by Amy Harmon
Breezy’s lip quivered. Not quite trusting her voice, she shook her head no.
“Stephanie’s here. Is that okay?”
Still too choked up to speak, Breezy nodded.
Stephanie Winkleheimer was another close friend, a writer who had just finished her first novel. She was in the process of sending out query emails to agents and editors on a list of possibilities she’d spent weeks researching in an attempt to find the perfect fit.
Dani put an arm around Breezy’s shoulder and led her through the cheery living room, full of brightly colored pillows on a comfy sprawling couch, and into the dining room where Stephanie sat at the tall, square, black table, a tray of donuts centered in perfect reaching distance from all four sides.
The donuts made Breezy smile and her lip stopped quivering enough that she managed to get out, “Don’t your parents mind you eating all of their inventory?”
Dani grabbed some napkins and a donut, and set them down in front of the chair she then pulled out for Breezy. “They love that I use donut therapy. I’m going to patent it and go into business. I’ll make millions.”
“You will make millions.” Sitting, Breezy contemplated the donut before her, raspberry filling peeking out of a small hole in the side. One of her favorites. She sighed deeply, still reeling from the career blow she’d received that had triggered her rash action. Or not-so-rash, according to Chad and Paul. “I can definitely use some donut therapy right about now.”
“Me, too,” said Stephanie, taking a big bite. After swallowing and taking a sip of milk, a faint trace of powdered sugar still on her lips, she said, “I got my fifth rejection today on my book. And also my sixth, seventh, and eighth. So it seems four rejections in one day is my new personal best. I wonder if I can top that.”
“Oh, no! That’s awful,” Breezy said, reaching out a hand to touch Stephanie’s arm. “I read your manuscript. It’s great. Why wouldn’t they want to represent it?”
“That’s the problem. I don’t know because most of them send back form-letter emails that don’t give you any personalized information at all. One agent said it just didn’t fit the direction she was going right now, even though her website said it should fit exactly.” Stephanie blinked, tears glistening in her eyes. “This is the most demoralizing business in the world.”
Breezy could argue that point with her, but she wasn’t quite ready to tell them her woes. Not until after her donut.
As Dani sat down, Breezy motioned toward her. “And what do you need therapy for?”
“Life in general.” Dani took a bite out of a helpless maple bar.
Stephanie explained. “Colt told Dani that Dixie is mad at him.”
Colt Ross had brought his wife Dixie and baby boy here from Texas when he’d become Aspen Grove’s Chief of Police. They’d left family and the Texas Rangers behind, and Dixie still struggled with the transition.
“I’ve suspected they’ve been having problems for awhile now,” Dani said. “I just hate to hear a couple is fighting. Especially a couple with a child.”
Breezy thought about the Holier Than Thou Donuts clientele she’d seen each time she’d gone in the place. “The local police force sure seems to approve of donut therapy.”
Dani put down her maple bar. “And what, exactly, do you need donut therapy for today, Breezy? What brought you, crying, to my door?”
“I wasn’t crying.”
“You’re just allergic to whatever happened to you, right?”
“Well, I wasn’t crying until after you hugged me.” Breezy sighed. “Okay. But it’s a good thing you’re sitting down.”
“Just tell us already!” Dani said, laughing.
Breezy shook her head, still not believing it, herself. “I quit my job today.”
Staring at her in amazement, the two women said, in unison, “What?”
“You heard me. I told Noah Drake, to his face, that I was quitting, and then I left the station and came directly to your house. I did not pass GO. I will not receive two hundred dollars.”
“You told Drake the Snake you quit?” Dani asked, sounding stunned at the news.
“Yes.” Breezy nodded, at least satisfied that she hadn’t put up with any more demotions. “I told Drake the Snake to keep his stupid non-weather promotion and raise and I quit. And I didn’t give him any two-week notice, either. He doesn’t need it because Pamela is doing my job and Fiona can just take back her job.”
“Wow.” Dani laughed. “Breezy, I am shocked. And very impressed.”
Stephanie looked concerned. “What will you do now?”
“I’ll find another job. Somewhere. Even if I have to move away.”
“Oh, no, Honey,” Stephanie said. “You can’t move. Not an option. What would we do without you? No, no, no.”
“I may have to if I want a meteorologist job,” Breezy said. “And that’s what I’ve always wanted.”
Dani frowned. “What if you took a job around town first?”
“Something not in weather?” Breezy shook her head. “Not interested.”
“No, hear me out. Just for a little while. Hurricane Pamela will blow herself out and move on soon. There’s not enough excitement in a little town for someone like her. Once she’s run through all the men, she’ll leave, and you can move right back into your old job here.”
“But what if Noah won’t hire me back? He didn’t want me doing it when he hired Pamela.”
“You’re the best there is.” A large smile flowered on Dani’s face. “Plus I just had a scathingly brilliant idea.”
At the sound of their favorite line from one of their favorite old-time movies, The Trouble With Angels, the other two leaned forward in anticipation.
Looking smug, Dani said, “I’m going to talk to some people and we’re going to start a write-in campaign. Drake the Snake is going to beg you to take your job back.”
“As if. Don’t do it. It will just cause problem. Besides, they bring in weathercasters for more permanent positions. Except for me, of course.” Breezy laughed. “I guess you can tell I’m feeling pretty sorry for myself right now.”
“Join the party, Honey,” Dani said. “We’re all kind of down tonight.”
“Wait!” Stephanie said. “I know exactly what we need to do. Goes right along with donut therapy.”
Breezy and Dani looked at her expectantly.
“I’m really feeling discouraged today but I don’t want to stay depressed forever.” Having finished her first, Stephanie reached out for a second powdered sugar donut, and raised it in a toast. “Let’s make this the official start of a full-out, seventy-two-hour, hand-to-forehead pity party. It will officially end Sunday night at midnight.”
Breezy and Dani raised their donuts. “Here, here.”
Dani said, “That’s a great idea. Then on Monday we’ll pull up our big girl panties. Breezy, you’ll start job hunting. Stephanie, you’ll send out twenty more query letters. And I’ll...well, I’ll tell Colt to pull up his big boy shorts and go remind Dixie why she’s glad to be his wife.”
Stephanie snorted. “Won’t you need to tell him to take off his big boy shorts?”
“Mind out of the gutter, my friend.” Dani smiled. “Official salute?”
Breezy put her hand to her forehead in official pity party stance. “Woe is me, I have no job.”
The others laughed.
Dani followed suit and said, “Woe are Colt and Dixie, who fight worse than Lindsey and Ethan. And woe is me, for having to listen to both sides of the argument.”
Stephanie melodramatically said, “Woe is me, too. Nobody wants to publish my book.”
Dani laughed. Stephanie joined in. Even Breezy laughed, feeling a little better already.
Reaching out for their hands, Breezy squeezed lightly. “I may have lost my job, but I have the best friends ever.”
Breezy thought the seventy-two hour pity party was truly a scathingly brilliant idea. Inspired, even. She planned to make good hand-to-forehead use of
the seventy-one hours and fifty-nine minutes she had left before she took any positive action at all.
That decided, she settled back in for a good session of donut therapy.
* * *
Monday, May 6
Breezy hitched up her purse and walked out of yet another business on Aspen Grove’s Main Street. Without a job offer.
Jake Taylor, the young mayor and owner of Taylor Tech, a wildly successful business that created apps for Apple and sold all things technology related, said he’d definitely like to hire her, but he would need a commitment of three months to cover the training to bring her up to speed. Since all the computing she could do was weather related and because she was only hoping to work until she found work elsewhere, she’d regretfully had to thank him but not take the job. She couldn’t lie to get a job, even a temporary one.
A dull ache settled into both her feet and her head. Her heart was another matter. What did you do when your dream job was ripped away from you?
She sighed. You spent the weekend typing up resumes and sending them out.
Then you looked for something else, something not nearly as satisfying. She just needed something not too horrible that would pay her bills. That’s all. How hard could it be to get a menial, boring job? But so far every local business she’d called or walked into wasn’t hiring at the moment or, like Jake, needed a longer commitment than she could give. They all said they’d love to hire her. If. But. When.
If she couldn’t even get hired on at one of these types of businesses, what did that say about her?
Okay, snap out of it, she told herself. The pity party was officially over at midnight last night. Pull up your big girl panties. You can handle a job that just pays the bills. It’s not like you didn’t have them when you worked your way through school.
Looking in the plate glass storefront of Taylor Tech, she tucked an errant strand of wildly curly hair, that had worked loose from the braid, behind her ear, then adjusted her purse on her shoulder again.
A full day of job hunting and she’d found nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero.
Yet, she reminded herself. She’d find something.
But for now, she’d had enough disappointment for the day. It was time for an early dinner and some girl talk. She turned toward Candy’s Café, just a short walk away.
“Breezy! Wait up!”
That voice was too darn familiar. The voice of a man who had sworn he’d never come back to this town again. About the same time he’d broken her heart.
She spun around. What on earth was Andrew North still doing in Aspen Grove? He should have left by now. Her heart sputtered in indignation.
Still as handsome as ever, he looked like one of the young Beach Boys, blonde and beautiful, tanned and smiling, athletic and addicted to surfing.
Laughing, he crossed the street and swept her up in a big hug. “It is so good to see you, Babe.”
Struggling to catch her breath and regain her emotional equilibrium, she pulled out of his embrace—before she could change her mind and lean into it. “What a surprise to see you, Andrew.”
“I know. I know. I thought I wanted to be out in the big wide world, but I’ve decided big cities are not the place for me. Can you believe it? I actually like small towns. And so I’m back in town and starting a business.”
Still a little breathless, Breezy laughed. “Long swim from surfboards to boardrooms.”
“My business isn’t exactly boardroom material.” He brushed his long blonde bangs out of his eyes. “But the fact that I’m starting a business is amazing, I know. But I’ve done some growing up.” He laughed again. “I hope.”
She hoped so, too. Andrew was loads of fun, but in the way of a little kid who laughs and everyone else can’t help but laugh along. But she couldn’t get involved with a little kid again. “You, a businessman. I can’t get over that.”
He took her arm. “May I buy you an early dinner? I’ll tell you all about the new direction my life is taking. And the new path I’m on.”
He smiled fondly down at her, as if he wanted her to join him on that path.
Time with Andrew was the last thing she needed. She had liked him too much and it would be better if she stayed away from him. “I’m kind of busy right now.”
“Oh. What are you up to?” Friendly as always.
She remembered those puppy dog eyes, and their effect on her. Smiling self-consciously, she admitted, “I’m looking for a job.”
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “But I heard you were doing the weather for our illustrious local station. What happened?”
“The new owners want more exposure. As in unbuttoned blouse exposure.” She shrugged. “I’m looking for something to tide me over until I either get that job back or find another one out of town.”
“Why, that’s perfect.” A beautiful smile lit his gorgeous, tanned, surfer boy face.
“What?” she asked suspiciously.
“Me needing someone temporary to get my store set up, and you needing something temporary to tide you over. Perfect combination.”
“Except I can’t work with you, Andrew.” She patted his arm to take the sting out of her words. There was no way she could. If she did, she’d fall under his charismatic spell again. And she’d learned already in her short life not to fall under his spell again.
He released her arm and took hold of her shoulders, gently, and looked into her eyes. “Breezy, I won’t pressure you. Really. But think about it, okay? Don’t just say no reflexively. I’d pay you top dollar. Not as much as meteorologists get, but a good wage.”
Under his gaze, she sighed. “Okay, I’ll think about it.”
“Great. Now that that’s settled, let me take you to dinner.”
His happy smile was catching. She returned a smile. “I was headed toward Candy’s.”
“Why, what a coincidence. I was just thinking how I’ve missed Candy’s cooking.”
They started walked toward the café. “Was that what you were just thinking?”
“Scout’s honor.”
“I seem to remember that you dropped out of Scouts.”
“Oh, yes, I did, didn’t I? Well, surfer’s honor, then.”
She laughed. “I know what that’s worth.”
“Play nice,” he said. “I have high hopes for charming you tonight.”
And at that moment, Breezy realized she’d best drive herself straight home afterward. Dinner was one thing. But this had better be the last time she spent with her old boyfriend.
She’d already learned her lesson with Andrew. No matter how charming he was, she wouldn’t lose her heart to him again.
* * *
Wednesday, May 8
What a difference two days could make. It was only two nights before that she’d eaten dinner with Andrew here at Candy’s Café, and what a surreal experience that had been. And now, after another full, fruitless, and frustrating day of job hunting, it was a relief to spend time again with her Chick Flick Clique friends. They always made everything seem better. Maybe they would have ideas of a job she could get that didn’t involve an ex-boyfriend.
In the back room, Breezy dropped her five-dollar bill into the wide-mouthed vase.
On the couch closest to the door, Dani patted the empty spot between her and the governor’s daughter Sonnet. Miss America’s mother Iris and her regal daughter’s friend April sat on the other couch. Lindsey, school teacher Beth Lawrence, and Candy sat on the armchairs between.
With a sigh of relief, Breezy settled on the couch. “What are we watching tonight?”
“Candy won’t tell us,” Dani groused. “She’s being mean.”
“Poor babies. I just thought we might want to choose something after everyone arrived. And it’s eight o’clock, so it looks like we’re all here.” Candy laughed. “At least those who are going to get a vote are here.”
“How are the kids, April?”
April had two little ones. “Jordan is home watching them tonight. Do him good
to be reminded of all I do keeping track of them.”
Sonnet juggled her plate, set her cup on the end table, and turned to Breezy. “Dani said you’re looking for a job. Have you found one yet?”
Breezy blew out a noisy breath. “Three days of walking the mean streets of Aspen Grove and I’ve found absolutely nothing.”
“The mean streets of Aspen Grove?” Candy snorted. “That’s pretty funny.”
“It would be funnier if I’d gotten more than just a temporary job offer from an old boyfriend.”
Instantly, every woman in the room focused her attention on Breezy.
“Andrew?” Beth asked in a tone of voice that suggested she found this very romantic.
Breezy nodded. “None other than Andrew North.”
“Wow.” Sonnet raised an eyebrow. “Did you agree to work for him?”
“Are you kidding? There’s no way I can ever work with him now. Not after all that’s happened between us.”
Iris tipped her head in question. “Why not? Didn’t you date for years, starting in high school?”
“Yes, and thank you for remembering that particular painful memory.” Breezy lightened her words with a smile. “That is precisely why I can never, ever work with him. He’s got way too much surfer charisma going on.”
“The man is gorgeous.” Candy pretended to swoon. “And I think he may have actually matured a little.”
Dani lifted a brownie halfway to her lips. “That’s a good thing because he was pretty immature before.” She took a bite.
Beth looked vulnerable. “Did he leave you for someone else?”
“Not for another woman,” Breezy said, her heart remembering the pain of his leaving. “But it didn’t feel much better to get left behind for a bigger city.”
“Maybe you could work things out,” Beth said. “Sometimes all someone needs is a second chance.”
The women were silent for a moment, all aware Beth wished she could have had a second chance with James Jackson, the man she’d been mourning the loss of since she’d returned to Aspen Grove. The man who had been ready to propose to her when another woman moved into the college town in the Rocky Mountains, where Beth had lived with her aunt, and had stolen him away.