Chapter Fifteen
“People show up for people they love. Sometimes they’re not ready to say that out loud, but you can tell a lot by a person’s actions.” - Nora
DEREK
The bell on the door rings, and I jerk my head up, not expecting anyone to actually use it that much. That is a sad, sad reaction.
“Hey!”
I perk up, my heart thumping loudly in my chest at the sound of her voice.
She comes around an aisle and smiles brilliantly at me. “Birdie,” I say, clearing my voice from disuse. I stand up straighter, smiling back, thinking it’s too big of a smile and dimming it down.
I berate myself internally and focus back on her.
For some reason I can’t stop myself from acting like an idiot around this woman.
“Sorry if this is bad timing,” she says, carrying several bags of things that look like she robbed a craft store. Rora pops out from behind her, carrying another bag that’s bigger than her.
“It’s never bad timing to see you two.” I almost say “my girls.” Man, I want to use the phrase so bad, and after last weekend, I want to say it even more.
We spent last Saturday eating lasagna—I had two helpings that surpassed both girls’ plates by a mile—watching a movie, and jointly putting Rora to bed at her request.
Then we went to the living room and chose another movie. I didn’t get home until after midnight, and all the while I sat on that couch beside her, with the smell of honey and peaches and whatever else she wore to make her smell so damn enticing, and applauded myself for doing nothing about it.
When she walked me to the door, I almost did. I looked at her, and she stared back at me, her eyes moving, I swear, from my own down to my lips several times, and she leaned against the doorjamb and just smiled her gorgeous fucking smile at me.
But I was a gentleman, and she was going out with other people.
Every day since then I’ve thought of starting over, of trying to ask her out again and make this thing for real between us. But I was stuck.
I want to be her friend, because being around her was easy and comfortable. I love it. And I love being around Rora too.
But I desperately want more than that.
“We brought decorations!” Rora yells, and I pick her up, setting her on the counter and smiling at her. I glance at Birdie over her head and lift a brow in question.
“I know you said you don’t have time for decorating the store,” she says, holding up a hand. “But I was wondering, if it’s okay with you, if Rora and I could take a crack at it for a while.”
I stare in wonder at her, shocked and grateful by her offer. “You would do that for me?”
She lifts a shoulder and glances around. “I just think it would make the place feel more inviting. The rest of the stores have decorations, and then on Halloween you could pass out some candy and maybe do a few things to bring in some parents who could become customers.”
She is incredible. I have to find a way out of this friend zone.
“That would be amazing.” I look at Rora and smile. “But I want to help.”
“Let’s decorate!” Rora yells, and I help her down, carrying the big bag she brought over near the front of the store.
Then we spend the next three hours, with several snack breaks for Rora, transforming my storefront.
When I was little, my dad would do this all the time. I can’t remember when he stopped, but I don’t remember worrying about it at all. When I left for the military, the store was running smoothly, and Dad had been healthy.
All throughout my years of service, he never alluded to anything being bad or times being tough, even though if I had thought about it for more than a few minutes, I should have known better.
Then by the time I got home, he was nearly gone, and the store hadn’t been a concern for me. It’s only been the last couple of years that it’s been really thin.
Seeing all the things that Birdie bought for the store, and her vision coming together when it’s all done, changes how I feel about the upcoming months. “Huh.”
She stands back, admiring the work we did and smiles at Rora, who is passed out on the bench that’s rarely used outside the front of the store. People walk by, taking more than half a second to glance at the sign above the store, and I see already the potential that making the store stand out has.
“You are amazing,” I say to her, gathering the tools we used to hang certain items. There are brown fall leaves on the garland hung above us and a fall wreath on the door with pumpkins and orange and brown leaves around it.
Birdie wrote the name of the store in window paint with all sorts of artistic things around it to make the name pop on the big front window. It’s incredible. She’s incredible.
Taking a chance, I walk over to her and wrap my arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug. It’s awkward, and I know it is, but it doesn’t stop me from doing it anyway.
“I really think it could help,” she says, then pulls away to look up at me. There’s something nervous in her eyes, like she wants to say something but can’t quite find the words.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she says, twisting her hand. “Listen, this is so not my business. But you know I work in marketing.”
“Yeah, I know.” My tone of voice is enough to show her that I’m confused.
“Well, I’d really like to help. To give you ideas and help you get this store back to what it could be.”
I bite the inside of my cheek, batting down the pride that tells me to turn her down. That’s the instinct I have, but that’s not just about her, that’s with everyone. I never want to ask for help because then I would owe people.
Even though not a single person in my group of friends would ever hold it against me, and I know Birdie wouldn’t either.
“I’d be open to talking about things,” I start, unsure how to make it clear that my budget isn’t much. Shaking my head at myself, I just state the obvious. “I don’t have money for a big marketing campaign.”
“No, no, of course not,” she says quickly, looking at me with an earnest expression. She looks like she’s about to burst from excitement. “I think there’s a ton of things we can do to elevate you, and it wouldn’t cost that much.”
I nod my head, beating down that feeling inside of me that’s excited about the prospect of her helping me. Like she truly, genuinely cares about me and my business.
Maybe she does. Maybe there’s more to all of this than just a healthy friendship.
“How about I treat you two to dinner?” I ask, nodding to Rora. “She sure earned it.”
Birdie laughs, and I smile, feeling like a damn king for making this woman ever smile at me.
“Okay, so I know that budget-wise we need to be careful. But there are some things I’ve researched that will be next to nothing for Fowler Hardware store to get its customers’ attention.”
I stare at the woman across from me, listening and digesting every brilliant word she’s saying.
It’s been a few days since I agreed to let her help out, and she wasn’t kidding about helping me.
She asked if she could meet me for lunch somewhere in the middle of the week.
I had suggested my apartment, thinking we could have a few quiet moments, and she could show me everything she found with a big enough space for us to work and eat.
I know she’s doing this on her off hours, not letting her boss know that she’s working with someone else. It has me sitting back and admiring her all over again, that she’s taking what little free time she has to spend it working on something for me.
There are half-empty cartons of Chinese food spread around the table and a whole plethora of papers that she printed out—ideas for expanding my brand, as she put it. She also has her tablet front and center with an open notepad to type things in as we speak.
“There’s a candy registry for Halloween to let the public know what stores would have candy in them for the big day. Which is the Saturday before Halloween and, of course, Halloween night. I registered your store. I hope that’s all right.”
“Yeah, no, that’s amazing,” I reply, looking at her paperwork. “I knew there used to be one, but I had no idea it still existed.”
She nods and checks a box that’s next to a note on her tablet.
“Yes, I contacted your street chairmen, which I had no idea was a thing.” She chuckles at that, and I smile just from her laugh.
I am such a goner. “But he was very nice and said he knew your dad way back when and was happy to add you to the list.”
I nod my head, unsurprised that my dad knew this random person. I bet my dad, once upon a time, knew everyone in Denver. Now it’s too overpopulated for that.
“People have been stopping in this week, complimenting the decorations,” I tell her, watching her smile with pleasure.
“Aw, that’s so great!”
“Yup, told them I couldn’t have done it without the most beautiful woman I know helping me.”
A blush takes over her cheeks, and I laugh at the sight, wondering if her thoughts are anywhere near on the same track as mine were or if she was on a different train altogether.
“Well.” She clears her throat and tilts her head. “I don’t know about that.”
“I do,” I answer quickly, staring at her. I swallow and lean my forearms on the table. I need to ask her out. Properly. No babysitting, no decorating my store or farmers’ markets. A real, true date. “Birdie—”
“Oh.” Enzo comes to an abrupt stop as he opens the door to the apartment, Nora on his heels. I let out a deep sigh and rest my forehead against my palm. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were home.”
Nora spots Birdie and smiles wide. “Hi, Elizabeth! So good to see you again.”
“Oh, uh, hi. Nora, right?” Birdie stands, and they have a brief hug. Enzo nods at her, smiling politely, and then glances at me quickly with a raised brow. I shake my head at him.
“What are you two up to?” Nora asks, looking at all the paperwork around us. “Looks busy.”
“Oh. I was just helping Derek with some ideas for the store.” Elizabeth looks at me, wondering maybe how much they know about my situation.