Trails of Love

by Melissa Foster

  “The calendars won’t be ready for a while,” Chet said with a laugh. “And Axsel wasn’t the only one drooling. I seem to remember the Montgomery sisters making all sorts of comments about our hoses—”

  “Uncle Chet has a big hose!” Scotty said so loudly Graham had to laugh. “When I grow up I’m gonna have a big hose, too! Right, Uncle Chet?”

  Chet tousled Scotty’s hair and said, “I sure hope so, buddy.”

  “Okay, no more hose talk,” Morgyn said. “Chet, we just need a few minutes. Graham’s going to help me figure out a couple things. I have bunches of ideas, and I put some fun embellishments on the round table over there.” She pointed across the room. “Why don’t you check them out while I get Graham whatever he needs to get started.”

  “Come on, Uncle Chet.” Scotty ran through the store, and Chet followed him.

  “So, drooling over firemen, huh?” Graham teased.

  “Oh, come on. Not really drooling, but they were hot. I mean, they’re friends, so it’s not like I wanted to jump their bones or anything. But I think Axsel would have liked to.” She smiled and said, “Sorry about having to do this with Scotty. He’s Chet’s sister Haylie’s little boy. She’s a single mom, and Scotty’s fixing her favorite bag for her birthday.”

  “No worries, beautiful.”

  “Thanks. What do you need to get started on checking things out?”

  “I usually start with the books to get a handle on finances. What do you use for bookkeeping? Quicken?”

  “Quicken?” She wrinkled her nose. “I hate computer programs. They take too long to learn.”

  He followed her to a dresser in the back of the store. She took off the long necklace she wore around her neck and opened the locket charm, revealing an old-fashioned key.

  “This is the key to the top drawer. My books are in there.” She pointed to a desk near the table where Scotty and Chet were checking out their supplies and said, “You can work over there. Is that okay?”

  “Yes. Perfect. I’ll grab my laptop from the car and get started, but first…” He took her hand and pulled her closer, lowering his voice. “Sunshine, the reason I don’t mix business and pleasure is that it can get weird when people talk about money. I want to help you figure things out, but I don’t want this, or anything, to come between us.”

  “You really are an overthinker. The good thing is I’m not. Well, not usually. I mean, you have made me think about things a lot more than usual. But whatever is destined to work will, and things that aren’t meant to be won’t. If we don’t stay together, it won’t be this business that tears us apart.” She patted her hand over his heart and said, “Have faith in something bigger than your brains. You’ll see.”

  “But—”

  She put her finger over his lips and said, “‘Know it. Trust it. Accept it,’” and walked away with a bounce in her step.

  After retrieving his laptop, Graham unlocked the dresser drawer and peered inside.

  A shoe box.

  Why doesn’t that surprise me?

  He carried the box to the desk and lifted the lid. On top of a few spiral-bound notebooks was an envelope with Cracker, read this first written in pink ink. Her handwriting was loopy and big with tiny suns dotting the i’s. He glanced at Morgyn across the room, sitting with Scotty and Chet. She and Scotty were placing colorful embellishments on the bag. Had she scripted her fantasies after all? He opened and read the letter.

  Dear Dimples (did that make you smile? I hope so, because I love your dimples).

  He felt himself smiling and lifted his gaze to Morgyn again, catching her watching him. He blew her a kiss and she pretended to catch it.

  Chet glanced at the two of them, smirked, and then went back to texting.

  Graham returned his attention to the note.

  Roses are red, violets are blue, I can’t wait to show you all the dirty things I want to do to you. Xox, Sunshine.

  PS: Have I told you I kind of suck at dirty talk? Maybe we should practice. A LOT.

  PPS: Thank you for helping me today. This business is my baby. Please be gentle with her.

  PPPS: (Picture me fanning myself from the hot sun, standing by the deer garden wearing nothing but my bikini.) Whew, I sure could use a few licks of your big Creamsicle right about now. I wonder how many licks it would take to get to the creamy center. (See? Told you I need practice.)

  He chuckled. That’s a Tootsie Pop, babe. Christ, she was adorable.

  MORGYN STOOD ON the sidewalk in front of the shop later that afternoon talking with Brindle on the phone. “Maybe this was a mistake. Graham’s been looking over my books and poking around on his laptop for hours. He keeps rubbing his temples, and his face looks pinched, like it’s a painful process.”

  “Worried he’ll figure out you’re not a millionaire? Because from what I read about him online, the guy makes more money than God himself.”

  “I don’t care how much he makes or if he sees how much I make. But you know Beckett suggested I close my store and get a real job. I’m not doing that. What if he suggests the same thing?”

  “He’s not Beckett,” Brindle reminded her. “And so what if he does say that? You don’t have to do what anyone else says, Morg. I never do.”

  Morgyn sighed. “I know. Hey, I found that dress you wanted for Paris. The black one with the silver thread. Do you want to swing by, or should I bring it to Mom’s tomorrow night?”

  “Bring it tomorrow. I’m out at the falls and I think I’m going to be busy tonight.”

  “With Trace?” Morgyn asked.

  “No. He pissed me off. The jerk told me all these horror stories about single women going missing when they travel overseas. And then he proceeded to tell me about goddamn Suzie Surrats. Remember her from that ski trip he went on last winter? That skanky ho who kept texting him?”

  “Doesn’t she live in Pennsylvania or Ohio or someplace out that way?”

  “Yes, but he said she’s traveling through Virginia on her way to Florida.”

  “And…?”

  “I don’t know! I think he tells me this shit just to piss me off.”

  Morgyn rolled her eyes. “He’s doing it to get you jealous. Why can’t you two just admit you want to be exclusive with each other?”

  “Jesus, you too? You don’t want to get married. Why push me in that direction?”

  “I never said get married. There’s a difference between wanting a commitment and wanting to get married. What are you so afraid of?”

  “Hold on. I have another call.”

  Morgyn wandered back inside as Graham closed his laptop. “Done?” she asked, worried about the serious look in his eyes. He nodded and she said, “I’ll be right off.”

  She waited another minute, and when Brindle still didn’t come back on the line, she ended the call and texted her. Had to run. See you at Mom’s tomorrow. I’ll bring the dress. In the meantime pray Graham doesn’t end things with me because of my lack of accounting skills. And go tell Trace how you feel about him. Don’t lose him to Skanky Suzie!

  With her heart in her throat, Morgyn said, “Is it that bad?”

  Graham reached for her. “No, sunshine. Although I admit it took me a while to piece together and understand your accounting practices.”

  “I didn’t know I had accounting practices.”

  “Well, you do. Your check register is great for tracking major expenditures, but what about the things you pay cash for? Like when you buy boots or clothes to fix up and sell, and the embellishments and other stuff you stockpile in your barn? Did you keep your receipts for them? Did you write them off over the years?”

  “No, but whatever I spend I earn back when I sell them.”

  “Maybe so, but how do you know if you don’t track it? Those are expenses against your income. You might be paying too much in taxes. That’s something we’ll want to get our arms around at some point. We’ll set up an easy way for you to track the true cost of goods sold, meaning the sales price less the o
riginal purchase price, and the cost to fix them up. But we can deal with all of that later. The more pressing issue is your rent hike.”

  “That’s the whole issue. If it weren’t for that we wouldn’t be having this conversation. My lease renews next month, and I need to decide before then.”

  “Right, well, I did have a few questions before I make any recommendations. I didn’t see any income between the middle of November and the end of January last year.”

  “I closed for the holidays. Friends and family were in and out of town and there was a lot going on.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck, his brows slanting with concern. “And there were a few weeks in the spring…?”

  “Oh, right. I almost forgot. I took off to go to a garden show, and I met some girls who were traveling together. They invited me to camp with them and to go tubing with some other friends of theirs. It was really fun. We hope to do it again next year.”

  “You do realize that with a retail business, time off comes at a cost?”

  “Of course it does. But I’m not going to spend my life trapped in this space. I want to see and experience life, not just dream about it.”

  “I really like that about you, Morgyn, and I’d never suggest changing it, but with your rent increase, something’s got to give. Have you run the numbers to see if it’s worth hiring someone to work when you’re not around?”

  “No. I don’t love the idea of having someone I’m responsible for paying. That’s a lot of pressure. Besides, people around here are used to my hours. They know there are times when I’m closed. They just come back when I’m open. And please don’t suggest that I take out a loan to keep my shop open, because I hate owing money.”

  “I would never suggest that.”

  She breathed a little easier. “You wouldn’t?”

  “No. I love everything about you, sunshine, but you’re not exactly what I’d call a reliable investment.” A playful smile tugged at his lips. “You need a sugar daddy, not a loan.”

  She swatted his arm, laughing. “I do not!”

  “I wasn’t suggesting you find one.” He pulled her in for a kiss. “You could never be tied down to someone in that way. I can see that even after only a few days together.”

  “That’s because you see me, cracker. The real me, and you understand who I am. Even when guys understand me, they usually don’t accept the way I live my life. Beckett said I should close my shop and get a real job.”

  Graham’s jaw clenched. “It doesn’t sound like he knows you very well.”

  “He’s known me forever.”

  “What happened between the two of you?”

  “On the surface we should have clicked, but the fundamentals of who we are were too different. He’s a great guy, and everyone loves him. I love him—as a friend—but we clashed about everything. I was always running late, or making last-minute plans, and that drove him crazy. I think fancy cars and big houses are a waste of resources, while he loves creature comforts. We never spent any time at my house because it was too confining for him, and he was always trying to fix me, to teach me about business and life and the right way to do things. It’s not his fault, really. That’s who he is, and his right way of doing things isn’t mine. We’re just too different.”

  Concern washed over Graham’s face, and her stomach sank.

  “Oh no,” she said softly. “You’re risk calculating, aren’t you?”

  “No,” he said with a smile. “I’m just wondering how anyone could know you for any length of time and not adore those things about you. Morgyn, there are ways to make this work without giving up your business. You’re incredibly talented. You have the potential to earn well beyond what you’re earning now.”

  She could count on two hands the number of people in her life who believed she could ever be something more than she was—and her family and her grandfather took up nine of the ten people. Graham was number ten. “Thank you for saying that.”

  “Don’t thank me for telling you the truth. I admit, I wasn’t sure how you were making ends meet selling boots and repurposed items. But I understand it now. You’re selling unique merchandise that no one else can offer. Have you thought about not letting your business go, but letting your space go and selling out of your barn or on consignment? Consignment would allow you to actually expand your marketplace. Or sharing space with someone else to cut down on overhead?”

  She shook her head. “No to the barn. I don’t want people traipsing all over my property. That’s my quiet place. And I can’t imagine giving up this space, either. It will feel like I’m going backward. I started my business on a hope and a prayer. Growing up as one of six siblings, we didn’t often have money for new things. We were always going to thrift shops, and from the time I was old enough to work with a needle and thread, I made my stuff special. It wasn’t long before my friends started asking me to make things for them. I didn’t finish college, and I know that’s not something to be proud of, but I am. I sell my herbal remedies and teas and some of this stuff online. I admit I’m not great at getting the word out about my site, but I created all of this.” She waved her hands. “This is where my vision came to life. What will I have to show for my hard work if I close the doors?”

  Graham took her hand in his and said, “If you sell on consignment, you’re not closing your doors. You’re opening many more of them. I think you’re dreaming too small, sunshine. What you’ve accomplished is incredible, but this space is limiting and far too costly for the lifestyle you lead.”

  “But—”

  “Wait. Just hear me out. If you were selling coffee or ice cream, that would be easy. Every small town needs a coffee shop or an ice cream parlor, right? You’d likely have a constant stream of customers. But right now you are primarily limited to selling these incredible things you’re creating to the residents and visitors of this town. Oak Falls is cute, but it’s not a resort town where you have hordes of tourists coming through. Imagine collecting items from all over the world, gaining inspiration from other cultures and places. There’s no limit to what you can create, and if you’re selling on consignment, your customer base can expand. With the right marketing touting your products as one of a kind, you can increase the purchase price to include whatever percentage you’ll have to offer the companies who are selling them. It’s something to think about if you want a traveling lifestyle while maintaining your business.”

  “That sounds wonderful. Beyond wonderful. Almost impossible. Wouldn’t I spend everything I earn on travel, or marketing, or have to work twice as hard to keep up inventory in several stores?”

  “Morgyn, look around you. You have a huge space filled with inventory. You could spread this out to a dozen stores across the country. You’d have to come up with a plan, work the numbers, talk to other shop owners. But think about that shop in Romance as an example. I bet Magnolia would happily sell your products. It’s something new to offer her customers, plus she gets a piece of the pie. And you can travel frugally if you’re careful about when and where you go. But that’s just one option off the top of my head. I’m sure I’ll come up with more.”

  It was such an exciting idea, she could barely process it. And the thought of working through it with Graham made it even more appealing. But she knew her downfalls, and they couldn’t be ignored. “Cracker, I love that idea, but you know I’m not a planner or an organizer. I could screw it up just by being me.”

  “Lucky for you, you have a boyfriend who can help you with planning, organizing, and strategizing.”

  Her heart soared at boyfriend. He made it sound possible, like their staying together was a given. Everything was happening so fast, which was okay in her personal life, but she didn’t want to make a mistake with her business. “I appreciate your help, but I think I need to be able to understand and handle whatever I do on my own.”

  “Of course. I can teach you how to figure out expenditures and put together a program for you to pop in numbers and see if it works
for your bottom line.”

  “Just pop in numbers?” she said with a smile. “You make it sound so easy.”

  He pulled her onto his lap and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. Then he trailed kisses up her neck. “Business is never easy, but it doesn’t have to be hard.”

  “Cracker…” She moved her hair over her shoulder, giving him room to explore, which he did with more tantalizing kisses. “I like your ideas. But what if I can’t figure this out? To you it’s popping in numbers, but what if I blow it? What if I forget to pop them in?”

  He drew back with a perplexed expression. “There’s nothing you can’t do, sunshine. Look at all that you have accomplished. The key is, what do you want to do? Where do you want to be in a few years, traveling and still making your creations, or maybe selling from a smaller store here in the area?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t usually think ahead like that. But with you I want to, and I know that’s a little crazy since we’ve only just met…”

  “You make me want to be crazy, sunshine. I say we go for it.”

  His mouth came coaxingly down over hers, sweeping her into a world of hope and desire. She deepened the kiss and he groaned, going hard beneath her. She drew back, both of them breathless, and said, “Cracker, you make me feel so much. You make me think.”

  He chuckled. “And you make me feel so much thinking is almost impossible.” He kissed her tenderly and then said, “Nothing has to be decided today. I’m just tossing out ideas for you to mull over.”

  “I’m not sure about giving up my shop,” she said honestly. “Even though your idea sounds fantastic, it’s scary. What if I fail?”

  “Is my girl risk assessing?”

  “Oh my gosh. I am. But seriously, if I took that chance and it didn’t work I’d have to start all over.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and said, “That’s why you take the time to do research and a complete risk assessment before making any decisions. I worked through some projections. You make a good income, but once your rent is increased, you’ll need to tighten your belt. That’s why you should research and prepare, decide on a strategy that works for you. And if you decide to travel, then how far you want to go, what countries or cities you want to see. You’d never walk a tightrope without a net, right?”