Tiny Blessings

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Charlie recognized him the minute he came into the store with a blonde on his arm. Though Mitch and Jace had fallen out before Charlie moved to Dry Creek Ranch, she’d seen Mitch around town and at various functions. It was a small community.

Given the way things had ended with Mitch and Aubrey, Charlie found it strange that he would show up at Refind. Then again, he seemed to be making the rounds with his enemies these days. Luckily, Aubrey wasn’t here or she’d probably throw more than a cabinet door at him.

“Can I help you?” She flashed a tight smile, trying to decide how to play this. She could either ask him to leave or find out what he wanted.

She decided on the latter, mostly because she had a store full of customers and didn’t want to make a scene.

“We’re interested in the arbor you have outside,” the blonde said.

Charlie thought the woman looked a little like Jill Tucker. Silky blond hair, big brown eyes, great figure. Apparently, Mitch had a type, though Aubrey was a brunette with green eyes.

Mitch, on the other hand, was a little worse for wear. His hair was thinning and since the last time Charlie had seen him, his beer paunch had become more pronounced.

Charlie came out from behind the counter and followed them outside to the shop’s French-style garden. She and Aubrey had finished it last summer so they could display patio furniture, backyard fountains, and outdoor bric-a-brac. The small investment had proven to be a success, drawing people in from the rest of the center.

Flagstone lined with antique wooden posts and handmade birdhouses made a pathway through sections of Dave Austin rosebushes, French lavender, and purple lupine. There were benches and wrought-iron bistro tables and chairs arranged on a moss-covered patio with gurgling fountains. But the pièce de résistance was the raised vegetable beds, each section defined by an arbor that Charlie had constructed from something else. Doors, old fencing, farm tables, anything she could reimagine.

“It’s for our wedding,” the woman volunteered. “I just love it.” She wrapped her arms around the arbor, which Charlie had made from three chippy, white antique French doors, and hugged it.

“How much is it?” Mitch asked.

“I’ll let it go for four hundred dollars.” It had been such a great conversation piece that Charlie had decided to hang on to it. But why walk away from an easy sale? she told herself.

“We’ll take it,” the woman said before Mitch could respond, then jumped up and down, clapping her hands. “My fiancé brought his truck.” She pointed to a black pickup that looked like it was on steroids.

“Would you like help loading it?” Charlie prayed the answer was no; otherwise she’d have to call Jace. And that would be too weird for words.

As if sensing her hesitance, Mitch shook his head. “I’ve got it.”

“Ooh, I want to look around,” the blonde said, gazing around the garden. “Everything is sooo pretty here.”

Mitch rolled his eyes but couldn’t stop grinning at the woman. It was clear to Charlie that he was besotted. Charlie would be offended on Aubrey’s behalf if it wasn’t for the fact that her best friend and business partner was madly in love with Cash. They had two beautiful children and were living the dream.

The woman had moved on to an old farm table that Charlie had put outside because she’d run out of space in the store. “We could use it as a gift table or . . . something.”

Mitch snuck a peek at the price tag. “Whatever you want, Cheryl.”

Cheryl beamed, then turned to Charlie. “You make all this stuff yourself?”

“Well, it’s already made. I just spiff it up or repurpose it. And I work with a partner.” Charlie couldn’t help but look at Mitch for that last part. He had the good grace to look away.

“You are sooo talented.” Cheryl obviously wasn’t aware of the weird undercurrent here.

“Thank you.”

“OMG, I’ve got the best idea.” She started clapping her hands again. “I can hire you to decorate our wedding. Would you do it? Don’t you just love it, Mitch? Just like this.” She turned in a circle, indicating the garden. “This is exactly my dream.”

Mitch looked as uncomfortable as Charlie felt. “Babe, I’m sure Charlotte is too busy for something like that.”

Cheryl turned to Charlie. “I saw on your website that you do all kinds of design work. I loved the pictures of Picnic in the Park.” It was an annual fundraiser for the local Boys Girls Club that Charlie and Aubrey had decorated last year.

“Thank you,” she said. “But I’m afraid I’m going to be out of commission pretty soon.” She stared down at her belly, hoping that would put an end to any of Cheryl’s ideas.

“That soon, huh? You look amazing.” Out of the blue, Cheryl hugged her, which was sweet but also awkward.

Mitch’s fiancée was so charming, Charlie was finding it difficult not to like her. And why shouldn’t she? Cheryl had nothing to do with Mitch’s past.

“You know what? I can show you some pictures that might give you some good ideas,” Charlie said. “I take it it’s an outdoor affair, right?”

“It’s in Mitch’s backyard.” She blushed, then her whole face lit up. “I guess it’s our backyard now. Anyway, it’s in the vineyard, so I kind of wanted to go for a real old-timey, country theme.”

Charlie nodded. “Come in and I’ll show you something Aubrey and I did in Napa a year ago. It was for this darling couple renewing their vows after forty years of marriage. They’d purchased a number of pieces here for their home that Aubrey worked with them on and they wanted us to work with their event planner on the décor for the party.”

Charlie grabbed her portfolio from the office and motioned for Mitch and Cheryl to take a seat at one of the tables in the showroom to look through the photographs of the event, while she helped other customers.

Kelly was ringing someone up at the cash register. Luckily, Aubrey wasn’t due in for another hour. By then Charlie would make sure Cheryl and Mitch were gone. In the meantime it didn’t hurt to show Cheryl a few ideas.

“You see anything you like?” She pulled up a chair.

“This.” Cheryl pointed to a picture of the dining setup Charlie and Aubrey had devised. It was a row of farm tables that spanned the size of a football field covered in white butcher paper, so the guests could write salutations for the couple to read later. For seating they’d used bales of straw as benches and lit each table with a crystal chandelier hung from a ten-foot-tall post. Glamour meets rustic. The result was breathtaking. “I would love this. Wouldn’t you, Mitch?”

Mitch shrugged. “I don’t know where we’d get all this stuff.”

“This was all rented,” Charlie said. “It’s a place in San Francisco. They’ll deliver it, set it up, and tear it down. But it’s pricey, I’m not going to lie. If you’re interested, I’ll give you their contact information and I’ll make you a copy of the picture. Just tell them I sent you and that you want exactly what’s here.”

“I can’t believe you’re willing to give us your design. This is like copyrighted stuff,” Cheryl said. “Please let us pay you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. This picture has been everywhere, including a couple of magazines. Anyone could replicate it. It’s just the nature of the business.”

It was in that moment that Aubrey chose to walk through the door and announce, “Ellie came in first place!” She did a little victory dance, then abruptly stopped short when she spotted Mitch.

Mitch got up so fast he nearly knocked his chair over. Cheryl, who was clearly in the dark about Mitch and Aubrey’s history, just sat there smiling. Charlie started to mouth, I’ll explain later, but Aubrey beat her to the punch.

She marched up to Mitch and did the last thing Charlie expected.

She plastered on a warm smile, took his hand, and said, “Hi, Mitch. You still owe me two thousand bucks.”