Chapter 27
M y eyes burned, my fingers ached, and my back was in pain, but I was done. I’d spent the better part of three days locked in the editing cave.
But now I had a ton of content for my page. I couldn’t wait for the guys to see what I’d come up with and I kept a few blanks for later to adjust text and songs with.
If I knew packing up would be a wealth of content, I might have considered it sooner.
A loud knock was my only warning before it was shoved open and a familiar voice pulled me from my stretching.
“Girl, what the hell?!” Bea screeched. “Tell me you didn’t get lost in editing again.”
“Bea!” I screamed, all thoughts of aches and pains falling away as I launched myself at my best friend. I hadn’t realized just how badly I needed to be close to her until now.
She held me back just as tightly, like we both needed this. If there was a tear or two shed, we didn’t comment on it.
When she pulled back, I couldn’t help but grin at my gorgeous friend. “God, it’s good to see you. How long are you in town for?”
“Well, three little birdies told me about the audacity of the rich people and that you’d been in editing hell, so I took a week. Though, have you seen this place?” she asked, pulling my window open so the breeze was blowing in.
I’d opted to set up at the lake house, needing the views to ground me. They all had gone back to work and so had I, but spending our nights here felt right at the moment. I loved that we had options and I knew how lucky we were for that.
“Yes, now you get why they bought it from my parents,” I said as I dug out a fresh pair of clothes. “We’ve been bouncing back and forth between the two places. I just like working out here a bit more.”
“So, I hear we’re opening up a shop in town?” she teased.
“Wait. ‘We?’” Instead of being upset she was inviting herself into it, I was beside myself. “Does that mean…?”
She deflated. “I got fired. My boss was a dick and thought it was okay for alphas to grope us for a bit of an extra tip and customer loyalty. Fuck that. They deserved that hot coffee I accidentally spilled.”
“Oh my god,” I gasped. “I’m so fucking sorry. That’s disgusting.”
“It is, but I’ve been saving like crazy, so I’m going to find an apartment in Willow Lake and help you open up your shop. Even if you only need me temporarily, I’m here for you and for a change of scenery.”
“Having my best friend help me make my dreams come true? Sounds like a fucking dream,” I said as I pointed at the bathroom. “However, I need a shower. Give me five.”
She waved me off. “I’m going to start coffee and open windows. You take your time.”
The shower felt amazing but I didn’t linger, washing up and drying my hair as quickly as possible to find my friend again.
When I walked downstairs she was at the island, nursing a cup of coffee while Holt, Ash, and Mathias were preparing snacks in the kitchen.
“Hey, baby, you all finished?”
“These guys can cook? You lucky bitch,” Bea said at the same time, making me cackle.
My guys stopped and watched, that dopey look in their eyes.
“I was hoping we’d hear that laugh again soon,” Holt said, dropping his towel and coming around to give me a hug.
“Was I that mopey after the country club?” I asked. If so, I hadn’t realized.
“Letting go of your family is hard,” he said gently. “We thought maybe your best friend and some real family time would help.”
“It already is,” I reassured them.
“Well, my parents are in town, I was thinking a big cookout at the ranch tonight. How does that sound?”
“Perfect,” Bea said, answering for me. “I’ll steal her away to apartment shop while you plan it out.”
“Should I be scared to meet your parents?” I asked, chewing on my lip to calm my nerves.
“No,” Mathias reassured me. “They’re the only good ones out of the bunch, it seems.”
“Then that sounds great,” I said as I settled at the island. “Getting out of the house could do me some good today.”
“We were just here to provide food,” Holt said as he laid out a spread for lunch and they all kissed me goodbye. “Have a good day, ladies. Behave.”
“We never do,” Bea called out as she dug in, filling her plate and groaning. “Maybe pack life isn’t so bad.”
“It’s honestly better than I thought,” I admitted.
“So, tell me about this shop. Found a place yet or should we look at both?”
I considered her words. Up to this point it was an idea, a thought. Though, Dani did encourage it, too, and her opinion mattered most since she was the book seller in town. Maybe it was time to consider it.
“We can look at both,” I said, liking the idea more and more.
She grabbed her phone and sent off a text. “Good, the realtor is great. He’ll be happy to show us a few commercial spaces, too. Now, tell me all the plans for it.”
“I want something that has that cute, old-town charm, but still has space to expand for warehouse needs. Can we stop at the local bookstore? Dani has the cutest space and I want to see if she wants to go in on a new venture with us. I'd hate to affect her business. Plus, when we stop I can show you the new edit I have been thinking of posting first," I told my best friend.
"You know you’re too kind for your own good and also evil for keeping those videos from me," she teased before asking where to go to get to the shop.
I thought over how to respond as I gave her directions.
"As much as I know that the videos are just for promotion, it's still hard to share my pack with the world," I admitted.
Bea placed a hand on mine. "I can imagine. They aren't too hard on the eyes, but with everything I've heard and seen, they are all yours. Can't say that I'm not a little jealous of you, bitch."
Then she cackled like a witch, making me laugh with her. I loved that she didn't bullshit me, just told me like it was.
"Well, it's your fault, really," I countered, raising an eyebrow at my best friend, which only made her laugh more.
"Oh, is it? How do you figure?"
"You told me to come to the cabin. If I hadn't, I might never have found my pack," I told her.
"That's a really shitty thank you," she joked as she pulled into a spot right in front of the book shop. "This is a cute, little place. Are you sure that she would want to move?"
"No, but I want to help build up the town, not run anyone out of business. So, combining is the best bet," I explained. Though, it was hard not to feel insecure. Maybe I just needed Dani’s approval. The last thing I wanted to do was cause rifts before I’d even started.
"Oh, I get it. Let's see if she wants to come look at some of the properties and go from there. Too bad this place is too small for your needs," she said as she put the car into park and exited. “It’s a great location.”
"Right," I agreed, "This is the charm that I was talking about. I don't want a modern feel. Down home, ‘mom and pops,’ that vibe. Does that make sense?"
"Totally," Bea agreed.
The door chimed as we entered Dani's place and she skipped up to meet us with her usual bright smile in place.
"Hey, Taryn, how can I help you?" she asked as she stopped in front of Bea and I. “Oh, a new face!”
“I’m Bea, the bestie,” Bea said with a grin. “I love your shop.”
“Thanks! We have a bit of everything here,” she said, blushing at the compliment.
"Actually, I wanted to chat with you for a second if you don’t mind?” She glanced at me and her smile fell a bit.
“Is everything okay?”
“I hope so. But I have a bit of an offer for you. I’m looking at opening up a shop and distribution center here for my mystery date books. I was wondering if you'd like to combine your bookstore with my business? You’d still have control of this part, but then we can offer special services on the side. I know there’s a lot of logistics to work out, but I didn’t want to go forward without discussing it." I looked down at my feet and waited for an answer.
There was a high-pitch squeal of excitement from Dani before she pulled me to her and hugged me hard. Dani jumped up and down, still holding on to me and I didn't speak until she stopped. The relief was too strong at first.
"Is that a yes?" I asked, needing her to say it out loud.
"What? Oh! Yes, sorry I got a little too giddy. I would love to; what, when and how do we make it happen?" she questioned. “I know jumping in might be crazy but this town is tiny and business is alright, but nothing insane. With your help and a whole shipping center, I could open up the online store as well. Expand, make an online presence as well.”
"Then it sounds like we have a lot to discuss, since I’ll be working with Taryn, too. I have a realtor lined up to show us some spaces, if you can close up shop for a little bit?"
"Yes, sorry, I’m Dani," she said, holding out a hand to Bea. "I'm not normally this over excited but we need some new blood in this town and I may be a huge fan of Taryn's work."
"Speaking of work," Bea started and turned to me, "where is that sneak peek you promised?"
"Oh, are the videos ready?" Dani asked, a grin spreading across her face. “I’ve been waiting to see how they turned out.”
I pulled out my phone as I answered. "They are, but I haven't decided when to start posting. I have one that is a teaser that I want to post and see what the audience thinks.”
They were both leaning closer as I opened the app and navigated to where I had the videos saved and clicked on the first one. The first image was the new logo that Mathias whipped up for me. It was a wolf head with flowers around it, but there were bookish items among the flowers, tying it all in together nicely.
“Here’s the logo Mathias made for me. If we do a dual business, with both our names, I’ll use this for my side,” I explained.
Dani squealed again. “Oh, imagine that on your wrapped books! A colorful sticker or a foil one would be an amazing touch.”
I smiled, relieved she was so excited for the new business plan. Then I started the slideshow of pictures with flashes from my guys reading and even a frame or two of me with Ash.
On the last frame, it said, ‘new website coming soon.’ With the right music, my hope was that it would hype up my followers to follow us through the change.
Bea and Dani didn't say anything once it ended, so I thought maybe it was a flop. That was until Bea asked to watch it again.
"What? Why?" I questioned.
"That was the hottest fucking book-business commercial I've ever seen," she replied fanning herself.
I gave her a playful smack on her arm, "You bitch, I thought it sucked and you didn't want to tell me."
"Taryn, you are a true artist. I can't wait to see the videos of the guys reading and yes, I know they are yours, but they are a good selling point," Dani told me. Honesty rang out in her tone and I appreciated that she was a mix of sunshine and serious when the situation called for it.
"So, I should post it?" I asked them, just fucking with them at this point.
"Is that even a question?" Dani countered as she rolled her eyes. “Post!”
"Why haven't you posted it already?" Bea questioned.
"I think it's because I'm in there," I admitted.
"And you look hot," my bestie told me as her phone dinged. "To the car, ladies, we have places to be and Taryn needs to get that video on socials asap."
"I'm going to lock up and meet you two outside," Dani said as she hurried towards the back of the bookstore.
"I like her," Bea told me as we walked outside. I took a deep breath, loving the fresh air out here.
"Same, that's why I couldn't put her out of business and didn’t want to compete with her. I want us both to thrive," I said as I climbed back into the passenger seat.
"Like I said. You are too sweet for your own good, but this is one time I agree," Bea told me. "Now get on that phone and do your magic."
Without letting myself overthink, I uploaded the video to all my normal accounts and made sure to use all the hashtags I’d laid out. I’d brainstormed catchy titles, so all I had to do was copy and paste it all.
Bea was watching over my shoulder and when I hesitated to push upload, she reached over and did it for me.
"There, now pocket it and let's find you and Dani the perfect place to get this business up and running," she said as Dani hopped in the back. "Buckle up, bitches, we have a long list of places to look at."