Sweet History: A Candle Beach Sweet Romance (Book 5)

by Nicole Ellis

  Her jaw dropped. “That’s twice what I was paying before. I can’t afford that.” Tears appeared in the corners of her eyes.

  His stomach lurched. He had no idea that she was paying less than him. If he had, he would have told her a lesser amount. “Uh, maybe I figured that wrong. Yeah, it should be half of that for your half.”

  Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What’s the total? You’re telling me less because you don’t think I can afford it, right?”

  He couldn’t do anything but stare at her. Every second felt like a minute as he tried to figure out what to say that would fix the situation. He didn’t need the extra space and subsidizing her rent was no big deal in his budget. All he wanted was for Charlotte to stay there and be happy.

  “That’s it, isn’t it?” The tears started to fall. “I can’t accept charity from you.”

  “Charlotte, wait. It’s not charity.” His words fell upon deaf ears as she whirled around and ran into her trailer.

  He didn’t know whether or not to follow her but opted to give her a little space. An hour later, he approached the trailer. She called out a greeting, obviously thinking he was a potential customer, but her spine stiffened when she realized it was him.

  “What do you want?” she asked.

  He stopped in front of the trailer. “I want to talk about the lease. You have to believe me. I had no idea that it was you renting the space or that you actually wanted to stay. I only went along with what Mr. Devine told me.”

  She balled up her fists, then uncurled them and lay them flat in front of her on the counter.

  “It doesn’t really matter. I can’t afford to sublease from you. I’ll have to look for a new space.” Her voice was dull, a stark contrast to the joy she usually exhibited.

  He felt as though he’d been punched in the gut. Was she really this stubborn? He could afford the extra cost.

  “Really, I can help you. It’s no big deal.”

  She stared at him in horror. “No big deal to pay for half of my rent? Are you serious? Do you know me at all?”

  This was getting worse by the minute. “I just wanted to help you.”

  Her jaw tightened. “I don’t need your help. Goodbye.” She stood and grabbed the handle to the trailer door, slamming it shut in his face.

  He stood there, shocked. What had just happened?

  When she showed no sign of opening the door again, he reluctantly went back to the food truck to finish prepping for lunch. Throughout the day, he surreptitiously checked what she was doing, but she made no attempt to contact him. After the dinner crowd, he shut down the truck and made his way over to her trailer, where she was totaling the day’s receipts.

  When she saw him, she stopped what she was doing.

  “Luke.” She bit her lip.

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to take the lease. Or offend you, or whatever. Just let me make it up to you.”

  She regarded him sadly. “I don’t think this is going to work out.”

  Terror filled his chest, sucking out any air. “What do you mean?”

  “I can’t be with someone that doesn’t think I can make it on my own. I’m having enough trouble making myself believe that at the moment. I think I need to be alone for a while.”

  He took a deep breath, fighting to stay calm. “Can I change your mind?”

  “No,” she whispered. “Goodbye, Luke.” She stepped out of the trailer and locked the door, then brushed past him and disappeared around the block.

  His mind buzzed. He’d gone from excitement the night before about seeing her again to disbelief that they were over today. He’d thought he’d finally met the woman he’d been looking for his entire life. How had this gone so wrong so quickly?

  “So, what do you think?” Gretchen motioned to the abandoned lot she’d just shown Charlotte as a possibility for parking her trailer.

  The empty lot was bordered by a rickety fence that hadn’t seen a coat of paint in many years. Dust flew through the air with each step they took in the dusty dirt and gravel mix that half covered the ground. A neglected rosebush fought for nutrients in an old flowerbed in a corner of the lot near the sidewalk. If she craned her neck up, there was a possible view of the ocean, but otherwise there wasn’t much to recommend the place.

  “Is this the only available space in town?” Charlotte scanned the space again, grimacing. This couldn’t be happening. Maybe if she closed her eyes and reopened them, she’d magically have her space back again—the space she’d inhabited for over a year. Anger rose involuntarily within her. If Luke hadn’t showed up in town, this never would have happened. As soon as she thought that, a little voice whispered that if she hadn’t been so disorganized this wouldn’t have happened. She fought to tamp down the negative thoughts.

  Gretchen nodded. “Yeah, sorry. It’s the only place that would make sense for a retail business. I think this would be good for you though.” She pointed. “See, that building over there will house an art gallery and a small restaurant of some type. We’re only a block over from Main Street, so with a nice sign, people will easily find you.”

  Charlotte stared at the two-story structure being built across the street. Construction workers wearing hard hats were erecting walls while a man holding a clipboard shouted instructions to them. The noise of drills and hammering was deafening.

  Her gaze turned toward Main Street. A car drove by and people crossed the street as they headed down the hill, but none came along the sidewalk in their direction. Even if Gretchen was right and the space would eventually receive more retail traffic, it would be miserable and noisy until then—if that traffic ever materialized.

  “I guess,” she said. “It’s not as nice as my old space though.”

  Her heart ached thinking about what she’d lost—both the lot lease and her relationship with Luke. She still wasn’t sure she’d made the right decision to end things with him, but she felt it was something she had to do. Too much time had been spent fighting for financial independence for her to give it up so easily. He’d acted as though it was no big deal to help her with the rent, but he didn’t understand how important it was to her to make it on her own. If he couldn’t understand that, it wouldn’t work between them.

  “No,” Gretchen agreed. “It’s not as nice. But I think you can make it your own. Plus, it’s bigger than the old location.”

  “True. But it’s not the same.” She surveyed the lot again. Still dusty and empty, but the scent of roses drifted over to them. Maybe it would be better once her trailer was parked there and she could make it more of her own space.

  Gretchen smiled gently and squeezed Charlotte’s arm. “Is it because you don’t like the space, or because it’s lacking a certain neighbor?”

  “Both maybe.” Charlotte sighed. “Okay. I’ll take it. I’ve got to find somewhere to park the trailer and I’ll lose money for every day I don’t have somewhere to sell to my customers.”

  “Good. I think you’re making the right decision.” Gretchen motioned up the hill. “Do you want to come back to the office and sign the paperwork now?”

  Charlotte took one last look at the site. “Might as well.”

  Nothing about this situation was going to be the same. She’d found part of herself at the old site—learning how to be a successful business owner and making it on her own. Now because of Luke—and her own mistakes—she’d have to start all over again. At least it was in Candle Beach. If she had to leave her friends and established customer base, she didn’t know what she’d do.

  Finding someone to move her trailer hadn’t been easy, but now that they were backing it into her new lot, she could focus on making the dumpy lot better.

  “That’s far enough,” she called out to the truck driver. He nodded and halted the vehicle, then went around to the back and unhitched the trailer.

  “You should be good now,” he said in a gruff voice.

  “Thank you so much.” She handed him some cash and he stuffed it in his pocket
.

  “Good luck, miss.” He got back into his truck and drove away.

  She adjusted the jacks on either side until the trailer was level, then brushed her hands off on her jeans. Slowly turning in a circle, she surveyed the lot. Unfortunately, it hadn’t magically turned into a beautiful garden. She swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat, thinking about how close she and Luke had been at the old lot, both emotionally, and in proximity.

  What’s done is done. There was no use thinking about how nice her old space had been. She squared her shoulders. Now was the time to make this space her own. The old spot hadn’t been nearly as nice when she’d first moved in, and she’d transformed it. She could do the same now.

  Charlotte grabbed a notebook from the trailer and listed out the things that she’d need to do—buy oyster shells for a pathway, some more plants, maybe a bench or two. She grew excited thinking about the possibilities. The lot was bigger than the old shared one, and with the sunlight here, she could grow flowers in a garden.

  She eyed the construction across the street. That was harder to put a rosy picture on, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it. She’d have to make some more signs. Being a block off Main Street was a challenge, but when had she ever backed away from a challenge?

  With a stick, she drew a pathway from the sidewalk to her trailer. With a border of stones and a crushed oyster shell path, it would do nicely. A familiar figure stood on Main Street, looking toward her trailer. What was Luke doing there?

  She turned away, sneaking peeks at him, but he didn’t come any closer and soon left. Her stomach twisted. A couple of weeks ago, everything had been great and now it was all messed up. She missed Luke, and even though she kept reminding herself of why they wouldn’t work, she couldn’t get rid of the wistfulness that hit her every time she thought of him.

  18

  Luke stirred the vats of shredded smoked pork and placed yet another pan of cornbread in the oven to bake in preparation for the Bike Barn barbecue. With a great deal of satisfaction, he looked around the inside of the food truck. It had been a ton of work, but things were shaping up for the guests’ arrival in an hour.

  He’d pulled the truck up to the Sorensen Farm an hour earlier and parked it in a grassy area, away from the main event space. For the barbecue, he wouldn’t be serving from his truck, but it was still nice to have the cooking facility right there on site. He’d heard Maggie had plans for a catering kitchen, but she hadn’t constructed one yet, so it would come in handy.

  He stepped out of the stiflingly hot truck and into the meager amount of shade it provided from the warm July sun. Although Maggie hadn’t been able to help much in planning, she’d provided picnic tables, serving dishes and silverware for the event. Charlotte was already there when he’d arrived, and from the harried expression on her face, she must have been there for hours. They hadn’t spoken since the day she’d broken up with him, but he’d checked on her from a distance while she was at the new lot where she’d set up shop. For a minute, he’d thought she’d seen him, but then she’d turned and looked away, so he left. He’d left a note for Charlotte with Dahlia, begging her to reconsider, but he hadn’t heard anything back.

  He looked around the event area. He had to admit it, she’d been right about the decorations making or breaking an event. The pieces she’d chosen for this event were definitely on the making it side. She’d covered the tables with cheery red and blue checkered tablecloths and set baskets full of blue flowers on each. A long buffet table held warming dishes and she’d found an antique wooden picnic basket to exhibit the rolls and cornbread muffins. They all combined to make an inviting place for people to hang out and enjoy the evening—and hopefully donate money.

  He wandered over to the barn. Charlotte was scurrying around inside, straightening items for the silent auction and checking in with the band that would be playing live country music later that night.

  “Do you need any help?” He leaned against the open frame of the double barn doors.

  She looked up, startled. “Are you done already? What time is it?”

  “Almost five. Everything’s ready to put on the buffet as soon as people start to arrive.” He took a closer look around the room. “It looks great in here.”

  “Really? Do you think so?”

  “Yes. Everyone will love it.” He smiled. “And you were right. The extra decorations really have made a difference.”

  She peered at him and then a small smile broke out upon her lips. “Thank you.”

  “Uh, do you need to change your clothes before the guests arrive?” He pointed at her gray sweatpants and tank top. In his opinion, she looked adorable, but she probably intended to wear something dressier for the event.

  She stared down at her clothes in horror. “I got so caught up in everything, I totally forgot.”

  “Do you have a change of clothes here?”

  She nodded. “Yes, they’re in the farmhouse. Can you be on point here in case anyone has questions while I’m gone?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’ll hurry.” She jogged off in the direction of the farmhouse.

  He sighed. It seemed like she was thawing toward him, but he didn’t know if they’d ever get to the point where she’d want to be friends with him again. He hated the thought of a future without her in it, but he couldn’t push any more than he already had.

  The guests arrived and Luke stayed busy helping Maggie’s catering staff set up the buffet. Around him, everyone was laughing and having a good time. Both of the paddleboats were in use on the lake, and he’d seen quite a few people hovering around the silent auction tables. The fundraiser was a success. Charlotte should be proud of herself. It was too bad Pops hadn’t been able to come, but he didn’t like driving at night and hadn’t wanted to miss out on his weekly poker game anyway. Luke supposed it was probably for the best though, as he hadn’t yet told Pops that he and Charlotte had broken up. The old man had fallen in love with her and Luke hadn’t found the right time to tell him that they were no longer an item.

  Soon, Charlotte made her way to the front of the barn.

  “Hello, everyone,” she said into the microphone. “It’s so exciting to see so many people here to help support Saul. He and the Bike Barn have been an integral part of this community for many years and we all know that he’d do anything to help out anyone in need. It’s nice to be able to give back to him.” She motioned to the silent auction items. “We’ll be ending the silent auction soon and starting dinner, but I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who came tonight and especially the people and businesses who donated to the auction. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

  At a table near the front, Saul stood. He looked at Charlotte and gestured for the microphone. She handed it to him and he spoke.

  “I wanted to thank you all personally from the bottom of my heart. When I came to town after my wife died, I didn’t know what to expect, but I’ve felt welcomed from the very first day.” He brushed away a tear from his eye and his voice shook. “Seeing the Bike Barn on fire was one of the worst days of my life and I thought everything I’d built here was gone. But then you all came to my rescue.” He lowered the mike for a few seconds and then brought it back to chin level. “Thank you.” He handed it back to Charlotte, who smiled at him.

  “Thank you, Saul, for everything you do for this community.” She beamed at the crowd. “Now, let’s eat!”

  Everyone cheered and moved toward the buffet tables. Luke ran food between the truck and the buffet tables until he felt as though his legs and arms would give out. The attendees loved his food though and their compliments gave him strength to continue.

  The dinner portion of the event wound up and he helped with cleanup while the dancing started. As he cleared tables and packed up leftover food, he watched with envy as couples swirled around the dance floor together. Charlotte stood near the band surveying the room. She’d changed into a white strapless sundress with pink
flowers on it and had placed a matching pink flower behind her ear. Her blonde hair swung around her shoulders as she walked briskly across the room to address the catering staff.

  His heart ached, wishing that he could whisk her off her feet and onto the dance floor—wanting her to be his again. The intensity of the emotion surprised him. How was it possible that a few months ago he’d barely given her a thought and now she was the most important person in the world to him?

  He retreated to the food truck to finish cleaning up and to avoid seeing her again. When he reappeared, most of the guests had left. He went into the barn to see if there was anything else he could do and saw Charlotte standing with an older man and woman that he recognized as her and Parker’s parents. He started to approach them, to ask if she needed help with anything, but stopped when he heard her mother’s tone of voice.

  “Honey, that’s what we were afraid of. The world of art is tough.” Her mother patted her arm condescendingly. “Painting isn’t going to get you anywhere. We’ve been telling you that all your life.”

  Charlotte turned to the side and he could tell she was close to tears. In a shaky voice, she said, “I love painting.”

  “But you have to be practical, Charlotte,” her father said. “Has your business turned a profit yet?”

  She took a deep breath. “It was doing fine, but I had to move it because I lost my lease.”

  “Because you couldn’t pay your bills?” he asked. “If you need money we can help you.”

  “But we think you should come back to work with us at Gray & Associates. That way you’ll have a steady income,” her mother said in a firm voice.

  “Your mother is right. We’re happy you reached for your dreams, but at some point, you need to realize that it’s better to be practical. Look how well Graham’s doing in the family business. Even Parker seems to be getting his life in order now.”