Chapter 10
Great. Selena didn’t want to explain to customers that the sheriff had to protect her shop because she could be in danger, which meant they could be in peril while they shopped there.
“No trouble,” Peter said to the ladies. “I just dropped in to get my wife a gift, and then I got a call I had to handle.”
Peter’s response was great. He then received another call and began attending to it.
The ladies brought their merchandise to the counter, wiping out more of her fall sweaters.
“I love these. They’re so original.”
“And long,” the one woman said.
Then Selena wrapped up their purchases, and they left. She straightened the shop up, and then Peter was off his phone again. “Thanks for the save,” she said.
“You’re welcome. I knew you were in a tight spot. With our wolves, everyone knows why we have a police presence here, and they would be fine with it.”
“Yeah, but I’m not sure humans would have been!”
“I’m really fine,” Daniel told the doctor when he returned to check on his wound.
“Selena will be staying with you to take care of you?”
“Yes, Doc.”
“You’re supposed to be protecting her.”
“Peter will have someone watching the house,” Daniel said.
“You’ll rest?”
“Bed rest, couch rest, watch movies, nothing more.”
“All right. I’ll check with Peter, and you can go home tonight as long as he has the manpower to protect you.”
“Thanks, Doc.” Daniel resisted the urge to raise his arms and cheer. He could see himself groaning in pain if he lifted his injured arm, and the doctor making him stay there for longer.
“Don’t make me regret it.”
“I won’t, Doc.”
As soon as the doctor left the room, Daniel called Selena. “They are releasing me tonight. Peter can drive us home. We can fix dinner and watch movies, if you like.”
“That’s wonderful. Hang on.” She began speaking to someone in the shop.
He was afraid he was interrupting a sale.
Then she got back on the line. “The doctor just spoke to Peter and told him you have bed rest. No lifting with your injured arm. If you feel dizzy or have a fever, you have to go to the hospital right away.”
“Yes.” However, Doc hadn’t mentioned that part to him. He would probably receive the information in the discharge paperwork.
“Peter will have someone watching the house day and night. And I’ll fix all our meals.
I’ve hired Trish Walker to run the shop when I’m not there.
She worked for Silva before she got full-time employees, and Trish also worked part-time for Maxine.
So I’m sure she can cover for me during meals and when I need to be there for you, which will be for the next few days.
She’ll be thrilled. She wanted more work. ”
“That’s great. I was worried I was interrupting a sale.”
“No, but I just got some more sales I need to take care of.”
“That’s great. I’ll see you tonight.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
When they ended the call, he felt thrilled that he would be returning home with Selena tonight. The hours wouldn’t pass soon enough.
Selena finally received a shipment of black, green, and orange braided wool rugs that gave the appearance that the center of the circle was a hole, and climbing out of the hole was a skeleton, a witch, or a black kitten.
They were even prettier than pictured. She took pictures of them, then hung up one of each on either side of the mirror and another on the opposite wall.
Then she emailed all her customers who had signed up to receive notifications when she received new merchandise, sending photos of the rugs. They looked so realistic, she just loved them.
She didn’t expect anyone who had recently purchased her merchandise to come back and buy the rugs this soon, but she wanted to share, as she said she would.
Maxine suddenly popped into Selena’s shop. “I have to have the black kitten in the rug.”
“I just love them. I feel as though I would step right into the hole and fall into it,” Selena said.
“Oh, yes, they’re so lifelike.”
Selena was going to put it in a sack, but Maxine declined the offer.
“I’m taking it straight to the shop and putting it in the entryway.”
Selena smiled. “You’ll have to let me know how it does.”
“I will. See you later.” Maxine bounced out of there holding the rug.
Then Laurel called. “Hold one of the skeleton rugs for us. No wait. Meghan said Peter is at the shop watching over you. Tell him to buy one for our store.”
Selena laughed. “All right, I will.”
When they ended the call, Selena conveyed Laurel’s request to Peter.
He smiled and drew out his wallet. “Your merchandise is going to break the bank.”
But it was great business for Selena. If anyone liked the rugs in the other shops and asked where they were sold, they would tell them where they were available.
Then Silva rushed into the shop. “I saw Maxine carrying the cat rug out of the store.” Then she saw the rugs on display. “Oh, they are beautiful.”
“Laurel called to get the skeleton rug for their hotel.”
“Okay, I’ll get the witch one then. I love all of them. Did you know that the Victorian Era was big on the occult, the paranormal, fortune-telling, seances, and the like? They would have tea parties during Halloween.” Silva admired the beautiful rug, running her hand over the soft texture.
“No, I didn’t know that.” But Selena thought it was fascinating.
“Also, the Wolff family’s lodge holds a Halloween party. Everyone comes dressed in costumes. We usually have a theme, but this year it’s a free-for-all. It’s at seven when all the downtown shops are closed. We dress up in our costumes and offer candy at the shops all day long.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“It is. Even our tavern is closed so we can go to the party. The Halloween event is wolf-only. Well, for other shifters also in case any show up.”
“What are you going as?”
“Pirates with three-cornered hats and swords. Food, drink, and dancing will be the business at hand.”
“That sounds great.”
“Do you have any idea what you might be?” Silva asked.
“I’ll wear a Greek dress and be Princess Andromeda. I had it for a party I went to a couple of years ago. Not a Halloween party, just a themed party.”
“Oh, how fun. Well, I’ve got to get back to the tea shop. Good luck with your new rugs. They look fabulous and so realistic.”
“I agree. Enjoy yours.”
“Oh, I will. I want to see how many people will avoid stepping on it so they don’t fall into the ‘hole’.” Then Silva took her rug and returned to the tea shop.
Deputy Trevor stopped by the shop, and Selena thought he was going to relieve Peter, but instead, he asked Selena for the rug Laurel wanted. “She wants me to take it over to the hotel.”
Peter explained, “Meghan and her sisters wanted it dropped off right away. They didn’t want to wait until your shop was closed for the night.”
She thought that was cute. She started thinking about Daniel and whether he wanted to wear a costume that matched hers for the Halloween party. She was excited about doing that with him.
She loved to dance, though the guy she’d been with before didn’t like to, and it was a chore to get him to the floor for one or two dances. She hoped Daniel liked to dance.
When the shop was quiet, she called Daniel. “Hey, you’re not trying to sleep, are you?”
“No, what’s up?”
“Silva just told me about the Halloween party.”
“Oh, yeah, in two weeks. I forgot to mention it. I planned to take you to the party. Is that all right with you?”
“Sure. I have a Greek dress I was going to wear to the shop that day, then to the party. Do you want to wear something to match? I can be Princess Andromeda, and you are Perseus, my rescuer from the sea monster.”
He laughed. “Sounds perfect. I’ll have to get a costume for the period, but that should be fun.”
“Great. Do you dance?”
“Hell, yeah. When I was on active duty with the Army, we had many dances that we were required to attend. I danced with the single women, though they were human so I never dated any. But I love to dance. What about you?”
“Absolutely. If your arm feels well enough by then.” She’d forgotten about that.
“It will. It should be good in a few days.”
“I’m excited about the party and dressing up for it.”
“Me too. I’m glad Silva mentioned it.”
Another woman entered the shop. “I am also. Oh, I have to go. Get some rest.”
“I will.”
Then they ended the call, and the new customer said, “I’m looking for the rug with a skeleton crawling out of the…
oh, there they are. I’m staying at the Silver Town Hotel and I loved theirs.
” She examined each rug style. “They’re all so adorable.
I’ll take one of the skeleton rugs. I’m going home today and having a Halloween party at my house.
It will be perfect for greeting my friends when they arrive. ”
“That sounds like fun.”
Then two more women entered the shop, and one saw the woman holding the rug with the skeleton. “Oh, this is the shop that is carrying those rugs. We saw the one in the dress shop next door with the kitten.”
“I’m getting one for my Halloween party at my home,” the other woman said, clutching the skeleton rug.
“Oh, it should go over fabulously. I want to get the one with the cat. We’re going to the tea shop next door afterward.”
“Silva, the owner, has drinks, soups, and sandwiches, and desserts that are out of this world,” Selena said.
“That’s where I’m going to go too then,” the first woman said.
The ladies purchased their rugs and then headed next door to Silva’s tea shop.
When they left, Peter said, “You’re good for each other’s businesses.”
“We are. This has been great.”
Mainly because the other shops were buying her merchandise, displaying it in their stores, and sharing where they’d purchased it. But it was easy to promote Silva’s food and drinks too.
Before her shop closed for the night, Roxie dropped in. “I had to see the new rugs. Oh, my, they’re even more colorful and adorable than the pictures indicated. I’ll get one of the witches to sit on the floor of our gift shop. How many have you sold?”