Chapter 5
“Hello, this is Dakota Jamison at Fairytale Bridal on Main Street in Flowering Grove,” Dakota said into the phone later that
afternoon. “I’d like to arrange for the fans and dehumidifier to be picked up.”
“How about tomorrow afternoon?” the woman on the other end of the line said.
“Perfect,” Dakota said. She ended the call just as the bell above the front door of the store rang, and her niece rushed toward
her with a bright smile on her pretty face.
“Auntie, you are not going to believe it.” Skye dropped her backpack on the showroom floor and twirled in the middle of the
store, almost knocking over a rack of shapewear.
Dakota steadied her. “Are you okay?”
She let out a dreamy sigh. “I’m in love .”
Dakota put her hand on Skye’s forehead. “No fever.” When Skye’s brow wrinkled, Dakota felt her lips twitch. “But you must be sick because you said you were immune to boy-crazy fever.”
“Very funny,” she deadpanned, lifting her bag back onto her shoulder. She let out a frustrated huff and started for the back
office. “Forget it. I thought I could talk to you, but never mind.”
Guilt nipped at Dakota, and she hurried to catch up with her niece. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I was only kidding. You know you
can tell me anything.”
“Okay.” Skye spun to face Dakota, her bright smile returning. “The cutest guy I’ve ever seen transferred to our school a few weeks ago, and he ate lunch with me today.” She let her heavy backpack fall again with a thud at her feet. “His name is Gunner Crenshaw. He’s super tall, and
I like tall guys just like you do. He has blond hair and green eyes. And he has the coolest Southern accent. It’s stronger
than ours since he’s from Alabama. I’m hoping he’ll ask me to prom.”
While her niece rambled on about the cute young man, Dakota tried not to think about the two proms she and Hudson attended.
“You okay, Auntie?”
“Yeah. Of course.” The truth was, she’d been reeling all day since Hudson had appeared in her store. She’d tried to keep herself
busy with steaming more dresses and gathering materials for Layla’s alterations, but Hudson still hijacked her thoughts. The
memories of their life together seemed to be grabbing her by the throat.
“Gunner’s cute, huh?” She tried to smile, but it felt more like a grimace.
Skye breathed out another moony sigh. “Extremely.”
“He must be something special to have captured your attention.”
“I think he is. He’s so different from all the boring guys here in Flowering Grove.” Her niece pulled her large cup from the
backpack’s side pocket and took a long drink of water. “What have you been up to today?”
“Let’s see... I steamed another dress and started putting together what I’ll need for Layla Garrity’s gown, but I need her to come in for a formal fitting before I can get started. I’ve gotten a few phone calls, and I’ve set up an appointment with a new client for Friday morning, so that’s exciting.”
Skye took another long drink, and her dark eyes seemed to assess Dakota. She could almost hear her niece’s thoughts since
Skye was never one to hold them back.
“Just say it, Skye.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know that look. Just say what’s on your mind.”
Her niece hopped up onto the stool and then crossed one long leg over the other. “Auntie, I have an idea.” She gestured widely.
“I’ve been thinking about what we can do to boost sales.”
“I’m listening.” Dakota leaned on the counter in front of her.
“We need to start taking online orders,” Skye said. “I’m good at managing your website and—”
“No.”
Skye blinked. “You’re not even going to let me finish explaining my idea?”
“I appreciate your concern, but I don’t want to get into online sales.”
“Why not?” Her niece held her palms up. “We have to stay relevant. I’ve been researching it, and online sales are crucial
to a business’s survival. You’re an amazing seamstress. Women could send you their measurements, and you could make gowns
to order.”
Dakota stood up straight. “I just can’t manage it right now—not until I get past this mess the flood caused. I’m still rearranging
the displays and trying to salvage the purses and shoes that were damaged.”
“But brides often know what they want before they come into the store. There’s a real demand for gowns that are made to order.” She hopped off the stool and scooted around the counter. “Auntie, we can do this.” She held her hand up as if to stop Dakota’s protests. “I know this would mean more work for you, but you can price the gowns so the work is worth your time. I’ll handle all of the orders for you—respond to the customers and make sure they send their measurements and payments. This could work. And it would put this boutique on the map.”
Dakota frowned. While she needed the customers, incorporating Skye’s idea was overwhelming. She couldn’t handle another thing
on her plate. “I’m grateful that you want to help, but I can’t think about it right now. We can talk about it again later.
I promise.”
“Okay,” Skye said, her mood a little subdued. She started toward the offices. “Do you want me to help steam dresses?”
“That would be perfect. I need to get started on Layla’s gown since the alterations will take some time.” And she couldn’t
wait to get started.
***
Hudson found his aunt and sister sitting on the back deck later that evening. The cool evening air penetrated his shirt as
he climbed the steps to where they sat drinking tea. His sister was dressed in pink scrubs, and her long dark hair was pulled
back in a thick braid.
“I was hoping you’d come by this evening.” His aunt smiled up at him. “What’d you do today?”
He took a seat at the round table. “I ran some errands around town, then I bumped into Gavin Wallace at the coffee shop. We
stayed and talked for a while.”
“Wasn’t he your lab partner in biology?”
Hudson nodded. “And then we worked at Smith’s Construction together after graduation.”
“I remember him,” Layla announced.
Hudson fished the receipt for the dress from his pocket, then handed it to Layla.
A slow smile overtook her lips as she examined the receipt. “Thank you so much. How was your visit to the boutique?”
Hudson studied her reaction, and irritation pricked him. “Why didn’t you tell me Dakota worked there?”
Layla shrugged, but her smile betrayed her display of disinterest.
“If you’re trying to play cupid, you can just forget it.”
“Well, you and Dakota are both single, and a lot of time has gone by...,” Layla said.
So she was single. That information shocked him.
Not that he cared.
“Hud,” Layla began, “you and Dakota are meant to be together. Neither of you has settled down with someone else, so you should
give it another chance.”
“Don’t even start, Layla,” Hudson warned. “I have no interest in getting into a relationship, and if I did, Dakota would be
my last choice.”
Aunt Trudy sat straight in her chair and made a sweeping gesture toward her yard. “Hud, did you see what Shane has done here
with my landscaping?”
He surveyed the backyard, taking in the strategically placed shrubs and landscape timbers, an impressive slate path, and the
organized flowerbed. A birdbath and birdfeeders were nice touches as well. “Looks good.”
His sister beamed. “He does fantastic work. I’m so proud of him.”
Hudson nodded. Shane obviously had talent, but talent didn’t necessarily translate to financial success. And it also didn’t
mean he’d gotten his life together after running with a rough crowd and getting himself expelled from school.
“Are we still meeting his family at the country club tomorrow night?” his aunt asked.
“The country club?” Hudson lifted an eyebrow. “For supper?”
“No,” Layla hissed. “We’re considering having our reception there, but it might be out of our price range. Want to come with
us?”
“I guess,” he said, feigning a long-suffering sigh. “I don’t have anything else to do.”
Layla smacked his arm, and he chortled.
“Of course I’ll go.” He would offer to pay for the reception too—though he was still determined to make sure there would be
no wedding or reception at all.
***
Hudson glanced around the large open reception hall at the country club. While he’d been invited to his ten-year class reunion
here a couple of years ago, he hadn’t bothered attending. He’d been too busy with work, and it felt as if his high school
years had been another lifetime.
“What do you think, Hud?”
He turned to Layla, her expression expectant. “I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”
“Do you think this is a nice place for the reception?” She worried her lower lip. “I know it’s pricey, but it’s nicer than
the other halls we’ve seen.”
Hudson glanced across the room to where Shane stood with his parents, Patrick and Libby, and his younger sister, Melody, who
looked to be around eighteen. They seemed to be analyzing how the lighting coming in from the balcony overlooking the golf
course would illuminate the reception. Nearby the banquet manager, Ms. Anderson, and Aunt Trudy discussed options for the
menu.
Hudson’s eyes met Layla’s, and the urge to make her happy overwhelmed him. “Is this where you want your reception to be?”
She shrugged, but the glimmer in her eyes told him all he needed to know. She angled to her right just as Shane joined them.
“What do you think?”
Shane stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “I know you love it, babe, but it’s out of our price range.” He hesitated,
then lowered his voice. “In fact, all of the places we looked at were pretty expensive. Maybe we should just get married in
your aunt’s backyard.”
“If this is what you really want, I’ll make it happen,” Hudson said.
Layla faced Shane, and an unspoken conversation passed between the couple before she turned back to Hudson. “What if we paid
half?”
“Layla—”
“For the thousandth time, you don’t have to pay for everything. You’ve already covered my gown.”
Hudson crossed his arms over his chest, not budging.
Shane frowned at Layla while a tight smile overtook her lips.
“Okay, fine. Thank you, Hudson.” Layla hugged him. “How about we talk about this later?” Then she started toward the banquet
manager. “Ms. Anderson, what sort of down payment would you need to hold the date for us?”
Hudson pivoted toward Shane and held out his hand. “I don’t think I’ve had a chance to congratulate you on the engagement.”
“Thanks.” Shane shook his hand, but his expression remained unsure or possibly annoyed. Maybe a little of both?
“The landscaping you did at my aunt’s house is impressive.”
Shane nodded.
“Are you out on your own now or still working for a company?”
He brushed his hand over his neck. “I work for Robertsons’ Landscaping.”
“Oh.” Hudson studied him, and Shane scratched his palm. As they stared at each other, the awkward moments ticked by.
“Hud?” Layla beckoned him to join her by the banquet manager. “Could we discuss the deposit before we go to dinner?”
“Excuse me,” Hudson said, and a muscle ticked along Shane’s jaw. He walked over to his younger sister and retrieved his wallet
from his jacket pocket while the banquet manager informed them of deposits and final payments.
After he finalized the deposit, Aunt Trudy sidled up to Hudson. “Are you going to join us for dinner with Shane’s family?”
“Of course.”
She smiled. “This will be fun.”
A short time later, they were all seated for dinner. Hudson had suggested they go to the Grove Grille, one of the fancier
places in the area. He had noticed Shane’s scowl when he suggested the place, but Hudson planned to pick up the tab.
“Hudson, I hear you live in Manhattan,” said Libby, Shane’s mother, from across the table. “That must be exciting.”
“Yes, ma’am, it’s a great place to live.” Hudson lifted his water glass and took a sip.
The server had already taken their orders and their menus, and now a buzz of conversations hovered around them, along with
the delectable aroma of steak.
Libby chose a roll from the basket in the center of the round table. “What exactly do you do?”
“I began working as a computer programmer, then later on I started my own company.” He briefly explained the software he and
Darren had written and how they had recently sold the business.
Patrick, Shane’s father, nodded. “Impressive.”
“How about you two?” Hudson asked.
“I work in sales,” Patrick said. “And Libby teaches kindergarten at Flowering Grove Elementary.”
Hudson glanced over at Layla and Shane, who were engrossed in a quiet conversation. He’d spent the ride to the restaurant
contemplating the comment Shane had made at the country club about how he thought they should get married in Aunt Trudy’s
backyard. It annoyed him that Shane wouldn’t want his sister to have the wedding and reception of her dreams, and Hudson’s
jaw tightened at the thought of her settling. He had worked hard to provide a better life for his aunt and sister, and he
believed Layla deserved better than Shane. He didn’t want her to struggle, even for a moment, and if she married a landscaper
who couldn’t afford a decent wedding reception, then she’d surely spend the rest of her life living paycheck to paycheck,
just like their parents had.
“It’s a wonder that we have both lived in Flowering Grove for so long but haven’t gotten to know each other,” Libby said.
“Where did you work, Trudy?”
“I was a receptionist at the Carolina Pediatric Group. But that was years ago.”
“Oh,” Libby said. “We know where that is. Right, Melody?”
Her daughter smiled. “I see Dr. Santucci. She’s the best.”
“I don’t know her. She must be a newer physician.” Aunt Trudy unrolled her silverware and laid the cloth napkin across her
lap.
“Melody feels very comfortable with her, which is so important,” Libby said.
Aunt Trudy nodded.
The server appeared with their meals, and after each plate was distributed, the sound of utensils scraping dishes filled the
air.
“So, Shane,” Hudson began, “have you considered starting your own business?”
Shane swallowed. “I like the company I work for. The other guys on the crew are like family.” He hesitated, then added, “And we work well together.”
Hudson found his response strange. How could Shane ever reach his full potential if he continued to work for someone else?
He picked up his steak knife and cut into his filet mignon. “Layla, have you and Shane talked about the future?”
His sister looked up from her shrimp and grits. “What do you mean?”
“Have you discussed a budget for rent or a mortgage? Or where you’re going to live?”
Shane stiffened, and a hush fell over the table. He swept his hand over his mouth. “We haven’t found a place yet, but we’ll
be fine.”
“What kind of houses are you looking at? What price point?”
Shane and Layla shared a look, and her brow puckered. “We’re planning to live with Aunt Trudy at first. Then we’ll figure
the rest out when the time comes,” Layla said, her words measured.
“When the time comes?”
“Yes, when the time comes,” she repeated. “Right now we’re focused on having a wedding and saving money for our own place.”
Her expression warmed as she turned toward their aunt. “She said we can stay with her for as long as we’d like, right?”
Aunt Trudy smiled. “Of course, sweetheart.”
Hudson set down his fork and knife. “Layla, you can’t hide in our aunt’s house forever. You need to face reality, and you’d
better do it now . Life is expensive.”
“I know that, Hud,” she said, then set her jaw.
“Do you really?” he challenged. “Buying a house is a big deal.”
Her nostrils flared.
“First, you need to get approved for a mortgage—that’s if you can afford one,” he continued. “Or you’ll need to sign a lease if you have to rent. You’ll have to come up with either a down payment for a house or a security deposit, along with first and last month’s rent for an apartment.” He shook his head. “I’m not convinced you and Shane are ready for that.”
All eyes around the table focused on Hudson. As if on cue, Shane’s parents both set down their utensils. Layla’s and Shane’s
eyes rounded, while shock flickered across Aunt Trudy’s and Melody’s faces.
Hudson turned his attention back to his sister and her fiancé. “I can help you both with that, but will you be able to make
the payments?”
Ire sparked in Layla’s eyes. “We have it handled, Hud, but thanks for the tip.”
“Do you really have it handled?” Hudson turned to Shane’s parents, who watched him with expressions of displeasure. “Layla, it’s time to
grow up. A marriage is more than a wedding and a pretty dress.”
Patrick leaned forward, resting his arm on the white tablecloth. His lips formed a thin line. “I think they’re old enough
to make their own decisions.”
Hudson felt his aunt place her hand on his elbow, but he ignored her. “Do you agree, Mrs. Simpson?”
“Yes, I do.” Libby’s expression was unflappable. “Shane and Layla are responsible young adults, and we’re excited for their
future.”
“Now, Melody,” Aunt Trudy began, her sunny tone sounding a bit forced, “I hear you’re looking to go to UNC Charlotte in the
fall. What do you plan to study?”
Hudson cut into his steak while his aunt forced a subject change with Melody. He glanced around the table, taking in the awkward silence and sober expressions as Layla, Shane, and Shane’s parents kept their focus on their meals. He decided it best to keep the rest of his thoughts to himself—not understanding why he was the only one seeing the reality of Layla and Shane’s situation.
Later that evening, Hudson steered his SUV into his aunt’s driveway. The ride home from the restaurant had been almost silent,
aside from the country music playing from the speakers. Though Layla had kept her eyes on her phone, he’d felt tension radiating
from the back seat.
Aunt Trudy gathered her purse from the floorboard. “Thank you for dinner. I hope I’ll see you soon.” She gave Hudson a quick
pat on the arm.
“You know you will.”
Aunt Trudy climbed out of the SUV and started toward the porch. Then Layla pushed herself out of the back seat and followed
her.
When she didn’t even say goodbye, Hudson leapt out of the car. “Hey, Layla,” he called after her. “What’s wrong now?”
His sister spun to face him, her face a mask of fury. “I think you’ve reached a new low, Hud. It was bad enough that you questioned
Shane about his work, but calling us both out at dinner was even worse.”
“Calling you out?” His voice rose. “I was only asking if you’ve thought about the future—”
She held up her hand. “Save it! I’ve had enough, Hud. I don’t need you lecturing me about what it takes to be an adult. From
now on, you can keep your opinions to yourself because I don’t want to hear them.”
“Layla, I’m only trying to help.”
“Well, keep your help to yourself too.” She pushed the front door open and pinned him with a glare. “And our truce is over.”
“Is it?” he asked. “But you’ll take my money to pay for your wedding?”
Her mouth opened and then closed, her gaze sharpening with every second.
“If you’re such a grown-up, Layla, maybe you should pay for your own wedding.”
“Layla?” Aunt Trudy called from the front porch. “It’s late, and you have to get up early for work tomorrow.”
“I’m coming,” his sister responded before glowering at Hudson. “Then keep your money,” she hissed before shutting the door
behind her.
Frustration boiled under his skin. He climbed into the front seat, slammed the door, and backed out onto the road, then started
toward the Airbnb a few blocks away.
He ran his tongue over his teeth. He had no idea how to get through to his stubborn sister, especially if Shane’s family and
his aunt were all supporting the wedding. He was at a loss as to how to stop it. What kind of a future would she have with
Shane? He couldn’t stand the idea of his sister marrying a guy with no career goals.
When his phone rang, he connected the call over Bluetooth. “Hey, Darren,” he answered, trying to sound upbeat despite the
irritation plaguing him.
“I was wondering how things were going down there in Flowering Glen.”
Hudson shook his head. “Flowering Grove . And unfortunately, things are a little tense here.”
“Tense?” his business partner asked.
“Yeah. I’ve paid for my sister’s wedding dress, and today we booked the country club for the reception.”
“Sounds fancy.”
“It is, but I don’t see how she and her fiancé are going to make it in the real world.”
“Well, man, the best way to learn is to get out there. Have you been thinking about the offer in Bahrain?”
“Yes and no,” Hudson said, flipping on his blinker.
“Well, a couple more offers came in. Positions in Los Angeles and in Europe.” Darren continued to discuss the other opportunities while Hudson drove to Oak Street and parked in the rental
house driveway. “We could always accept offers at the same place and keep working together since we make a great team. What
do you think?”
“It’s been a long day, man. Can you send me the info?”
“Will do.”
“Thanks.” Hudson switched off the ignition.
Darren was silent for a moment. “For what it’s worth, just because they’re young doesn’t mean they won’t make it.”
Hudson rubbed the back of his head. If only life were that easy . “Yeah, I know. G’night, Darren.”
“Night.”
Hudson strode toward the front door, punched in the code, and headed into the warm house. Maybe if he spent the rest of the
evening looking over the offers from Darren, his mind would get a break from his worries about his sister and her dubious
future.