“She’s got one.” Alex glanced up. “There’s a beer case in the back.”
“We’re one step ahead then.” He leaned in to press a kiss to her temple. “It’s going to be fine. We’ll take it one step at a time.”
Alex stared straight ahead, her eyes still wide.
“You’re overthinking it.” Edward turned her toward the office. “Let’s go finalize some more items and place an order. The sooner we can start selling them the sooner we free up some more capital for any other things you and your sisters might want to do.”
“I wanted to grow the town but I thought it would happen slowly. That we would take on a little at a time.”
“If we handle this right then you and your sisters will be set, Al. That’s the goal, right? To be comfortable enough to never have to worry again.”
He didn’t know much about how Alex and her sisters grew up, but he gleaned enough from the articles and news stories he read to assume they were poorer than poor.
Alex sucked in a deep breath. “Okay.”
He opened the door to the office, letting her go in first. “Let’s do it then.”
They spent the morning placing orders for branded items to sell in both the bakery and Charlie’s shop. By lunchtime they had ordered everything from travel coffee cups to pens and sweatshirts, all emblazoned with what the sisters stood for. What the town represented.
Fighting the fucking patriarchy.
Gail rapped on the door to the office before coming in. “Who wants to try something?”
“Is it as good as the pancake balls?” Edward leaned across the desk, ready to see what Gail tucked into the foam container she was balancing on one hand.
“That’s the plan.” Gail flipped open the lid to reveal a bread bowl and a lidded container of soup. “We’re trying to come up with things Sam can make in the kitchen she has at the bakery.” Gail set the container on Alex’s desk then straightened, resting her hands on her hips. “I’m more concerned with Alex’s opinion on this.” She gave Edward a wink. “You’re not our target demographic.”
“Understood.” Well over seventy-five percent of the visitors to Shadow Pine were women. The other twenty-five percent were dragged around by women. It was a fact he and Alex took into consideration when deciding how to stock the store.
Alex pulled the lid off the container and sniffed the reddish-brown soup. “Vegetable?”
Gail beamed. “That’s right. Sam said she made it all the time, so we went with that first.”
“It’s cheap and fills you up.” Alex poured the container into the bread bowl, completely unaware of the change her comment caused in Gail’s expression.
If heartbreak had a face, Gail was wearing it.
Kari’s mother cleared her throat, her eyes dropping from Alex. “Well, let me know if you think it would be something worth trying to offer for lunch at the bakery.”
Gail quickly turned and hurried from the office.
Alex stared after her. “Did I say something wrong?”
“I think Gail is struggling with knowing what you and your sisters went through.” It was easy to see because he was doing the same thing.
“It’s over though.” Alex took a chunk of the loose interior bread surrounding the bowl and dunked it in the soup. “It doesn’t matter now.”
“It will always matter, Al.” Edward reached out to snag a bit of the bread. “To you, and to the people who care about you.”
She popped the dipped bread in her mouth. “It is what it is.”
It was probably easier to think of it that way then get caught in a cycle of blame and self-pity. “How’s the soup? You think it would sell well at the bakery?”
“Of course. As long as we have enough patrons to warrant the added workload.”
“I think the minute we get the website up and running we can have more than enough patrons.” Edward rolled his neck, hoping to ease the tension trying to tighten his shoulders. “We’ve just got to be sure we do everything in the right order or we could end up shooting ourselves in the foot.”
He’d worked for Lance since college. His friend stepped into a coveted spot at his family’s business and brought Edward in immediately. He loved working there. Helping his friend build and grow the company. He was paid well. Appreciated.
But nothing he did for Lance mattered to him the way this did.
“What does that mean?” Alex’s voice was a little higher pitched as she sat straighter in her chair.
“It just means that we have to be very systematic with the steps we take.” Edward pointed to the screen displaying the website. “If we launch the website before we have anything to sell to the people who will come because of it, then we miss out on that opportunity.”
Alex pressed her fingers to her temples the way she did when she was overwhelmed.
“Just eat your lunch, Al.” Edward rubbed one hand in circles over her back. “Then we will start a list of all the plans we have for the immediate future, and put them in order and start going down the list.”
While Alex finished off the soup and bread bowl, Edward chatted with Joe about the updated graphics they wanted made up for a few items that needed special sizes. By the time she was done he’d started their list. With every item they added Alex relaxed a little more.
“I think we should consider asking Charlie to reorganize the shop.” Edward knew it wasn’t going to be a popular request considering the place was packed to the brim with so many seemingly random items, but it would be a worthwhile endeavor. “I know she needs to carry certain things for the locals, but I really think we need to look toward what will be most popular in the near future.”
“Hopefully that’s all the stuff we just spent a shitload of money on.” Alex tapped a pen against her lips.
“It seems like she sells a fair number of books to the people visiting. Every time I’ve been in there customers have been going through the shelves.” He added books to the list with a question mark beside it. “Maybe we should ask Charlie what they’re buying and try to stock more of those.”
“Most of what she has are second-hand books she bought to read and then resells.” Alex leaned forward. “And men’s magazines for the guys to borrow while they’re in town.”
“She lends them out?”
“Pretty much. Frankie’s business brings a bunch of loggers through town and they grab them to read on their lunch hours since the cell phone reception can be blinky out here.”
“Interesting.” The girls were smart. Smarter than most people would guess. They found any possible way to scratch out a living in an area that didn’t offer many options. “We might need to move those to the back.”
Alex shrugged. “I don’t think she’ll mind. Means she can check the loggers out for longer since they have to walk all the way through the store.”
He laughed a little. “It’s a win/win then.”
Alex smiled. “She’ll think so.”
“I think we also need to consider that if we’re selling more food items then people will want a place to sit while they eat.”
“We’re selling?” Alex’s lips still held a hint of the smile she sported earlier. “I wasn’t aware you were part of the we.”
“You were definitely aware, Al.” He leaned in close. “Just because I wasn’t in your bed last night doesn’t mean I don’t plan to be there tonight.” He caught her lips in a kiss. “And all the nights after that.”
SEVENTEEN
“WHAT IN THE hell is that?” Alex stopped halfway across the field between her office and her house. Edward’s hand pulled hers, dragging her toward the road.
“That took longer than I expected.”
“What did?” She tried to keep up with him as he walked toward the road in long strides. “Was this something we discussed?”
They’d been working for days trying to line up their plans for Shadow Pine. Starting from the time they woke up and ending when they fell asleep.
Never once did he
mention bringing in another camper.
And a nice one at that.
The fifth wheel driving into town was huge. Just as big as Lance’s and definitely brand new. The truck hauling it was equally as nice. It pulled to a stop in the center of the street and a man climbed out from behind the wheel. He was tall and trim with red hair dotted with streaks of silver.
Edward smiled as he continued dragging her straight toward the man.
The passenger’s door opened and another man jumped out, this one immediately came running around the front of the truck, his arms stretched toward Edward. “I can’t believe we found it.” The dark-haired man grabbed Edward in a tight hug.
“I told you we’d find it.” The man who’d been driving looked up and down the street. “It’s a whole town. You can’t miss a town.”
The man holding Edward suddenly noticed Alex. He shoved Edward away as he reached for her, holding her free hand in his. “I’m Jeffrey and this old crab is Kenneth.” His smile was wide and warm.
“This is Alex.” Edward pulled her close, kissing her head. “She and her sisters own Shadow Pine.”
Jeffrey’s eyes widened. “How wonderful. You must be very proud.”
Alex looked to Edward. “I guess?”
“You guess.” Jeffrey’s hand went over his heart. “Aren’t you just the sweetest thing.”
“Too much.” Edward patted Jeffrey on one shoulder. “Reel it in a little.”
“I’m just so happy you’ve finally found someone who makes you happy.” Jeffrey sighed, his smile holding steady.
“That’s reeling it in?” Edward pulled Alex a little closer. “I just finally got her to stop locking me out of the office. I need you to tame it way down.”
“Jeffrey locked me out of the camper last night.” Kenneth turned to scan down the opposite side of the street.
“He was going through all the cabinets in the kitchen while I was trying to cook.”
“I couldn’t find my phone.”
“Why would it have been in one of the cabinets?” Jeffrey shook his head, leaning in close to Alex. “He sets it down everywhere.”
Alex smiled. “Where was it at?”
Kenneth pointed toward Jeffrey. “Tell her where it was.”
Jeffrey rolled his eyes up and to the side, huffing out a breath. “It was in the refrigerator.”
“I was looking in the right place.” Kenneth pointed toward where Craig’s camper sat beside Alex’s house. “Is that where you’re staying? Should we park over there too?”
“You’re staying?” The smile on her face went tight. They were not equipped to hook up so many campers. You could run some things on a basic house outlet, but the second an air conditioner switched on the cord would burn up, along with the camper outlet. “I don’t know that we have a spot with the amount of electric you need.”
“They can use the line JD ran for Craig’s camper.” Edward leaned into her ear. “Unless you plan to lock me out tonight.”
“I guess that depends on if you plan to look through the kitchen for your cell phone.”
Edward smiled, the corners of his dark eyes crinkling. “I might do it just for fun one day.”
Alex let out a breath, turning her eyes to Edward’s dads. “Do you need to fill up with water?”
“That would be fantastic.” Jeffrey pointed to the camper. “You should see the shower in this thing. It’s surprisingly roomy.”
“She doesn’t care about our shower, Jeffrey.” Kenneth wrapped one arm around Jeffrey’s shoulders. “We’ll pull the camper around.” He angled Jeffrey back to the truck as Edward turned her to go back in the direction they just came.
Alex stared straight ahead as they walked toward her house.
“How ya doin’, Al?” Edward laced his fingers with hers.
“I think Gail sort of broke me in.” She glanced up at Edward. “How long do you think they plan to stay?”
“Well, they bought a fifth wheel just to come here, so...”
“So you think they want to stay for a while?”
“Kenneth retired a couple years ago, and he’s definitely bored. If you can keep them from finding ways to entertain themselves here you have a shot at peace and quiet at some point, but if they end up having fun then you might be screwed.”
It wasn’t that she didn’t want Edward’s parents here. “I don’t mind them being here. I just—” She looked toward the sky, trying to find the right words to explain the added pressure their presence caused. “Jeffrey said I made you happy.”
“Sorry to burst your bubble, Al, but you don’t make me happy.” Edward squeezed her hand. “I was happy before I came here. They just didn’t get to see that.”
“I was happy before you came here too.” She pressed her lips together to smother out a smile.
“Ha-ha. Real funny.” Edward glanced over one shoulder. His steps slowed to a stop. “Where in the hell are they?”
Alex looked from the road that ran behind the shops to the one that ran in front of it. There was no sign of Kenneth and Jeffrey or their gigantic fifth wheel. They had to have stopped—
“Oh no.” Alex took off in the direction of downtown, leaving Edward to chase after her. She came to a stop at the corner, staring down the street at where the fifth wheel was now parked.
Edward skidded to a stop behind her. “That was fast.”
Gail and Edward’s dads stood on the sidewalk in front of the bakery. She and Jeffrey were laughing and talking while Kenneth checked the air pressure on the truck’s tires.
“They’re never leaving now.”
“Gail’s not staying forever. Maybe they’ll get bored when she goes.”
“Maybe.” Alex watched as Sam came out, hanging back for a second before Gail turned, wrapping her arm around Jeffrey. He reached out a hand to Sam. Her sister slowly took it. Then everyone turned and disappeared into the bakery.
“They’ll come out eventually.” Edward grabbed her hand with his. “Come on. Let’s go get the fridge in Craig’s camper cleaned out.”
By the time Kenneth and Jeffrey pulled up, the fridge was empty of the few things Edward stocked, and the items were added to her refrigerator.
Alex watched as Edward helped Kenneth get the fifth wheel backed into place under a large tree that would keep it shaded and cool. It was fascinating to watch them together. The way they spoke to each other. Interacted with each other.
The love between them was clear. Both with Edward and his parents and his dads with each other. It was unlike anything she’d ever seen.
The first glimpse she had of what a relationship could be was between her sister and Craig.
But in all honesty she’d assumed Craig was a friggin unicorn. Something that only came along in fairy tales. Definitely not in real life, and certainly not twice.
Yet here she was. Staring down what might be a second unicorn.
Edward turned to her, beckoning her with a tip of his head.
Alex slowly went toward where Edward stood with his dads as one small happy family. A child who grew up loved and protected and cherished.
Could they ever really understand each other when their lives had been so different?
“Come inside, Alex.” Jeffrey wrapped an arm around her. “It’s like a little house inside.”
Jeffrey’s excitement was contagious as he took her on the tour of their new toy. And he wasn’t wrong. The place was amazingly nice.
Nice enough it was clear Edward’s dads were more than financially stable. Probably bought him a car when he turned sixteen. Paid for his education. Did all the things she couldn’t even begin to dream of, in addition to being loving parents.
Once the tour was over, Jeffrey tucked her into the U-shaped dinette across from the kitchen. “Sit down and relax. I’ll make us some dinner.”
A light rap at the door sent Kenneth across the trailer.
Charlie stood outside. “Hello.”
Kenneth turned to Jeffrey.
Jef
frey bustled past Kenneth. “You must be Charlie.” He waved his hand in a beckoning motion. “Come in. It’s almost dinner time.”
Charlie didn’t hesitate. She immediately came up the steps and into the camper. “This is nice.”
“Thank you.” Jeffrey ushered her into the dinette beside Alex. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Do you have any tea?” Charlie scooted right into the seat.
“Hot or cold?”
Charlie’s eyes lit up. “I like it all ways.”
Once Charlie started reading Jane Austin she decided she was committed to drinking tea all day every day. It was a decision she stuck to even once she was an adult.
Jeffrey pulled out a clear pitcher from the standard-sized fridge. The papers of the tea bags still dangled from the edge. “I made sun tea this morning before we left the campground.” He poured a glass and passed it to Charlie. “Have you been to these campgrounds they have?”
“Was it nice?”
“It was like a resort.” Jeffrey shook his head. “They had a restaurant. A gym. A pool. Everything.” He shook his head. “Nothing like what I imagined camping would be.”
Charlie smoothed one hand over the large table in front of them. “I wish our campers were this nice.”
It suddenly got very quiet.
Quiet enough it was clear that while Edward might not have Googled Shadow Pine before coming, his parents definitely did.
Alex cleared her throat. “How was the drive here?”
Jeffrey gave her a small smile. “It was nice. We did it over three days so we could stop and do a little sightseeing as we came.” He turned to where Kenneth sat in a recliner next to a built-in gas fireplace. “We haven’t really taken a vacation in years. His work schedule was just crazy, and then we couldn’t decide where to go, so this gave us the kick in the pants we needed.”
“How long are you staying?” Charlie sipped at the tea, her eyes staying on Jeffrey.
“We haven’t gotten to spend much time with Edward in the past few years, so we’ll probably stay until you kick us out.” Jeffrey went back to the fridge and pulled out a pack of smoked sausage.
Alex (BIG Northwest Book 2) Page 16