“Who the hell takes a shower at an airport?” he asked as we took our seats in the lounge to wait for our flight.
“People who’ve been traveling a long time and have a connecting flight. Or people who have been on a plane for a long time and have an event shortly after they land and no time to get to a hotel first to freshen up.”
Jonah shrugged and reached for the drink menu on the small table between us. “I guess that makes sense. Want a drink?”
“It’s two o’clock.”
“And?”
“And technically, I’m on the clock and shouldn’t drink on the job.”
Jonah frowned. “We have a three-hour flight ahead of us. I doubt you’ll be working on the plane. Live a little.”
A server showed up, and Jonah ordered an old fashioned. Looking over at me with a smirk, he said, “Make that two.”
Once I had my drink in my hand, I was secretly grateful. Flying was not my favorite part of the job, and the alcohol would help take the edge off.
It didn’t hurt that the old fashioned was perfect, either.
Jonah and I contently sipped our drinks while we people watched. The lounge wasn’t all that busy, seeing as it was two o’clock on a Thursday, but there were a handful of people milling around. Jonah continuously stole glances over his shoulder to see if anyone was going in to use the showers.
He was disappointed every time.
“So why the sudden desire to up and go somewhere?” I asked.
Jonah ran a finger along the stitching on the armrest of his chair. “Don’t know. I just have that feeling that I need to shake things up a bit. You know what I mean?”
“No.”
He chuckled. “Of course you don’t. You were made for a business career. Straight lines and clear goals. Lots of money and shit. But me? That’s never been my speed. If I ever want to get this damn book done, I need to keep myself inspired and motivated. So why not go somewhere new to keep the fuel flowing?”
“Are you willing to tell me what it’s about yet?”
Jonah paused. “It’s about me.”
“Oh?”
“You’re in it, too.”
“Should I be flattered or horrified?”
Jonah cracked a wicked smile. “Probably a bit of both.”
“Figures,” I said before taking the final sip of my drink. I leaned forward to leave it on the cardboard coaster on the table. “Is that all you’re willing to share?”
“For now,” Jonah said.
I nodded. “All right. You just tell me when that changes because I want to get my hands on it. You’re a brilliant writer, man. You know I have total faith in you, right?”
Jonah’s smile broadened. “Yeah. Of course I do.”
“Good. Should we have another drink, then?”
“I thought you were ‘working’,” he said, making air quotes with his fingers when he said it.
I shrugged. “Like you said. We have a three-hour flight and then a car ride to the hotel. Plus, I don’t plan on doing any work tonight, so why not enjoy ourselves a bit?”
“Maybe there’ll be some sexy ladies at the hotel. Does it have a pool?”
“I think so.”
Jonah clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “The ladies better beware. I’m coming for them.”
I snickered and went on the lookout for the server. I flagged her down and ordered two more drinks to the table.
Jonah and I spent the hour leading up to our flight laughing and joking over drinks. By the time the call came for first-class boarding, we were both a little wobbly on our feet. I steadied Jonah by the shoulder as we got into line. Then we flashed our identifications and boarding passes to the attendant at the desk and boarded the plane.
Jonah gushed over the first-class accommodations, and I pushed him down into his seat. “Shut up. Sit.”
He continued to peer around the cabin as I put our luggage in the overhead compartments and helped the shorter female passengers around me to do the same. Then I took my seat beside him and undid the buttons on the cuffs of my shirt so I could roll them up to my elbows.
“Why’d you get dressed up for a flight?” Jonah asked curiously as he reached for the in-flight food menu tucked into the seat in front of him.
“You might notice you’re the only one in first class who isn’t dressed nicely,” I pointed out.
My friend leaned forward and peered around. Then he looked down at his shirt and cargo shorts. “I suppose I could have thought this through a little more.”
“A little?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged and turned his eyes to the menu. He scanned the pages as I got comfortable and checked my phone one last time before I would have to turn it off or put it on airplane mode.
I opened the browser to check for any updates on the Woodbury mall project. New information came up right away, and I opened the link.
At a city council meeting in Austin, another motion had been declined to move the business owners out of their retail spaces on Apricot Lane.
“Damn,” I muttered.
Jonah looked up from the menu. “What’s up?”
“This project might be harder than I thought. Fucking Ryan. He wants me to fail on this job. He intentionally sent me on this contract because he knew it would be impossible to close.”
“Impossible for him, maybe. But for you? I don’t know, man. Crazier things have happened.”
I sighed and slumped back in the seat. He was right. Crazier things had happened. But this was my chance to stand out in Woodbury’s mind. To really make an impact within the company and possibly even climb the ranks and leave Ryan in my dust as I pursued a career closer to the top floor of Woodbury Enterprises.
All that stood in my way were the businesses across the street from the mall. They were holding on by their fingernails, and I was the guy who had to go in and loosen their grip.
I’d never failed before. Why would this job be any different?
Chapter 6
Senna
I folded my arms and gazed up at the mall. Before its construction, I was able to stand on the sidewalk outside my shop and bask in the morning sun. Now there was no sun. It was blocked from view by the massive concrete obscenity, and my shop and those along Apricot Lane would not feel the warmth of the sun until close to eleven o’clock in the morning.
It wasn’t even nine yet, and I ached to feel the sun on my skin. I’d grown so used to it being part of the process when I opened my shop every morning. I’d bring out a sales rack to attract people walking by or even driving down the road. And I’d put out my sidewalk sign which detailed what sales I had going on or what new products had just hit my shelves.
For some reason, people were always willing to spend a bit more money when the sun was shining, too. I couldn’t explain it, and I didn’t bother trying to understand it. I just knew that it was so.
The damn mall had stolen that from me too.
I sighed and looked to my left down the street. What used to be a bustling sidewalk filled with people with coffee cups and shopping bags in hand was now just a deserted stretch of freshly pressure-washed pavement. The shops along that side were all closed and had been for a couple of months now. Some people sold out early. Others held on until the bitter end and settled for higher payouts.
Edith and I were the only two shops left open with no sign of shutting down. There were two shops to the right that were open, but they had started their “Going out of Business” sales already.
I knew everyone had to do what was right for themselves, but I couldn’t help but seethe as I watched the shop owners bustle around in their stores, packing up boxes in preparation for their final days.
Sellouts. Cowards.
Edith opened her shop door next to mine. She let out a surprised squeak when she saw me standing there and kicked a wooden wedge under her door to prop it open. Then she stood beside me to stare at the mall.
“It’s ugly, isn’t it?”
�
�Very.”
“Makes me wonder what the future will look like in a decade or two.”
“I don’t even want to think about it, Edi. The stupid thing will still be here. That’s for damn sure. But the rest of it?” I turned around to look at my shop and Edith’s and the others along the strip of retail stores, cafes, and restaurants. “It’ll probably all be gone.”
“Don’t talk like that.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek.
Apricot Lane had been a special place to me for a long time. When I was young, there was a used bookstore where I would come and pick out a new book every Saturday. I’d bring it to a coffee shop that no longer existed and find a window seat, where I would sip my latte while I immersed myself in my new fictional world.
It was my definition of paradise.
And then real life got in the way. People who were bad for me got in the way.
Edith was watching me out of the corner of her eyes. “Are you starting to have your doubts about this?”
“About the parking lot?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
I shook my head. “No. Not even a little bit.”
“Oh. Good.”
I looked at my friend. She’d returned her stare to the mall, but she didn’t seem to regard it as scornfully as I did. “Do you have your doubts?” I asked her.
Edith didn’t look at me. “Of course I do. We’re fighting big corporations with money. And money means power. And lawyers. And people who could walk circles around us if they decided they really wanted our stores torn down. I mean, there’s a lot of red tape with things like that. But that would only slow them down. Not stop them.”
“At some point or another, people like you and me have to make a stand against those kinds of people. Otherwise, the cycle will continue. It’s like we’re giving them permission to be dicks, pushing their own agendas and not caring who they have to step on to get where they want to go.”
“I know, Senna. Trust me, I get it. I just—I hate confrontation. You know that about me. The first few developers who showed up weren’t so bad, but the council meetings are too much for me. And I worry about how much harder it’s going to get if we continue to say no.”
I raked my fingers through my short black hair and massaged my scalp. “I’m sorry, Edi.”
She smiled. “Don’t be.”
“You don’t have to fight this fight with me. I won’t hold it against you if you want to step away from all of this and find somewhere else you can settle and rebuild. I swear.”
“And what about you?”
I squared my shoulders and stared at the mall like I was ready to perform some sort of medieval battle preparation speech before taking on the biggest villain to ever cross my path. The monolith. The beasts of all beasts. Woodbury Mall. “I’ll stay right here, feet planted. They aren’t getting this land out from under me, no matter how hard they try. That is not how business is done.”
“What about Lily?”
My stare hardened. “She’s the reason I have to do it. I can’t teach my daughter to stand strong and be brave and fight for what is right if I’m not willing to do it myself, can I?”
“No. I suppose you can’t.”
“I’ve already invested all of my money and resources into this business. I won’t stand by and let a bunch of unethical crooks steal it out from under me. I’m done being bulldozed. I spent years under some asshole’s thumb. That shit is behind me. For good.”
Edith didn’t say anything.
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
“Don’t be. You’re right. You’re always right. I’ve got your back, and I know you’ve got mine. I’ll stand with you through this whole fucking thing, no matter how messy it gets. Okay?”
I swallowed past a sudden lump in my throat and nodded. “Okay.”
Edith put a hand on my shoulder and gave me a soft, reassuring squeeze. “The bastards don’t know who they’re fucking with.”
I laughed and it felt damn good. A reprieve from the swell of anger and despair that had risen up inside me. “I think I need a drink.”
“Do you think it would be frowned upon if I come by your shop with a bottle of wine when my afternoon girl shows up for her shift?”
“No.” I sighed. “But it would be if I got myself all boozed up before Michelle dropped Lily off.”
“Right. Parenting. Responsibilities. Blah blah blah.”
“Rain check?”
Edith nodded. “Absolutely. I’d better get back in the shop. It’s opening time.”
Edith returned to her store, and I lingered out on the sidewalk a little longer, still missing the sun. I closed my eyes and pretended it was there, washing over my skin like the touch of an old friend come to say hello after being away for a long time.
A songbird chirped as it landed on the arm of one of the lampposts outside my shop. I cracked an eye open and watched him ruffle his blue feathers. Underneath were tufts of white that poked through while he sat preening himself with the utmost care. A bachelor, no doubt.
I whistled, soft and sweet.
The bird cocked his head to regard me out of one glossy black eye. He chirped once. I knew it wasn’t to greet me. I wasn’t a Disney princess. It was more of a curious peep.
So I whistled back, this time letting a tune roll out between my lips.
The bird lost interest and carried on with his preening.
I wondered if he missed the sunshine too before I ducked back into my shop, leaving the door open to invite in the warm summer breeze that carried down the lane.
Ready to tackle the day, I went about my normal morning routine. The cash register had already been opened and counted. My deposit was set aside in the safe in my back room to take to the bank on the way home with Lily tonight. Everything was in order to start selling, but there were other things to be done as well.
The building had the worst ventilation system ever, so every morning, my store required a vigorous dusting and sweeping routine. It lasted a good hour, which was fine by me because it helped pass the time and I found the process almost therapeutic. I liked working with my hands, and I found satisfaction in the new dust-free surfaces.
Before the mall was there, I used to like watching the dust particles in the air catching the sunlight. It had been a long time since I saw that.
I shook my head and carried on sweeping.
Once that was done, I straightened out each and every clothing rack and made sure all the hangers were facing the same direction. It amazed me that other shops didn’t bother with this very simple, obvious tidying trick. When the hangers and the clothes all faced the same direction, everything looked a thousand times better, like each item was exactly where it was supposed to be.
By the time I finished, it was nearly eleven o’clock. My stomach growled obnoxiously, and I rested a hand upon it.
I packed a lunch every day for work. When the other businesses were still open, I would have closed my shop for five minutes while I went down the street to order a latte and a sandwich. Then I’d bring it back here and either take a chair outside to sit and eat, or if it was raining, I’d sit behind my counter.
It barely ever rained.
Today, I’d packed a garden salad with vinaigrette dressing on the side in a small container. I’d also brought a banana and a small bag of assorted almonds, cashews, and hazelnuts. I brought my lunch bag and the collapsible chair from the checkout counter outside and sat down in front of my shop window.
I rested my lunch bag on my lap and prepared my salad, drizzling the dressing delicately over the top, then mixing it up with my fork.
I ate my lunch slowly. This was another routine I’d grown to love. It wasn’t the same now, of course, now that there was nobody around. I used to watch people walk by and smile at them. I saw some of the people on a weekly basis, and I would wave, smile, and sometimes stop to chat. Others would pause to peer into my shop and sometimes go inside, and I trusted them to be honest shoppers. Theft had neve
r been a problem for me on Apricot Lane.
The sort of clientele the mall attracted might change that.
I ate my banana, sipped my water, and mulled over what changes were on the horizon for my business.
And for me and my daughter.
Chapter 7
Zach
When I stepped out of my bedroom in the penthouse suite of the hotel in Austin, Jonah was draped over the sofa. He had his hotel robe on and was wearing his boxers underneath. Praise the lord for that because he had one leg over the back of the couch as he held his notebook up in front of his nose to read some of his notes.
He glanced over at me and looked me up and down. “Going somewhere?”
I’d rolled right into the shower after waking up and got ready for the day. I had my suit on and was ready to do business. “I don’t really get days off when I travel for work. All time is paid time. So I’m going to go check out these shops that are stopping our development on Woodbury Mall.”
“Ah,” Jonah said, kicking his foot down from the back of the sofa and sitting up. “I was thinking about hitting the town, too.”
“You can’t come with me.”
“Never said I wanted to,” Jonah said, leaning forward and tossing his notebook on the table in front of the sofa. “I want to explore. Find a good place to write. Get a coffee. Or a beer. Yeah. A nice cold beer on a patio somewhere sounds nice.”
“That it does. Want a ride?”
“Sure.” Jonah shrugged. “You gotta go now?”
“After a cup of coffee.”
“All right. I need fifteen minutes.”
While Jonah got himself ready for the day, I brewed a cup of coffee and sat down on my laptop to check my emails. There was a message from Ryan, which I’d expected. I’d grown used to his micromanaging style over the years I had worked under him.
Good Luck Charm: A Single Mother Romance Page 4