part of why I’m calling.”
Oh, shit. “Are you going to fire me before I even start?”
“No, nothing like that, but I do have something important to discuss. Call me back when you’re free.”
“Should I be worried?”
“Not at all. I think you’ll like what I have to say. Go do your press. We’ll talk later.”
She hung up and checked her phone to make sure she hadn’t missed a call from their attorneys. Was the fact that it was taking longer than expected a good thing or a bad?
Stephanie was continuing her speech, telling them how Montgomery Enterprises wanted to become active in the local community, and playing up the store as a do-gooder underdog. She definitely knew how to engage the crowd.
But Tyler was still in the same place, and Lanie wondered if she should say something to him or ignore him unless he tried to attract her attention.
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Stephanie beamed at the crowd. “We’d love to chat with media now and answer any questions you might have.”
Stephanie started to head toward the camera crews to answer questions, but she noticed Tyler in the crowd and hurried over to Lanie.
“Why do you think he’s here?” Stephanie whispered.
“I don’t know.”
“He’s not doing anything lawyerly, so he’s probably here to see you.”
He looked so serious, he was making her nervous.
“You up to doing these interviews?” Steph asked.
“Not yet. Let me talk to Tyler first.”
“Okay.”
Her stomach cramped as she moved to the edge of the crowd, keeping her gaze on him as he moved toward her.
“What are you doing here?” Lanie asked.
“I was worried about you.”
She offered him a smile. “Tyler, I’m okay. Really. I need to go talk to some reporters now.”
He grinned. “I love watching you work.” He lowered his mouth to her ear. “You’re sexy as hell, Lanie Rogers.”
She flushed as she walked over to the reporters and started taking questions as the crowd continued to grow.
“How long have you been dealing with your unhappy neighbor, and why do you think they want to stop you from opening?” a reporter asked.
Lanie gave her a gracious smile. “I understand why another store might feel threatened, but I want to assure them, as well as the community, that Margo Benson plans to blend into the community and improve the lives of women through both fashion and community service. With that in mind, I’d like to announce that Montgomery Enterprises is donating fifty thousand dollars to the Rose Brooks Center, an emergency shelter for women and children threatened with domestic violence.”
The crowd behind her cheered, and Lanie shot a smile toward them.
Several more reporters asked questions, and Stephanie and Lanie took turns answering.
Then Tyler stood at the edge of the crowd with his hand raised. “I have a question.”
Stephanie gave Lanie a quizzical look.
What was he up to? “Okay.”
“What do you think about grand gestures?” he called out.
She shook her head in confusion. “What?”
Suddenly a marching band started playing.
Stephanie’s eyes flew open, and she leaned into Lanie’s ear. “I didn’t arrange that.”
The tune of the song became recognizable as the band rounded the corner of the side street—Bruno Mars’s “Marry You.”
Lanie’s mouth parted in shock.
“Lanie,” Tyler said as he closed the distance between them and lowered his voice. “I love you.”
She shook her head. “Tyler…”
The band was now marching in front of the store, and Lanie saw Eric standing in the front, playing a saxophone.
“What’s going on, Tyler?” she asked louder.
“I know you’re leaving, but I’m more determined than ever to make this work. I don’t want to lose you.” He pulled a ring box out of his pocket, then bent down on one knee as he grabbed her left hand.
She gasped.
“Lanie, I love you. Marry me.”
She had always considered marriage a trap until she’d seen Britt and Randy. Randy made her cousin happy and they brought out the best in each other, not the worst like her parents had. Marriage had never been part of her life plan, but she loved Tyler more than she thought it was possible to love someone, and she didn’t want to live without him.
Lanie’s silence must have worried him. “It can be a long engagement,” he said. “Or short. Whichever you want. As long as you say you want to be with me, I’ll wait. We can wait years.”
Lanie shook her head, trying to get the words past the lump in her throat.
“No?” he asked, his voice tight as he climbed to his feet.
She nodded, still unable to speak.
“Yes, you don’t want marry me?”
“Yes!” she forced out. “I want to marry you. I want you.” Then she laughed as she brushed a tear from her cheek. “But you’re doing it all wrong.”
“You don’t like the marching band?” he asked with a grin. “That was Eric’s idea.”
Lanie gave the boy a quick wave, and he beamed.
She turned back to Tyler. “No. I love the band. It’s the ring. Most men show their fiancée the ring.”
His grin spread as he opened the box, revealing the emerald-cut diamond, surrounded by tiny stones.
She put her hand on her chest, trying to catch her breath.
“If you don’t like it, we can exchange it.”
“No. It’s perfect.”
He grabbed her left hand and slipped the ring onto her finger, then he glanced over his shoulder at his brother. “She said yes!”
Eric waved his saxophone in response as the crowd broke into cheers.
Butterflies swarmed through Lanie’s stomach as Tyler swept her into his arms and kissed her.
But all the excitement didn’t change the fact that she was moving to Atlanta. “Tyler, the distance thing. It’s never going to work.”
“I know,” he said. “Which is why I’m going to quit my job and look for a job in Atlanta.”
“What?” She shook her head. “No. Your job—you’re almost a partner. You’ve worked hard to get there. You can’t give it up. And Eric—you two are just now getting to know one another. You can’t move away from him.”
“Eric’s already given his blessing. We worked it out yesterday. I’m going to fly him to see us once a month. And we’re going to FaceTime a couple of times a week.”
“But it’s not the same.”
“Lanie,” he said, holding her hand. “Nothing about our living options is ideal, but we’re making the best of it. If I have to choose between my job and you, you win.”
“Tyler.” She couldn’t let him do this.
A woman moved through the crowd toward Lanie while the marching band still played on the street behind them. “Ms. Rogers? I’m Dinah Pettier, with Dinah’s Fashions. My own store is halfway down the street. I was the one who filed the lawsuit.”
The reporters picked up on Dinah’s entrance and started shouting questions, but Dinah turned to Lanie. “But my former attorney”—she tilted her head toward Tyler and grinned—“pointed out that I’d end up spending a lot of money I’ll never get back. I saw your store as competition, but he suggested that we can work together to increase sales. He even has an event planner who’s willing to help set up a joint fashion show to raise money for the Rose Brooks Center.”
Lanie stared at her, realizing what she’d implied. “Wait. Does that mean you’re dropping your case?”
Dinah offered Lanie her hand. “Welcome to the neighborhood.”
Stephanie’s eyes lit up. “So can we open the doors?”
Lanie was pretty sure legal would want to give the go-ahead, but it was her last day, and she was more interested in making the crowd happy.
She took a step back and shouted, “Margo Benson Boutique, Kansas City, is now open!”
The security guards took over their duty of herding the crowd inside, and Lanie turned back to Tyler. “I don’t have to quit now. The store’s open!”
His eyes widened in understanding. “You get your promotion.”
Why didn’t that make her feel better?
But Tyler seemed to notice. “Aiden’s job will make you happier. You should take it.”
“I don’t want you to leave everything you love, Tyler.”
“What if you could have what you wanted?” a voice asked behind her.
Lanie spun around. “Aiden. What are you doing here?”
“When I realized you were here, I decided to come by and talk to you in person. I didn’t fly home yesterday. I had some business to take care of. Which is why I called earlier. I’m looking at expanding my business and setting up two locations. One in Atlanta and one in Kansas City.
I’m still gathering funds for the Kansas City location, so I won’t be able to open it for a while, so I need you in Atlanta until I can find someone to fill your spot. But surely you and Tyler can make it work for six months to a year.”
Lanie gasped. “Bonus.”
“What?” Aiden asked.
“I opened the store. I get a bonus. Fifty thousand dollars.”
Aiden stared at her.
“Plus, I have savings,” Lanie said, and lifted her chin. “I don’t want to be your employee, Aiden. I want to be your business partner.”
“Wow. I was not expecting that.”
“Are you open to it?” she asked.
“I think it’s a great idea. But I still need to replace you in Atlanta.”
Lanie held up a finger. “Hold that thought.” She ran over to Steph, grabbed her arm, and started dragging her toward Aiden. “Come here.”
“What are you doing?” Steph asked.
“You can thank me later.” Lanie stopped in front of Aiden. “Meet my replacement. Stephanie knows everything I know and practically ran this entire store opening herself.”
Aiden grinned. “So she comes highly recommended?”
“Very. Hire her, and you won’t regret it. I don’t know how I’ll live without her. You better snatch her up before I do.”
Stephanie laughed. “Oh, I’m being fought over. Every girl’s dream.”
“Stephanie,” Aiden said with a grin, “it sounds like we need to chat. And Lanie, after your excitement dies down, let’s sit down and iron out the details. I should be able to have a contract within a couple of days.”
Lanie nodded her agreement, but she knew she was going to agree. This was like a dream job come true. She turned to Tyler and gave him a breath-stealing hug.
“I have a confession,” Tyler said, turning serious.
“Okay…” she said, worried all over again.
“I said I’d wait years to marry you, but I don’t want to. I don’t want to wait. I want to get married soon. The sooner I marry you, the better. I want our life together to start right now.”
She leaned into him and kissed him. “I like the sound of that.”
Epilogue
Three months later
Until You Page 26