“So, what does this mean? What’s the next step?”
I sighed and rubbed my temples. “I have no idea. I guess we do what you say and start looking for a new store front.”
“What are the chances of finding two side by side?”
“Pretty slim,” I admitted. “But we can try. Even if we get in the same complex, that’s better than nothing, right?”
“Definitely,” Edith agreed. She drummed her fingers on the side of her mug. “I’m going to grab your laptop, and we can start looking right now.”
“Okay,” I said, and my tone was much more gleeful than I’d expected. I was excited, almost giddy.
Sometimes, change was good. And in this case, I had a suspicion it was exactly what we all needed.
Edith popped up from the couch and disappeared down the hall and into my bedroom to grab my laptop. She brought it back and sat down beside me in the middle of the sofa, flipped it open, and opened the internet browser to start pulling up some retail spaces.
Within half an hour, we had a dozen tabs open with potential locations, and we’d switched from tea to wine.
“Zach said his company would pay for our relocation, right?” Edith asked after we started calculating how much it was going to cost us to move our businesses to a new retail space about ten miles south from Apricot Lane.
“Yes. It was one of the terms, I believe. I wasn’t listening at the beginning. We’ll have to sit down with him and make sure we understand everything before we proceed.”
Edith nodded and clicked to view the contact information of the management company for the retail space. “So are we doing this thing, then?”
I nodded. “I think so.”
Chapter 31
Zach
“So, you’re sure Woodbury will cover our relocation costs?” Senna asked for the fourth time that morning.
I nodded graciously. “Yes. That’s how the company operates. Displaced businesses are compensated the full cost of moving and reimbursed for any profits lost over the duration of the moving period. For you two, I can’t see that being too much of a problem. Your shops are a decent size, but your products aren’t too large, so you can probably move everything over within a day. However, if the location you’re moving into needs a lot of work done, Woodbury will also cover those costs.”
Senna and Edith exchanged a look. Then Senna said somewhat hesitantly, “Well, we have new locations already. And they don’t need any work done. The buildings are brand new.”
“Excellent,” I said. “That makes it easier for both parties.”
All the paperwork was spread out between us. I sat on one side of the table, and the two girls sat on the other, while Lily sat at the end playing with the doll she’d brought along with her. It had yellow hair made out of yarn and a face stitched into a smile. A red and white striped shirt gave it a “Where’s Waldo” vibe.
We had decided to meet early—an hour before Lily Living and Something New opened for the day. We were in a cafe not too far from Apricot Lane, and we’d all sipped our coffees dry over the past twenty minutes while we discussed all the terms and conditions of the agreement.
I was still surprised this was happening in the first place—and that it was happening so quickly.
Edith and Senna had taken the weekend to mull things over after our return to Austin. In that time, they’d thought it through from start to finish, and they’d arrived at our meeting with two pages of questions scrawled in a wire-bound notebook that said “Grateful” on the front in silver metallic writing.
I had done my best to answer each and every question as clearly as I could, and we had arrived at the most critical point of the meeting—the time where I had to request their signatures at the bottom of the last page of their contracts.
Lifting my chin, I looked back and forth between the two women. “All right. How’s everybody feeling?”
“Good,” they both said in unison.
“Excellent. If you don’t have any more questions and you’re feeling confident, I think we’re ready to sign. Then I can bring this back to my boss and make sure we get the ball rolling so you two can move into your new locations as soon as possible and start making some money.”
Senna looked at Edith. “Are you ready?”
“I think so. Are you?”
Senna licked her lips. She leaned forward to peer down at the contract in front of her. “Yeah. I mean, we’ve asked all our questions. We know what to expect. There’s no risk. And within the month, we’ll be back to full operations and in brand new stores with new customers. What reason is there not to sign?”
Edith and Senna both looked expectantly up at me, like I was the one who was going to talk them out of signing the paperwork I’d come to Austin to convince them to sign in the first place.
I sat back in my chair and held my hands up innocently. “Don’t look at me. I’ve told you everything I can. The ball is in your court now.”
Senna looked from me to the papers and then back at me. Finally, she picked up her pen, took the cap off, and poised it over the blank line at the bottom of the page. Edith did the same.
“Together?” Senna asked.
Edith nodded.
“One.”
“Two.”
“Three,” they said together, and then they pressed the tips of their pens to the page and swept their signatures onto it.
My heart beat unnaturally as my brain realized that the unthinkable had just happened.
I had closed the deal. It was done. And it was mine.
I hid my smile as I collected the paperwork and put my own signature in the spaces beside theirs. Then I stacked the pages neatly and gave them both a confident nod. “How are you both feeling?”
“Anxious,” Edith said.
“Ready,” Senna followed up.
I chuckled. “Nerves are perfectly normal in a situation like this. And don’t worry. You’re both in good hands. I’m going to bring this paperwork back to Orlando, and I’ll handle your case and make sure you’re at the top of the priority list. You have my word.”
“When do you leave for the airport?” Senna asked.
“My flight leaves at seven. I’m heading back to the hotel now to pack up and grab Jonah so we can get out of there before checkout time. Then we’re heading straight to the airport. Maybe we’ll grab lunch or something or—”
“Can I come?” Senna asked. There was a hint of desperation in her voice. Her cheeks flushed.
I nodded. “Of course you can.”
“Maybe we can have dinner?”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” I said.
Lily looked up from where she was silently drawing. “How long will you be gone?”
I grinned. “Not long if I can help it, kiddo.”
Bob dropped me off at the hotel after I finished up at the cafe with Edith and Senna. He waited in the car as I went up to meet Jonah and start packing my bags.
I let myself into the suite and found my friend rummaging through the mini fridge.
“What are you looking for?” I asked as I padded over to my suitcase in the closet. I pulled it out and tossed it on the bed before unzipping it and flipping the lid open.
“I want to see if there’s anything worth drinking. And then I wanted to drink it before you checkout so it goes on your company tab.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course. Well, I think there’s a mini bottle of wine near the back. And a couple beers.”
“Drank those yesterday.”
“Ah, right. Well then, you’re shit out of luck, man.”
Jonah closed the fridge and straightened up. He bent backward, pressing his hands into his lower back to crack his spine. “So you’re heading back to Orlando?”
“Yep.”
“Which means you got the signatures?”
“You bet your ass I did.”
Jonah grinned. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks, man. This is a fucking big one. Woodbury is going to reward me for this. I can feel
it. It’s only up from here.”
“You deserve it,” Jonah said. There was none of the usual attitude in his tone like when he usually spoke about my job. I knew he didn’t like the corporate path, but he knew how to be a good friend and celebrate my wins, even though my lifestyle contrasted so drastically with his.
“I think I’m coming back,” I said.
“Back?”
“To Austin. I think when this is all said and done and everything has been filed, I’m going to come back.”
“For the girl?”
“Girls,” I clarified.
Jonah nodded appreciatively. “I think she made you a better man. For real. This chick is the full package. You’d be a fool to let that slip through your fingers. Have you thought about moving?”
“Moving? No. Not yet. It’s all still really fresh, and I can’t make those sorts of decisions so quickly. Especially when everything is still so up in the air and—”
“Well, I’m gonna stay.”
I blinked. “What?”
Jonah came and sat at the end of the bed. He looked at my empty suitcase and then up at me. “I like it here. And I feel like there is a lot more for me to see and do before I even consider going back to Orlando. So, I’m going to stay for a little while and see where things take me.”
“I can’t keep the hotel room for you.”
Jonah laughed. “I don’t want you to. I have somewhere I can stay.”
“What? Where?”
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s just say it’s a nice pad with great company—that can cook.”
I arched an eyebrow. “You met a girl.”
“Maybe.”
“A lover?”
“A muse,” Jonah said, lifting his chin and feigning sophistication. “She practically writes herself. She’s like Alice from Wonderland meets Tinkerbell meets—” He paused, trying to find the right character to compare the new woman in his life to. “Who’s the badass chick in that vampire movie?”
“Kate Beckinsdale.”
“That’s the one!”
I rolled my eyes. “Every man has a thing for her. You’re telling me you’ve met a chick like that?”
“No, I’m telling you I met a chick with similar qualities to that. She’s fierce as hell. And she wears a lot of tight black clothes.”
I chuckled. “That’s what qualifies her to be compared to Kate Beckinsdale?”
“Yeah, in my books it is. I can see her as a character already. Don’t shit on my parade, man. For once, the words are flowing, and I don’t have to fight them. I’m going to take advantage of it.”
“Hey, I don’t care if you stay behind. It gives me even more reason to come back.”
Jonah leaned back on the bed and clasped his hands behind his head. “Did you tell Senna this?”
“Yes.”
“Damn.” Jonah whistled. “Smells like commitment to me.”
Chapter 32
Senna
Lily and Edith were sitting on my bed as I finished my makeup.
I didn’t wear makeup often. It was weird to see myself in the mirror with eyeliner and pink lipstick on.
“You look pretty, Momma,” Lily said as she curled into Edith’s side.
“Thank you, bunny.”
Edith nodded at the shoes beside my vanity. “Are you wearing those?”
“I was going to. What’s wrong with them?”
Edith shook her head quickly. “Nothing. I just haven’t seen you wear heels in—I don’t know. Years?”
“It’s been a bit,” I admitted, getting to my feet and balancing myself with a hand on the back of my chair as I slid my foot into one of the black pumps. I stepped into the other shoe, wobbled on the spot, and finally regained my balance.
Walking to the full-length mirror hanging on the back of my bedroom door, I inspected my outfit choice.
I didn’t want it to be too overdone. The last thing I wanted Zach thinking was that I was desperate for him to stick around, although that was exactly how I was feeling.
I couldn’t explain it, but over the last few days, he had become all I could think about, and all of those thoughts were good. I hadn’t expected this complete reversal. It was much easier to hate him and everything he stood for a few weeks ago.
Much, much easier.
Now, the waters were muddy. I was certain that Zach was a good man. Positive of it. And I was also sure that he cared for me just like I cared for him. But that didn’t negate the fact that we were two very different people from two very different worlds.
I was a middle-class, single mother who owned a small business that raked in just enough money to pay the bills.
He was a wealthy corporate businessman with a career trajectory that would have him living in a three-million-dollar house by the time he was forty. Maybe sooner. I could only imagine how much money he was already making. Dropping everything and spending three days at Disney World had been nothing to him.
And everything to me.
“You look gorgeous,” Edith said as she got to her feet. Lily followed, and they both looked at my reflection.
My dress was knee length and navy blue. There was a sash around the waist, and the square neckline was framed with two thick straps that made my shoulders look a little broader and, therefore, my waist a little smaller. The high heels helped create longer more elegant lines.
I couldn’t remember the last time I looked in a mirror and thought I looked beautiful.
There was a knock on the door. My heart leapt into my throat.
Edith clapped her hands together. “He’s here. Okay. You go. Have fun. We’ll be here when you get back.”
I gave Edith a hug and then crouched down to say goodbye to Lily. I cupped her cheek. “Be good, bunny. I won’t be gone long. You and Auntie Edi will still be up when I get back.”
“I love you, Momma,” Lily said, wrapping her arms around my neck.
I gave her a good, tight hug. “I love you too. More than anything.”
“Tell Zach I say goodbye. And I miss him.”
I stroked her hair. “I will.”
Edith and Lily hung back, and I answered the front door. Zach was there, looking handsome as ever, dressed in a sleek navy suit.
He looked me up and down with a bewildered expression. “Wow.”
I winced. “Is it too much?”
“Absolutely not. It’s perfection.”
I smiled and grabbed my purse from the hook beside the door. “I’m glad you like it. We should go. We don’t have much time left.”
We ate at a restaurant in the airport so that Zach didn’t have to worry about being delayed and missing his flight. It was a nice enough place with half walls that shielded us from the general public milling around in the airport.
“How long do you think you’ll have to stay in Orlando?” I asked after we ordered our meals.
Zach gave me a small shrug. “I’m not sure to be honest. It all depends on how quickly everything is processed. I want to oversee all the finalizing steps and make sure everything goes right on my end. Then, when it’s all handled, I can come back. Maybe a couple of weeks?”
“A couple of weeks?” I asked sharply.
Zach lifted his glass of wine to his lips to hide his smug smile. “You don't think you can last a couple of weeks without me?”
“That’s not what I said.”
He chuckled. “No? Sorry. How did you mean it?”
“I just meant—I don’t know. A couple of weeks is—what it is, I guess.”
“Yes, it is,” he said flatly.
He could see right through me. He knew exactly how I felt, which is what he’d said. A couple of weeks felt like a long time to not have him around.
I bit my bottom lip. “I guess I will miss you while you’re gone.”
“I’ll miss you too, Senna. And Lily. These past few weeks have put a lot of things into perspective for me. And I don’t want to stop seeing you.”
“I don’t want that eit
her,” I whispered.
Hence this stupid dress and these stupid shoes.
“So you’ll wait for me?” he asked.
“Of course I will,” I said.
“Even if it’s longer than two weeks?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Here’s to us coming back together as soon as possible,” he said, lifting his wine glass.
I lifted mine as well. It was a toast that made me smile. We sipped our wine and talked about other things while we waited for our food. He told me about his boss, Ryan, who sounded like a total jerk.
I told him about how much Lily was going to miss him when he was gone and enjoyed watching him smile as I did so.
When our meals arrived, we both went kind of quiet while we ate. I couldn’t tell if the silence was awkward or not. I was content, and it seemed like he was as well, but it still felt like there were things I should say to fill up the space between us.
But there was nothing I could say that wouldn’t come out like begging him to stay.
I refused to be the girl who begged a man to stay behind for her, especially since he wasn’t staying behind. He was just leaving for a short time, and then he was coming back to me.
At least, that was what he said, and I believed him. Why shouldn’t I? He hadn’t given me any reason to doubt him over the last few weeks. Every promise he’d made, he had kept. Even though he’d gotten on my last nerve in the beginning, he made up for it beautifully over time.
There was something to be said about that.
“Senna, can I ask you something?”
I froze with a mouth full of pasta and nodded. “Of course,” I mumbled, cheeks full of marinara sauce and noodles.
He picked at his plate and then leaned back to push his glasses higher up his nose. He was nervous. Finally, he met my gaze. “I don’t know how to ask without coming across as a nosy jerk, so I’m just going to come out with it.”
“Okay.”
“Where does Lily’s father fit into all this?”
I blinked. “Her father?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I mean, you never talk about him, and I imagine it’s for good reason. I just can’t wrap my head around why he wouldn’t be in the picture, unless something bad happened. And I hope that’s not the case.”
Good Luck Charm: A Single Mother Romance Page 19