Chapter Twenty-Nine
The storm gradually let up. Cole picked up his little family and one by one, her shop emptied.
Did Zoey have an umbrella with her when she closed up shop?
Why, yes, she did, because hope sprang eternal.
Hers was a yellow, orange and white-striped parasol printed with little smiling pumpkins.
She had the matching galoshes, but those were at home.
Despite the rain, she navigated to the grocery store fine and got home in time to start dinner. Although she was by no means a great cook, she found herself wanting to get better. Because good food brought joy, and she wanted to bring joy to those she loved. And yes, she was talking about Archer.
She loved him.
He was strong and kind and, most of all, loyal to her.
She could see the loyalty shining through in everything he did and said.
His first loyalty had been to her, even when he had obviously liked Robin from the get-go.
Point being, he didn’t like her on principle, because Zoey didn’t like her.
She came first with him. It was all she’d ever wanted. A man who would put her first.
The problem was that he would leave soon, and telling him she loved him wouldn’t be fair.
She’d simply have to accept that he had to go for a while, and he’d be back.
It would be similar to the times her daddy would leave for extended periods.
Occasionally, he’d be gone for months. Only now they had FaceTime and Zoom and so many ways to stay connected.
No, it wouldn’t be the same, but they’d get through it.
He’d be back in Texas and they’d have a beautiful reunion.
She could almost see it now, through her tears, as she gently added saffron to the rice for flavor. Five days wasn’t going to be enough time.
Archer arrived promptly at seven and actually rang the doorbell. Zoey wiped her hands on her apron, untied it and went to greet him.
“Oh, hello! Have we met?” she joked.
He was clutching a bouquet of flowers, and God bless him, they were yellow and orange. It was almost as if he’d been listening all along.
“For you.”
“Thank you,” Zoey said, then pulled him inside to kiss him thoroughly.
She’d never get over the feel of his lips against hers, his beard stubble rubbing against her cheek, his firm arms tight around her.
“I want you to know,” she said, holding his hand and leading him to the kitchen, “everyone asked about you today. A young girl with a streak of pink in her hair wanted you to approve of her shoes—shoes that she bought online. They weren’t even from the store!”
“Ah, that must have been Alice.” He nodded, chuckling. “She needs affirmation for everything.”
“She did say something about that.”
“She’s a good kid.”
As Zoey busied herself at the stove, Archer came around behind her and began kissing her neck while she stirred the rice and chicken.
“Hmm, you smell like tomato sauce.”
“Really? I hope you like tomato sauce.”
“Are you kidding? I’m Italian. I love tomato sauce.”
“We’ll eat in a few minutes.”
Archer sat on a stool in the same place where he’d watched her so many times before. Always asking if he could help, always getting told “no thank you.”
“Where were you when it started pouring?” Archer said, taking an apple and biting into it.
Zoey placed her hand on her chest, reminded of how happy she had felt that afternoon.
“I was showing Valerie Kinsella a black dress.”
She then told him about how lovely it had been when the locals poured into her shop to take shelter from the rain. The cozy feel of everyone being together, safe and warm under her roof.
“Even without a fire, huh? Will wonders never cease?”
“I had such a wonderful feeling come over me, just knowing these were my people. That anyone who comes into my store feels like family. What I’ve created is amazing to me. I never expected this to feel like a second family.” She pointed to him. “And you helped with that.”
Archer shook his head. “That’s all you. The window decorations, Ophelia, the wedding dresses, all the care and effort you take to make people feel like they belong.”
“I’m thinking that this is my legacy. This is what I’ve been trying to find. Not just the clothes or the wedding dresses, I mean, but the shop itself, and the way it connects us all to each other. My mother would have loved this for me.”
“I think you’re right.”
Archer made a fire again, and they ate in front of it, sitting on pillows.
After they finished eating, Zoey grabbed a blanket and threw it over both of them.
She straddled Archer, wrapping her legs around him.
He held her there for several minutes, in the quiet, with the only sound being the crackling fire.
If cozy had a smell, it would be the scent of burning wood.
“Zoey, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Is it serious?” To lighten the mood, she stuck out her tongue and made a goofy face.
Archer laughed. “It could be.”
“Don’t keep me in suspense.” She grabbed him by the shoulders.
“I was offered a job that would keep me in Texas.”
She stared at him. “You wouldn’t go to Asia at all?”
She couldn’t have hoped for such good news. This was the luck that the rain had brought. These were the kinds of blessings that arrived when you had faith in love, took your time and never gave up hope.
“I got an offer today and told him I’d think about it.”
“Think about it? What’s there to think about? You’ve got to do it, Archer!”
When the words came flying out, she feared immediately they sounded too presumptuous. Maybe he didn’t want to give up Asia for her.
“First, as you know, Texas is a big state. I’d still be far from Charming, all the way up in the Panhandle.”
The Panhandle was far, but she could handle it. And her father lived there, too, so she could see him more often.
“It would still be a hell of a lot closer than Asia.”
“Yeah, but while Asia would be temporary, this job in Texas would be permanent. I’d have to move everything and make it my home. Houston would no longer be my base. I wouldn’t be doing much traveling.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know, baby.” Archer took her hand and kissed the inside of her palm. “There’s so much to consider.”
“Well, who’s the client? Are they going to pay you well?”
“Extremely well,” Archer said and met her eyes. “And that’s the other thing I have to tell you. The client is your father.”
At first Zoey thought she’d heard wrong.
“My daddy? Why would he offer you a job?” She froze for a moment. “It isn’t to be Robin’s bodyguard, is it?”
“Not directly, no,” Archer said. “It’s a family job. He said Alec is retiring and recommended me to take his place.”
“So, you’d be working for my father? At his ranch outside Amarillo?”
“And going with him on whatever trips he takes.”
Her mind immediately went to all the times she thought a man was actually interested in her but really wanted to get close to her father.
And, of course, Peter, who Daddy would have loved for her to marry.
Her father didn’t see her with Archer, obviously, or he wouldn’t be taking him so far away.
Or, was he still trying to control her? Trying to get her to move closer to him, where he would always know every move she made.
She’d almost forgotten that the first reason Archer came here was because her father had indirectly hired him.
“He doesn’t realize how close we’ve become,” Zoey said. “Or, maybe he does.”
“I got the feeling he realizes we’re friends, but that’s it.”
“He’s trying to entice me to come home to Amarillo, and this time you’re the carrot stick.”
She’d worked so hard to find her own way here in Charming. To create something she could believe in and pass on. She loved her father, but especially with his upcoming marriage to Robin, it was important to establish boundaries.
“I can’t deny I was tempted, but I’ve decided I’m not going to take the job,” Archer said, tucking her close. “I need to be clear which Lambert comes first with me. Working for your dad would come with its perks, but I’ve always made my own way. No shortcuts for me.”
It was amazing to hear those words, even if they were not giving her what she wanted. For once, someone was truly choosing her.
“Are you sure?” Zoey framed his face. “Because it would keep you in Texas. I may not like you working for my father, but I like the staying in Texas part.”
“I’d much rather have my home base be Houston. That’s home. But Zoey, the truth is, right now you’re home to me. Wherever you are, that’s exactly where I want to be.”
He couldn’t have chosen sweeter words to say to her.
“I love hearing that,” Zoey said, and then she kissed him and took him to bed to show him how much.