The Tea Shop on Lavender Lane

by Sheila Roberts

  All outdoor rough stuff. Obviously she and Todd Black had nothing in common. The way her luck had been going, it figured.

  “There’s usually a decent band playing at The Red Barn,” he continued.

  “Do you like to dance?” she asked hopefully.

  “I’m not bad on the dance floor,” he said with a confident smile.

  Yes! A man who liked to dance.

  “I hear you bought the Halverson place over on Lavender Lane,” Olivia said.

  He nodded. “Yep. Good business location, right around the corner from Bavarian Brews. A new coat of paint, and it’ll make a nice shop or restaurant.”

  “Smart,” Olivia said. “This man is going places,” she told Bailey.

  I wouldn’t mind going with him, Bailey thought.

  Breakfast orders began to arrive, and the chamber members chitchatted as they ate bacon and eggs, pancakes, and Belgian waffles smothered in strawberries and whipped cream, all washed down with juice and Dot’s notoriously strong coffee. Everyone was about halfway through when Ed called their meeting to order.

  “Before we begin, I’m sure you’ve all seen that we have a visitor this morning. Welcome home, Bailey. It’s wonderful to have you back in Icicle Falls.”

  “They can’t stay away,” Dot cracked. “Once an Icicle, always an Icicle.”

  Bailey felt her cheeks heating under the warmth of the smiles she saw around the table. Most of these people had seen her grow up. She’d been so excited to leave and make her mark on the world. Now she was back again, a failure, seated amid a crowd of successful people. What was she doing here?

  Eric would say she was getting up and getting back in the race. Well, maybe she was.

  The business meeting began, starting with a discussion on the upcoming summer wine walk. Then a newcomer who’d recently opened an ice cream and candy shop lobbied to be allowed to put up a larger sign. He was quickly shot down.

  “We have a template for the size of our signs and the colors we use,” Ed explained, “and we all follow it. That’s what keeps Icicle Falls unique, and that’s what keeps the visitors coming back. And we all know how important tourism is to our economy.”

  Everyone nodded. They did, indeed. Tourism had rebuilt their town.

  Thanks to the loss of the railroad and the logging industry, by the end of the 1950s Icicle Falls had been on the verge of extinction. The few remaining citizens had taken a look at their mountain setting and concluded that it could be as lovely as any Alpine village. The town had pulled together and remade itself, putting Bavarian facades on the old Western buildings, adding window boxes with flowers and opening shops designed to lure visitors. With the scenery and winter sports working in its favor, Icicle Falls succeeded in turning itself into a charming tourist destination.

  But no matter how many visitors came through, it kept its small-town feel, and the people stayed close. Bailey reminded herself that she could have picked a worse place to come and heal her emotional wounds.

  “If that’s all the business for today, we can adjourn,” Ed told the group.

  Chairs scraped, people started getting up, and the room was full of voices as everyone began to leave the restaurant and go back to their businesses. Samantha gave Bailey a quick kiss and then was gone, off to run the Sweet Dreams empire. Bailey had planned to follow her out, but that didn’t happen.

  Ivy Bohn, whose family owned Christmas Haus, a shop that sold Christmas trimmings all year round, caught up to her quickly. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out in L.A.”

  Bailey nodded and said a polite thank-you.

  “Have you thought about what you want to do now that you’re here?” Ivy asked.

  “I’m still trying to figure it out,” Bailey said.

  “Whatever you do, I hope it’ll involve cooking,” Ivy said with an encouraging smile. “Let’s have coffee sometime.”

  She and Ivy hadn’t been besties in school. In fact, with Ivy a couple of classes ahead of her, they’d moved in different social circles, which made her kindness all the more touching.

  “I’d like that,” Bailey said.

  Everyone here was being so nice to her. It was typical of the people in this town and heartwarming. And yet, so discomfiting. She felt like a caterpillar wandering around loose in a room filled with butterflies.

  She was edging toward the door when Ed York caught her arm. “Well,” he said cheerfully, “now we have all the Sterling sisters back home again. Have you considered opening a catering business here in Icicle Falls?”

  “Oh, no.” Bailey shook her head. “I think I need to try something else.” She was aware of Todd Black hovering at the edge of their group. Again, she wondered how much he knew about why she was home.

  “I keep telling her she was born to cook,” Olivia said.

  Now Pat Wilder had joined them. “You know what we need?”

  This should be interesting. Bailey couldn’t imagine another thing the town needed. Icicle Falls had everything from a business supply store to a lingerie shop. And it already had almost every kind of restaurant a person could want. Well, except for a Thai or Chinese restaurant. But even that itch could be scratched thanks to the Safeway deli’s offering of pad Thai, General Tso’s chicken and egg rolls.

  “What?” Olivia asked on Bailey’s behalf.

  “A tearoom,” Pat said. “It would be lovely to have someplace girlie for visitors and for us locals to go with our sisters and daughters and girlfriends.”

  A feeling came over Bailey that she hadn’t experienced since her first year in L.A. Excitement. It rampaged through her brain and down to her heart like a powerful drug.

  She could picture it so easily. A cute little cottage. Tables spread with linen tablecloths and decked out with fine china. She could serve scones and cakes and cucumber sandwiches, and she could also sell fancy teas and lovely treats like lemon curd and Devonshire cream. And chocolate, of course, like Sweet Dreams truffles. And pretty teapots and accessories!

  But think of the risk. She did and immediately backed away from the precipice of failure.

  Todd Black spoke up. “I might have the perfect location for something like that.”

  “The Halversons’ Victorian!” Olivia said. “That would be charming.”

  And once more Bailey was back at the precipice, enticed by the vision of a sweet Victorian house with lace curtains at the window. It would be the ideal setting for a little tea shop with a tearoom in it.

  “Well, there you go,” Olivia said as if that settled it all.

  Reality stomped onto the scene like an elephant and crushed the vision before it had a chance to grow. “I don’t have any start-up money,” Bailey said.

  “We might be able to work something out,” Todd said, taking her arm and walking her out of the room. “Why don’t you come take a look at the place, see what you think?”

  She glanced over her shoulder at Olivia, who made a shooing gesture. “Go on, honey. It can’t hurt to check it out. I’m sure Todd won’t mind giving you a lift back to the lodge when you’re done.”

  She was right—what could it hurt? “Okay,” Bailey said.

  As Todd led her out the door, she could hear Olivia saying to Pat, “Aren’t they a cute couple?”

  Well, that was embarrassing. She stole a look at Todd. He was facing straight ahead, pretending not to have heard.

  “I really would love to do this,” she said. “I can think of so many fabulous things to make and serve. But…” She bit her lip. “It’s not just the money.” How could she explain that to him?

  “Like I said, let’s take a look at the place.” He led the way to a black truck parked near the restaurant. “If you like it, then we can talk about all your objections.”

  Once in the truck she couldn’t come up with anything to s
ay. Excitement and dread had each taken one end of her tongue and tied it in a giant knot.

  “So, you enjoy being back home?” Todd asked in an obvious attempt to put her at ease.

  “Yes. It’s fun to stay with my sister again. Just like when we were kids.”

  “Doesn’t give either of you much privacy.”

  She turned to him, puzzled. “For what?”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “For entertaining.”

  “Oh, well, I love to cook, so I’m happy to help Cecily entertain anyone she wants to invite over.”

  “What if she wants to have a man over?”

  Bailey’s face felt like a giant flambé. “Oh, that kind of entertaining. If she wants to have Luke over, I can always go to Sammy’s.”

  “Sammy? You’ve found somebody here already?”

  “No, I meant my sister Samantha. I call her Sammy.”

  “And what does she call you?”

  “When we were growing up, she called me a pest. So did Cecily.” Bailey rolled her eyes. “Sometimes I think they still see me as the baby of the family.”

  Todd smiled at that. “Well, I still see my brother that way, too. I’ve bailed that dude out of half a dozen messes.”

  Bailey thought of Samantha buying her airline ticket and shipping her home after the Samba Barrett incident. Birth order—and its imperatives—never changed, no matter how old you got.

  “Here we are,” he said and pulled to a stop in front of a small Victorian. It was a faded white and had equally faded blue shutters at the windows, but it also had a charming front porch and all the gingerbread trim a girl could wish for. Flower beds filled with primroses, and, in keeping with the street name, lavender lined the front walk. The flower beds sported azaleas and rhubarb.

  “Look, it’s got its own supply of rhubarb and lavender,” Bailey said gleefully. She could envision herself making lavender–white chocolate scones, lavender cake and rhubarb muffins. And she could see the place with a new coat of white paint, the shutters painted lavender. She could imagine customers inside, browsing shelves stocked with tea and teapots and pretty table decorations. Oh, yes, it was house lust at first sight.

  The house only got better as they walked inside. It had hardwood floors, which would be lovely once they’d been refinished, and the windows let in plenty of light. She’d definitely dress them in lace curtains.

  “You could have your tearoom down here and live upstairs,” Todd said.

  And then she’d have to pay rent on two spaces. She bit her lip.

  “You know, there are all kinds of partnerships. In some, one partner puts up the money and the other provides the expertise and creativity. And most of them work,” he added with a smile.

  What if he risked his money and she failed? She felt her feet suddenly growing very cold. In fact, her toes were starting to get frostbitten. She shook her head violently. “It’s a great idea, but I couldn’t.” She moved toward the front door.

  He blocked it. “If you’re worrying about whether or not I’m a good business risk, Blake Preston at the bank can vouch for me. He’s your brother-in-law, right? He’ll give you an honest answer.”

  She could make a go of this. Correction. She could have made a go of it. Now, with all the money that would be involved…she didn’t dare try.

  “And I know people who can vouch for you,” he went on.

  “But you don’t know what happened before I got here.” It was hard to say that and not cry.

  “This is a small town. Of course I do.”

  “I wouldn’t be a good investment.”

  He made a face. “Because you had a setback? Everyone fails at some point. If you don’t fail at something, you’re not doing much. Hell, I got canned from my first two jobs.”

  “You did? Why?”

  “I had a problem working for stupid people. It turns out I’m better suited to having my own business. At least now when I tell the boss he’s making a dumb move, he listens. Come on,” he said, taking her by the shoulders and steering her away from the door and back inside. “Let’s talk a little about what you’d do with this place.”

  They talked more than just a little. Another forty minutes, and they’d discussed everything from where she’d put the till and a glass counter with chocolate truffles for sale, to where she’d position the tables and what she’d use for china.

  “I could mix and match,” she said excitedly. “A lot of women my age aren’t into fine china, and that means their grandmas are dumping it right and left. I could pick up what we need at garage sales and stores like Timeless Treasures here in town.” She turned in a slow circle. “Some pretty, old-fashioned pictures on the walls, lace curtains at the windows…”

  “There’s a shop that sells lace here in town,” Todd said. “You know it?”

  Tina’s Lace and Lovelies. Boy, did she. She nodded.

  “The outside of this place needs paint. What color should it be?”

  “I think white is fine. Maybe paint the shutters lavender to match the lavender along the front walk. That would complement the lavender theme for the menu. Lavender cake, lavender–white chocolate scones,” she said dreamily.

  “Sounds good,” Todd said. “How about going over to Zelda’s and crunching some numbers? Let’s see if we can make this work.”

  Hadn’t they just had breakfast? “What time is it?”

  He checked his phone. “Twelve-thirty.”

  Wow! Time flew when you were having fun rebuilding your life. “Okay,” she agreed. Why not explore the possibility?

  * * *

  Samantha poked her head inside Cecily’s office. “Feel like grabbing something to eat at Zelda’s?”

  Cecily had half hoped Todd would call to see if she wanted to meet him at Herman’s. That had been a little unrealistic, she decided. Their relationship was still new, and they didn’t have to spend every waking minute together.

  Except wasn’t that what you did when your relationship was new and exciting?

  Well, never mind. He was probably busy working. “Sure,” she said.

  A few minutes later, she and Samantha walked into Zelda’s, and she saw what Todd had been busy doing. Suddenly she felt the same way she’d felt when she and Bailey were kids and Bailey had gotten jealous of her blond Barbie doll and cut off its hair.

  With a sisterly smile on her face, she started for the table where Todd and Bailey sat deep in lively conversation with only one thought. I’m going to kill the little brat.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Cecily wrestled down the jealous thought that had roared into her brain like an angry beast. Of course there was a simple explanation as to why her sister and Todd were having lunch together and why neither of them had bothered to call her.

  Not that they needed to. It was a free country. Bailey could have lunch with anyone she chose. So could Todd. Cecily didn’t own him.

  But she’d believed things were starting to get serious between them. She’d also believed that about two other men and been wrong. Was she going to be wrong a third time?

  Bailey and Todd were so engrossed in their conversation neither one saw her and Samantha approach the table. “Anything good on the menu?” Cecily asked, making Todd jump.

  Bailey looked up, her face the picture of delight. “You guys, guess what we’re talking about doing?”

  Having wild monkey sex on the bar at The Man Cave after hours? Running away to Vegas? “I give up,” Cecily said. “What?”

  “We’re talking about going into business together,” Bailey announced.

  “Of course, we have a lot to work out,” Todd added.

  “You don’t know each other,” Cecily blurted.

  “We’re working on that,” Todd said with a smile.

  And doing a darn
ed good job of it from the look of things.

  He slid down the banquette and patted the spot where he’d been sitting, inviting Cecily to join him. “Sit down. We’ll tell you all about it.”

  “This is kind of sudden,” Samantha said, taking a seat next to Bailey.

  “Yeah, but great timing,” Todd said.

  Maria Gomez came over to take their orders. “The Sterlings have you surrounded,” she teased Todd.

  “Works for me,” he said and grinned at Cecily.

  Cecily wasn’t so sure it worked for her. Since when had she become so insecure? Oh, yeah. Since Fiancé Number Two.

  * * *

  Samantha and Cecily placed their lunch orders, and Todd returned to the subject of business. “I think we might have a good idea. I recently bought the Halverson house on Lavender Lane. You know it?”

  “I do,” Samantha said. “Great commercial location, especially for something like a kitchen shop.”

  “Or a tearoom,” Bailey put in, “which is what we’re talking about doing.”

  “You’d be competing with Bavarian Brews,” Cecily said. Even as the words paraded out of her mouth, she questioned her motives. Was she being cautious on her sister’s behalf or trying to discourage her from working with Todd? Maybe a little of both.

  “Not really,” he said. “Different retail experience, probably different clientele, although we’d get some crossover.”

  “And it won’t be just a tearoom,” Bailey added. “We’ll sell tea and tea accoutrements, cute kitchen items and chocolates. Sweet Dreams chocolates, of course.”

  “How are you planning to finance this?” Samantha asked.

  “I’ll put up the money,” Todd said. “Bailey can do the work, be in charge of the menu and create the inventory.”

  “It’ll be a while before you see a profit,” Samantha mused. “Although you already know that.”

  He nodded, and the next few minutes were taken up with talking profit and loss, projected growth and a salary draw for Bailey.

  Finally Samantha said, “Sounds like a winner to me.”