by Sarah Peis
Because, surely, he wouldn’t try to shoot me inside his house? The mess would be a bitch to clean up.
“Fine. But don’t touch anything.”
I held up my hands and followed him inside. “These will stay by my side at all times, promise.”
Inside it smelled like lemons, and it was surprisingly clean. It was an older house but showed no signs of neglect. His hardwood floors looked recently polished, his walls were clean and had no chipped paint, and his furniture was worn but sparkling clean.
“Nice place,” I said and took a seat on the couch.
He grunted in reply and I smiled at him, hoping my positive vibes would stop him from kicking me out as soon as he heard why I was there.
“Did someone come over and make you an offer for your farm?” I asked, deciding to get straight to the point. No use beating around a bush neither one of us was interested in.
“Greedy bastards. Offered me half of what my land is worth. They thought I was an idiot who didn’t know why they wanted to buy it.”
Guess that answered my second question on where he stood on selling. I sighed in relief, feeling like at least one little victory was finally coming our way.
“That’s good. Because you shouldn’t sell. This farm has been in your family for generations, I bet. You don’t want to lose your legacy.”
He gave me an odd look, and the corner of his mouth twitched. Was that an almost laugh? What did I say?
“My daddy won the farm in a card game. And I’m sure the entire town knows that I don’t have a wife or kids. No so-called legacy to continue. So cut the bullshit and tell me why you’re here.”
“Guess flattery gets you nowhere these days,” I said under my breath. “Fine. I want to stop the mall from being built. The only two pieces of land that are missing for them to have enough is your farm and the old gas station. You wouldn’t happen to know who owns it, would you?”
“Well then, I guess you’ll have to get some money together. Because I know they’ll make me a better offer. And I’m too old to keep working the farm. If they give me enough money, I’m selling. And the gas station is mine as well. Bought it forty years ago. Now, can I get back to my show, or is there anything else you want to know? Maybe how many cows I have?”
I got up, not wanting to push my luck and ask why in the world he would buy an old gas station. At least I had plenty of practice at making a quick escape. “Nope. No more questions. Thank you for your time. And you should come to the next town meeting.”
I desperately needed him to change his mind. I would try pie next. Everyone loved pie.
“No chance in hell. Unless it’s frozen over.”
“Right, well, I guess I’ll see you around.”
“Unlikely.”
“Bye,” I said and waved.
I didn’t get a response and left as fast as my heels would take me. Shouldn’t have worn a dress and kitten heels but sneakers and running gear—when it came to life and death, it didn’t matter how much my outfit made me seem like the woman in charge.
The drive back into town was quick, and I stopped at the house to grab a few things before heading to the shop. The builders were almost finished with the remodel, and I couldn’t wait to bring all the clothes there that I had put together during months of painful needle pricks and uncooperative sewing machines.
I would finally have a sizeable space to sew my dresses and didn’t have to store them in my room anymore. At the moment, I could barely get into my room because of all the clothes I had in there, and there was only a path from the door to the bed and from the bed to my closet. The rest was covered in clothing racks.
Everyone seemed to be out, and I parked my car in the driveway. I had to get to work and organize the soft opening for my store. I also planned on telling Stella and Willa about the shop. Willa was still traveling with Jameson, but as soon as she got back, we all had to have a much-needed catch-up.
I was wading through dresses to find the one I wanted to feature on my website and social media today when I heard the front door close and then footsteps sounding on the stairs. I hoped it wasn’t Sunshine, because then I would never get out of here.
I heard someone talking, and soon I could make out Anna’s voice.
“Are you bringing anyone to my party?” she asked.
I turned back to picking out the perfect dress to take with me to the store. I was going to use it to promote the new shop, planning on taking a picture of it hanging off a medicine drawer.
My online store was going really well, and I hoped I could replicate my success for the physical one.
“Not planning on it. When was it again?” a familiar deep voice asked.
“Ugh, seriously? I’ve told you at least ten times that it’s this Saturday. You need to get another assistant, Oliver.”
My breath hitched, and I dove behind the clothing rack. Oliver’s here? Why weren’t they catching up for their weekly lunch date? They went every week, without fail.
“I have one. And I’m not getting someone else. She’s fine. Just a little forgetful.”
“A little? You mean a lot. I asked her to put the date in your calendar three times, and you still can’t remember.”
I slowly inched my way toward the window. My clothes suddenly felt too tight, and I was getting hot. I had to get out of here. I couldn’t be held responsible for how I would screw things up when they found me. And I liked Anna. I didn’t want to lose her friendship because I slept with her brother. And there was no way she wouldn’t know. I was the worst liar. My marathon lie was one of the few lies that had worked because I’d told her over the phone.
And I was still suffering the consequences now. Five o’clock wake-ups were no easy feat.
“Hang on a minute, I think I saw Maisie’s car in the driveway. I just want to ask her if I can borrow her red belt,” Anna said.
Shit. Shit. Shit. No, don’t come in here. Just take the damn thing like every roommate I ever had has done. I won’t even ask for it back if you don’t come in here.
I heard her footsteps getting closer and panicked. Dropping to my hands and knees, I crawled over to the window, pushing my way through clothes, and pulled myself up on the windowsill.
I inched the window open and climbed over, dropping onto the garage roof. The window slid down, and before I could stop it from shutting, it locked me out.
Resigned to my fate, I crawled along the side of the house to the edge of the garage, where I knew I could climb down on the tree that was growing close to the wall. Cursing my nonexistent luck, I put a foot on one branch and held on to a higher one. Inching my way toward the trunk I prayed I wasn’t too heavy and would plunge to my death.
I made it to the trunk and climbed down. Once at the bottom, I leaned against the tree, trying to catch my breath. Near-death experiences were never a favorite pastime of mine.
My phone started ringing, and I answered it when I saw it was Stella. I had been ditching my two best friends too much over the last week and really had to be a better friend, starting now.
“Estrella, what’s up?” I whispered, barely getting the words out for fear Oliver and Anna would hear me.
“Where are you, and why are you breathing heavy and whispering?” she asked, amusement lacing her voice.
“I was hiding from Oliver and locked myself out of the house. I was on the roof, so I had to climb down.”
“That made absolutely no sense. How did you lock yourself out on the roof?”
“It makes perfect sense to me. Now, was there a reason you called, or can I get back to hiding out in my yard?”
She snorted, trying to mask her laugh. “Hide away. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Later,” I rushed out and hung up.
Time to get out of here. I can get the dress later.
I walked into the shop and couldn’t help but smile. It was almost there. And it looked exactly how I had envisioned. The builder I had hired was an old friend of my dad’s, and even t
hough he worked at a snail’s pace, he was also meticulous on following his plans down to the last detail.
“Hey, Barry,” I called out to the guy who was half hidden underneath the counter.
“Good morning, darling. I’m almost finished with your cash register. Wanna have a look?”
Hell yes, did I want to have a look. It was the original cash register and had absolutely no use but to add up numbers and hold cash. I couldn’t integrate it with any payment system, and it would be a pain to do my reconciliation at the end of the day, but it was worth it. Everything in the shop I could keep, I kept.
I figured not too many people would pay cash anyway but rather use the card payment system I had set up as well.
Barry shuffled out from under the counter and beamed an enormous grin at me. “What do you think?”
I made my way to his side and admired the old register. It looked absolutely perfect.
He had made sure it worked and fixed the few buttons that were stuck. Not only did I not have to pay for a new one, I also had one that fit the shop.
He showed me the lever on the side that would open the cash drawer and the place where I could put the paper to print receipts.
“I love it. Thank you so much. You are a genius,” I said and ran my finger along the side. The black monstrosity would stay where it was, whether or not it was working. But knowing Barry, the thing would work long after the shop closed down.
“The last thing left to do is to oil the floors, and then you’re good to go,” Barry said.
I looked around the shop with pride and a sense of dread, because as exciting as it was to finally be able to open, it also meant that I would find out if a shop like mine was viable in a town like Humptulips.
“This is perfect. I can’t believe it’s finally happening.”
He squeezed my shoulder and laughed. “You deserve it, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” He walked toward the door. “I’ll just run down to Lorna’s for a coffee and pie. That will give you time to do your photo things and rearrange everything to your heart’s content until I get back. Just make sure the floor is clean before you leave.”
I had about an hour to get the photos, but no dress to take a photo of. I looked down at what I was wearing. It was one of my creations and hadn’t been featured yet. It was also one of my favorite designs. My eyes wandered to the shop window. They were only covered by drapes, but there was no way I could close them completely.
The only thing to do was hope I could take the photo quickly. With a sigh, I turned toward the counter and started getting everything ready. I pulled out a drawer and hung a clothes hanger on the handle. I had already put a lavender flowerpot in another drawer yesterday and draped necklaces and bracelets from others.
After a quick check behind me to make sure nobody was walking past, I unzipped my dress and slipped out. The aquamarine color would look gorgeous next to the lavender pot. It was a knee-length teacup dress with a black fitted bodice, no sleeves, and a flowing aquamarine skirt. It had taken me a while to get the right fabric for the skirt, but I had found the perfect one I could use for a lot of my other dresses and skirts.
I smoothed out the wrinkles and hung up the dress, arranging it so it mostly hung down, then pulled one corner of the dress up on another drawer. I stood in only my mismatched black bra and pink panties and took a few photos from different angles. Stepping back, I checked my phone to make sure I got the perfect one.
“I thought this was a dress shop,” a deep voice rumbled from the entrance.
I squealed, jumped, and dove behind the counter. One thing I forgot to do: lock the door.
“It is a dress shop,” I squeaked from the floor. How was I hiding underneath another piece of furniture yet again? This had to stop.
“So is this what you’ll be wearing? Or not wearing?”
I eyed the dress, wishing I hadn’t hung it up so high.
“Do you mind?” I asked, covering my eyes with my hands. Why me? Why. Me.
“Nope, I don’t mind at all. But your boyfriend might. Not sure he’d be too fond of you flashing the goods to other people.”
“I don’t have a boyfriend,” I grumbled and peeked over the counter. Landon was standing there with a big grin on his face.
“So are you going to serve your customer?” he asked and pointed at himself. “Or are you planning on hiding from everyone who walks through the door? Didn’t realize you had social anxiety, chicklet.”
“Turn around,” I ground out. “And I don’t have social anxiety.”
He chuckled but did as he was told and turned to face the shop window. I jumped up from my hiding place and pulled the dress down. I stepped into it and zipped it up faster than I had ever zipped anything in my life.
Landon turned around as soon as I was done.
“How did you know I was dressed?”
He pointed his thumb behind him to the window. “Nice job cleaning your windows.”
I looked at my reflection in the window and cursed. Should have just left the damn things dusty instead of scrubbing them to within an inch of their lives.
“We’re not open yet,” I said and narrowed my eyes at him.
“I know. Just walked past and saw boobs, so I decided to check out the newest shop in town.”
“Damn it, Landon. Hasn’t it occurred to you we’re still closed since the sign says so and I’m in my store half dressed? Something you shouldn’t have been able to see unless you put your face up to the window.”
“I’ve seen stranger things done in the name of marketing. Being half dressed isn’t all that uncommon.”
I glared at him but knew when it was pointless to continue an argument. And it was Landon. I would forgive him almost anything. “Since you’re here, you can help me hang the fairy lights.”
He walked closer and winked. He really was good-looking. And nice. And had a case of commitment phobia I hadn’t seen before. Not even I was as closed off as he was. His one rule when it came to women: never have a repeat performance.
“Where do you want them?” he asked, taking the lights from me.
“I want them from one corner to the other,” I said and pointed to the hooks already up there.
Landon grabbed the ladder and put it in the corner. He quickly hung up all the lights, and I turned them on.
“Perfect,” I said and couldn’t stop the smile from forming on my lips. I looked around the shop and couldn’t believe I had gotten this far.
“Of course they are. I hung them up,” Landon said and put an arm around my shoulder. “Anything else you need help with?”
“I don’t think so—”
“I suggest you remove that arm before I do it for you,” a deep—and all too familiar—voice interrupted me.
I looked up and met the narrowed eyes of Oliver.
He was dressed in jeans and T-shirt, and as usual when he was wearing a T-shirt, my eyes homed in on the area where the material stretched tight over his pecs.
Landon moved away from me, holding up his hands. “Was just doing the neighborly thing and helping out. I wasn’t going to ravish her on her shop floor.” He turned to me and winked. “I would have saved that for the bedroom.”
What was wrong with guys these days? Didn’t he know not to poke a man on edge? Because for some reason Oliver’s fists were clenched, and he was staring at Landon, looking like a man who was ready to push someone off a cliff.
“I’m outta here. Let me know if you require my services again, sugarplum,” Landon said and leaned over to kiss my cheek. I could almost hear Oliver’s teeth breaking, the muscles in his jaw were clenched so hard.
“I would say thanks for your help, but you already got paid and then some. So get out of here before I need to clean your blood off my new floors.”
Landon saluted me and shuffled sideways past Oliver, who refused to move out of the way.
“What are you doing here?” I asked once the door closed behind Landon.
“J
ust checking if you needed any help. I know you’ve been stressed and trying to get everything done. But guess you found someone else.”
There was an edge to his voice that I had never heard before. Could I go so far as to think he sounded like he cared? What was this world coming to?
“I’m okay. Barry just needs to finish the floor and I can start moving all my dresses in.”
Probably shouldn’t mention that Landon helped with the lights.
“Great, then that means you’re done for today. Let’s get some dinner. I’m starving,” he said.
“Huh?” I asked, eloquent as usual.
“Dinner. Let’s go,” Oliver said, still not looking all too pleased.
“You don’t have to take me to dinner. That’s okay. It’s Sunshine’s turn to cook tonight.”
“Maisie, you are coming to dinner with me. I’ve tried being nice, I’ve tried giving you your space, but all it does is push you further away. If I have to be a bossy asshole to get you to realize what this is, then so be it. Now get your stuff.”
“What?”
Apparently done with my one-word answers, and what was sure to be a confused look on my face, he went to the counter and got my bag. I was still standing in the middle of the room when he handed it to me and kissed my lips. It was only a quick peck, but holy hell, I felt it right down to my toes. How did he do that? That shit was just not normal.
“Come on, beautiful. I’m sure you’re hungry. There is no way anyone can survive on Pop-Tarts and not be starving.”
Well, he had a point. But Pop-Tarts were my food of choice. How could you say no to something that only required a toaster and tasted like heaven? That’s right, you couldn’t.
“I guess I could do with some actual food.”
He took that as his sign to grab my hand and drag me out of the shop.
“Wait, I have to call Barry so he knows I’m finished taking photos.”
We stopped in our tracks, and I would have face-planted if Oliver hadn’t held on to me.
“Why couldn’t he be in the shop while you were taking photos?”