Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Magnolia
When I was younger and had unlimited money, shopping was something I did because I could.
It was strangely not that satisfying, but I could never figure out why it left me feeling empty.
Maybe in part because I’d had to shop either alone or with my mother.
I hadn’t had true friends to spend a Saturday with in the finest stores in Nashville.
Also I’d erred on the side of overdoing it and hadn’t cared.
Unsure which color of ten-thousand-dollar purse to buy?
No need to choose; just throw them both in.
To clarify, I wasn’t proud of past me.
Now that I had very little extra money, shopping ironically brought me joy.
Every purchase mattered more, required careful consideration.
As a small business owner, I valued local stores and supported them whenever I could.
Shopping was often a social event for me now, either because I had friends to go with or because I knew the shop owners or both.
Presley and I decided to kick off November by decorating for the season—our businesses and her home. My apartment was too small to add much without it feeling cluttered. Besides, the only person who ever saw it was Dotty.
Well, except for Luke’s midnight visit, which I was still trying to figure out. All I could conclude was that the kiss had been a mistake. A slip-up. Not something to still be thinking about more than a week later.
During the lunch hour, Presley and I hit Oopsie Daisies, where she bought one of Piper’s beautiful handmade centerpieces for her dining-room table.
She also chose several signs hand-painted with sayings like “Fall is my favorite F word” and “Thankful, blessed, and pumpkin spice obsessed.” I selected a simple fall floral arrangement in a mason jar with tiny fairy lights inside to add to my beverage counter at my business.
We said goodbye to Piper and Tansy, then walked past our own businesses and halfway down the block to Earthly Charm.
“Hey, ladies,” Harper called out when we came in the door. “Come on in. Treat yourselves to our hot cider bar.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Presley said as we headed toward the festive table set up near the checkout counter.
“Wow, I love this,” I said as I ladled cider into my cup and eyed the toppings.
“Clever girls,” Presley said. “Look at all these choices.”
There were ramekins filled with cinnamon sticks, caramel sauce, caramel bits, nutmeg, and cloves. A can of whipped cream stood at the ready, and there was a beautiful plate of cranberries, orange slices, and apple slices.
“I highly recommend the caramel bits,” a shopper I didn’t know told us.
I followed her recommendation, threw in a cinnamon stick, and squirted whipped cream on top.
“Cheers,” I said, holding up my cup toward Presley. We tapped our paper cups together and sipped.
“This is the best cider I’ve ever had,” Presley said.
“Cambria’s creation,” Harper said. “If we were at a private party, we’d have bourbon, whiskey, and rum for add-ins as well. For everyone except me.”
“Let’s see that bump.” Presley’s attention was on Harper’s belly, which was officially showing her pregnancy. “How far along now?”
“Twenty-six weeks. I’ve been pregnant for half a year.” She laughed, her eyes lighting up, showing exactly how she felt to be newly wed to Max Dawson and mom to Danny and soon to be a second child.
“You’re well past the halfway mark with that little one,” I said. I held my cup up as if to toast again.
“Time flies. The baby’s going to be here before you know it,” Presley said. “Does Danny understand what’s going on yet?”
“He’s so excited.” Harper’s smile was wide, and her eyes lit up. “He doesn’t get how long nine months is, so he’s more than ready to be a big brother and can’t understand what’s taking so long.”
“That’s cute,” I said, then sipped more cider. I pointed to the topping bar. “I’m stealing this idea. I don’t know where I’ll use it yet, but I’m going to.”
“Feel free,” Harper said.
Two women approached the checkout counter, so Presley and I stepped back and let Harper tend to her business. We made our way around the store, touching crystals, sniffing essential oil blends, and admiring Cambria’s handmade candles.
“I’m getting this for the store,” Presley said as she picked out a candle shaped like a pile of acorns. “Oh, and this guy has to go next to it.” She selected an adorable, bushy-tailed squirrel candle. “I’m going to need a basket.”
“Oooh.” I grasped Presley’s arm as inspiration struck. I pointed to another table with a fall display. “Centerpiece idea. Similar to that, but instead of pumpkins and apples, we use pine branches and pine cones. Silver ribbons.”
“And one of Cambria’s candles,” Presley added as she picked up one of the thin slices of tree trunk currently serving as a pedestal for a turtle candle. “Not a turtle. A pillar.”
“Yes. Maybe with a tiny string of fairy lights in the pine.”
Twenty minutes later, we’d picked out an assortment of tree discs, an elegant silver pillar candle, and string lights to take home and create a prototype with. We’d spread the pieces out on the counter, and Harper had made good suggestions as well.
“We might not have decided where we’re having the ceremony yet, but we’ve got our centerpieces,” Presley said victoriously, making Harper and me laugh.
“Hey, girls.” Dakota, Cambria and Harper’s third business partner, came up to the counter from the back room.
“Welcome, sleepyhead,” Harper said affectionately.
“Sorry I’m late.” Dakota looked half remorseful. “I did oversleep.”
“Mm-hmm,” Harper said, a teasing accusation in her tone. “Must be that handsome roommate. Is Ian keeping you up too late?”
“Stop,” Dakota said with a playful flick on Harper’s upper arm. “You know it’s not like that.”
“I know no such thing,” Harper said.
“Wait, you’re living with a boy?” Presley asked the question in my mind.
“Ian Finley owns the farmhouse I moved to when this girl got hitched,” Dakota said, pointing to Harper.
“You probably didn’t know Naomi, Ian’s sister,” Harper said. “She was our dear friend who opened the art studio outside of town.”
“I knew of Naomi,” I said, “but not Ian.”
“They grew up in Runner and inherited a farmhouse between Runner and Dragonfly Lake,” Harper explained. “I lived there with Naomi for three years.”
“She passed away from sepsis a couple years ago,” Dakota said to Presley since she hadn’t lived here then. “She was like mid-thirties.”
“That’s awful,” Presley said.
Dakota nodded. “She and her brother, Ian, fought about the farmhouse. He wanted to sell it. She saw its potential, or rather the potential for one of the large outbuildings to serve as an art studio.”
“So they were estranged when she died,” Harper said, watching Dakota. “Ian’s this bajillionaire who worked on Wall Street. Complete opposite of his art-loving, creative-souled sister whose mission was to make art accessible for everyone.”
“And now you’re living with him?” Presley asked.
“We’re roommates. He’s going through a life thing,” Dakota explained. “He walked away from his Wall Street job and moved here to get away from the rat race.”
“Wow. You two have something in common, huh?” I said to Presley.
Presley nodded sympathetically. “A big something. Is he not dealing well with the changes he’s made?”
“I think it depends on the day,” Dakota said. “He’s not used to having so much free time.”
“Yep, I was the same way. I’d advise opening a business,” Presley said flippantly.
“He’s got a bunch of real estate investments on the East Coast, but he’s definitely interested in investing in something in this part of the country,” Dakota explained. “I don’t know. Getting him to talk is like pulling teeth from an alligator.”
“Dakota to the rescue,” Harper said, grinning.
Dakota shook her head. “I don’t think I’m up for that task. Anyway, Ian is my grumpy roommate, at least for now.”
“And he’s handsome?” I asked.
“Are you interested?” Dakota asked. I couldn’t read whether she was hesitant because he was grumpy and in a bad place…or because she was interested herself.
“Not at all,” I said quickly. “I have more than I can handle with my fledgling business.”
Plus processing big life issues like my paternity and my mother and…Luke.
Presley was the only one who knew any of that, and I hadn’t even told her about Luke kissing me. I wasn’t ready to admit to it. I was determined to make it a one-time thing, and if she knew what had happened, she’d watch us closely the next time we had to meet, looking for signs of who knows what.
“Speaking of your fledgling business…” Dakota glanced questioningly at Harper and asked her, “Did you mention it yet?”
Harper shook her head.
“We want to do a holiday open house here at the shop,” Dakota said. “We have tons of ideas but no time to organize anything. Is that something you could take over for us, Magnolia?”
“Absolutely,” I gushed. “I’d love to.”
“We don’t have a budget anywhere close to something like a Presley Holiday wedding,” Harper said, grinning apologetically.
“Hey, I’m being reasonable,” Presley said. “So far.”
“We’ll work with whatever budget you have,” I said.
I jumped into business mode, asking questions about what they had in mind, then setting a time when Cambria would be there too and the three of us could talk without interruptions.
Before we checked out, I added their open-house date to my calendar, which was slowly starting to fill up with a holiday party here and there, just as I’d hoped.
Once we paid for our treasures, Presley and I finished our cider, told Harper and Dakota goodbye, and walked back toward our building.
“Congratulations on the booking,” Presley said with restrained enthusiasm.
“Thank you. We’ll see what they have in mind, but I love their ideas.”
“And so many people will show up for that. More exposure for your business.”
“Bring it on,” I said.
Presley’s phone sounded an alert. She took it out of her pocket, swiped, and read. “West and Luke got the basic walls up in the barn last night. Luke wants us to come out tomorrow evening to see it so we can decide whether to have the ceremony there as well as the reception. Are you available?”
Tomorrow was Friday. I didn’t have to check my calendar. I didn’t have an event, and I didn’t have much of a social life. “I am.”
That meant I’d see Luke. We hadn’t seen each other since that short but unforgettable kiss.
“So you’ll go?”
I glanced over at her. “Of course I’ll go. Why wouldn’t I?”
“I don’t know,” she said, shrugging. “There was just something weird in your voice for a second. Like hesitation.”
“No hesitation,” I said quickly.
I suspected what she’d heard in my voice was the oh, crap about Luke.
Taking a deep breath of brisk November air, I tried to push him out of my mind and fully focus on shopping with Presley.
In the end, I was maybe eighteen percent successful at that.