CHAPTER SIX
WHITNEY
When Whitney walked into the café with Ross, Crystal waved at them from behind the counter. She was hard to miss with her short, messy, purple hairdo.
It amused Whitney that Crystal never failed to see her customers either coming or going. She made a point of greeting new people, giving them a welcome that made them want to come back again.
Ross waved at Crystal but kept on walking.
They were able to get seats inside facing one another in a corner booth.
“I already know what I’m having,” said Whitney. “There’s nothing like the Caesar salad here.”
“I’m going for a Reuben sandwich,” said Ross, looking up as an older waitress approached with menus and a pitcher of ice water.
“What’ll you have?” the waitress said, pouring them each a glass of water, and handing out the menus.
Whitney and Ross quickly gave their orders and sat back.
Facing the doorway, Whitney smiled when she saw Dani and Brad enter. She waved at them.
Dani and Brad came right over.
“Care if we join you?” Brad asked.
“We’d love to have you,” said Whitney. “We just completed the building information form for Collister Construction for Ross’s house.”
“Oh, good,” said Dani. “I’m helping to coordinate that.” She turned to Ross. “No more additions to the basic plan?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m pleased with what we did the other day.”
“Good,” said Dani. “With some materials so hard to get, we must have these selections of finishes made early in the game.”
“Right,” said Brad, “so we can hit a homerun with our customers.”
The four of them laughed at his attempt to tease Ross with baseball lingo.
“Sorry, I couldn’t resist that,” said Brad, his eyes sparkling with humor.
Whitney could see why Dani loved him so much. He was such a nice guy.
Through lunch, they talked about the housing development and Ross’s house, in particular.
“I’ve told Whitney I want it to be a home for a family. A couple of my friends can’t believe it, but I’m ready to settle down. I’ve partied all over the world, but now I need something deeper than that. You know?”
Brad smiled and placed an arm around Dani sitting next to him. “I know exactly what you mean. Dani and I are building a home at The Meadows, too. There’s something about the development that makes customers want to stay there.”
“It’s the best of both worlds—a luxury home and country living with easy access to bigger cities,” said Dani.
Whitney nodded thoughtfully. “It’s perfect for families too.”
Dani’s cheeks grew pink as she glanced at Brad. “We think so.”
Whitney didn’t dare look at Ross. He was intriguing, but she wasn’t sure about a future with him. Maybe thinking something could come of it was simply her being unrealistically romantic, wanting a change from the past few months.
###
Later that afternoon, Whitney sat in the dance studio with the twelve children who’d signed up to put on the play, A Mouse’s Mistake.
Looking down at the eager faces, her heart lifted.
Elissa Sawyer, the girl playing Lucy, the mouse, was a natural for the part. Her schoolteacher parents had helped her with her script, and she already knew many of the lines. Better yet, she was a natural actress, and her facial expressions matched the words. Whitney already loved both Elissa and her character, Lucy.
Tessa Knight, who was playing the cat, had her actions down but would need help on her words.
The other kids, playing smaller parts, would be fine.
Whitney turned to Jamie and Susan and the other two girls working on sets and stage enhancement.
“What ideas have you come up with for the stage?” she asked them.
“Well, the play takes place in a garden, so we need lots of flowers,” said Jamie.
“And a place for Lucy to sit. So, I thought of a log,” Susan said.
“A couple of trees,” said one of the girls.
“Maybe some birds in trees,” the other girl said.
“Wonderful,” exclaimed Whitney, truly impressed with their thoughts. “I know where we can get some paper flowers or better yet, make them. And we can ask the florist in town to let us borrow some tall plants.”
“Or ask my father’s landscaping company for trees,” said one of the girls.
“And I could bring in my pet parakeet as long as we keep him in a cage,” said another.
“I love all the thought you’ve put into it. Anything else?” asked Whitney.
“I could paint a picture to hand out to everyone with the program,” said Jamie.
Unsure about that, Whitney glanced at Linda, the owner of the studio. She nodded emphatically.
“Okay, Jamie, that sounds perfect,” said Whitney and faced the group. “How about we come back in two days for another rehearsal?”
The chorus of “Yeses” brought a smile to Whitney.
Jamie held back as the other kids raced for the door.
“Is there something I can help you with?” asked Whitney.
“I need to make sure my dad doesn’t know I come here to dance class. Is there another place we can rehearse?”
“Mmm, maybe,” said Whitney. “Why don’t I ask and see if I can work something out.”
“Okay, thanks,” said Jamie breaking into a smile. “My father thinks dancing is for sissies. He doesn’t know how strong you have to be to do it.”
“Yes, I took dance lessons for years, and I know how true that is,” said Whitney, filling with sympathy for him. “You have to be strong and fast on your feet.”
She said goodbye to him and headed over to Beckman Lumber. Bethany Beckman had promised to look into approval for theater rehearsals to take place there. That would be a better place for Jamie and the kids to practice, giving Linda a break from having to keep the studio open.
As she drove into the lumberyard and over to the gift shop, Whitney was eager to see Bethany. The two of them working together had picked out several things from the store for the cottage—household items that were unique. She couldn’t wait to see what might have come into the store since she’d last been there.
Opening the door and stepping inside was like walking into a bright wonderland of gifts, household items, and artwork. Whitney glanced around, checking for new items. Her gaze landed on an old-fashioned bird bath made of alpine stone. She checked the tag. Though it was pricey, she knew it was perfect for the garden Taylor was planning.
“Hi, Whitney,” said Bethany appearing from her office. “What can I help you with?”
As they hugged hello, Whitney was careful not to crush Bethany’s growing baby bump. “First of all, I want to buy the bird bath. Secondly, I need to ask you if I can use the storage shed for play rehearsals as we discussed earlier. It would be for only a couple of weeks or so. I’ve unexpectedly decided to do a short, trial play to put on over Labor Day.”
“How exciting! Yes, I’ve checked on your use of it and the answer is yes. We open it in the morning and close it up at night. So, if this is for evening rehearsals, we’ll have to make special arrangements.”
“No, no, the rehearsals will take place in the afternoon. I’m thinking three o’clock.”
“Perfect. No problem then.” Bethany grinned. “Come on back to the storeroom. I’ve got some new things in.”
“I’ll look, but at the moment I want to buy the bird bath.”
“Just look,” said Bethany with a twinkle in her eye.
A short while later, Bethany rang up the bird bath and several other outdoor ornaments. “I knew you’d like the new shipment,” she said with a pleased smile.
Whitney laughed. “I can’t help myself. Some of the things you have here are totally irresistible.”
“I love them, too. When I first married him, I kept telling my husband and his family that I could make a go of a gift shop here and they didn’t believe me. It’s taken some time, but it’s working, just like I said.”
“How do you compete with the stores on Main Street?” Whitney asked.
“I don’t. But I do have a display of items in the bookstore. Estelle Bookbinder is happy to do that for me because I’ve always promoted the bookstore here.”
“Nice. I love that,” said Whitney. “Maybe she’d be willing to put up a poster about the play in her store.”
“I’m sure she would. I will too. I have a special bulletin board for local events.” Bethany gave her an affectionate look. “I’m glad to see you get involved in the community. I know it will be appreciated.”
“Thanks. I’m hoping it’s the start of a lot of new theater opportunities for kids in the area. I’ll have Brad and Dani pick up the purchases later. The bird bath is too heavy for me to load, but Brad can put it in his truck.”
“No problem. Everything will be kept safely here until they’re ready.”
They hugged again and Whitney left the store, thrilled that the rehearsal space she wanted was available to them.
###
At the house that evening, Whitney sat with her sisters on the patio catching up with one another as they sipped a wine Dani had picked out for them.
“You’ll love the birdbath I bought for the cottage,” said Whitney. “Taylor, you’re doing a fabulous job of working with Graham Landscaping Company. The sketches you showed us look terrific. I can’t wait for the house to be painted so those plans can be implemented.”
“The Landscaping Company does a terrific job at The Meadows,” said Dani. “I’m so pleased you’re taking care of that end of things for the cottage, especially now that we’re getting close to completing the project.”
“I never thought I’d be so thrilled to own this house with the two of you,” said Whitney. “But it’s perfect for all of us.”
“You don’t mind that I’ll be coming and going between here and New York City?” asked Taylor. “As long as one of us is staying at the cottage, it will meet the requirements arranged between GG and the new owners.”
“Right,” said Dani. “I figure if we get in a bind timewise, I’ll simply move from my house here at The Meadows to the cottage for a short time. Hopefully, that won’t be necessary. Either way, it’s a win-win situation because the cottage is gorgeous.”
“I intend to stay in Lilac Lake for the foreseeable future,” said Whitney. “If the time comes for me to be away on a job, I could be gone for long periods of time. But we’ll work that out when necessary.”
“Agreed,” said Dani. “So, what else is going on with the two of you?”
Whitney grinned. She loved girls’ night with her sisters, whether it took place at a restaurant or like this evening, simply staying at home.
Taylor let out a long sigh. “Mom is going to get her wish that one of us have a big, lavish wedding. When Cooper and I marry, it will be a big wedding in New York. Mom and Grace Pritchard have agreed with everyone scattered away from Atlanta, it makes sense to hold it in a more central location.”
“Are you okay with that?” asked Whitney. “After all, it’s your wedding.”
“Yes. Cooper and I talked it over, and we both agree the wedding doesn’t matter as much as the honeymoon. We’re going to Tahiti with a layover in Hawaii.” Taylor clasped her hands together and a huge smile spread across her face. “It should be a fabulous trip.”
“Oh-h-h, that will be lovely,” said Dani. “Brad and I are going to Paris for our honeymoon. The people at my old office gave me two tickets to Paris as my farewell gift.” She beamed at them. “It couldn’t come at a better time.”
“What about your wedding?” Whitney asked Dani.
“Brad and I are talking about a Christmas wedding at our house so we can celebrate the holidays together as a married couple.”
“That’s a beautiful idea,” said Taylor. “But it won’t give you much time to prepare.”
“Brad and I want our wedding and all the celebrations around it to be as simple as possible. We’ll get married here in Lilac Lake at the Congregational Church. I’ve already warned Mom about it, and she understands.”
“What about you, Whitney? What do you want for a wedding?” asked Taylor.
Whitney laughed. “Uh, you forget. There’s one problem. I have yet to find a groom.”
Taylor elbowed her. “You have two choices—Nick or Ross. Both men are into you.”
A sting of barely formed tears surprised Whitney. Maybe it was being in this cute little town where everyone was so friendly, but for the first time in a long while, she was ready to see if she could find a man she might want to marry one day.