Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Aweek later, Erin hummed with excitement and hope as she finished up her workday at Last Chance Vintage.
Her episode of Interstate Antiquer had aired on Tuesday night and now, on Friday, she could hardly believe how much business the show had driven her way.
Even more, she couldn’t get over how generous the viewers had been with donations for Dress for Success.
Remy had been right about that. She still worried about the business growing too fast, but it wasn’t like there were new fast-food restaurants springing up on the main street just because Erin’s store had been featured on a national television show. Professionally, everything was sailing along.
On a personal level? She was worried. After her tense conversation with Remy the night of the break-in, they’d backed off a bit.
He still came to her house often. They’d shared meals and even a few nights, but there’d been a wall between them.
Both of them knew it wasn’t going to work after he left.
However, he’d promised her a big surprise when she got home tonight, so her mind was already traveling the route back to her house, curious what it might be.
Was there any chance he could still make a big, romantic gesture the way Scott had for Bethany? It was almost hard to be around Bethany and not feel hopeful that maybe a happy outcome waited for her and Remy, too.
“I can’t believe this,” Bethany said as she stared into the new addition to Last Chance Vintage, which was now packed wall to wall with clothes.
Erin stood beside her, holding back the heavy plastic sheet as Bethany tried to take it all in. Erin felt dazed each time she saw the huge outpouring of clothes and accessories for her cause.
Erin’s whole family had gotten involved in helping her manage the influx of items. Bethany and Scott were paying their new bookkeeper, Jamie Raybourn, overtime for extra hours she worked to help catalog the donations and set up an inventory system.
Mack and Nina were investigating how to transport the clothes to Nashville for a three-day satellite event at Mack’s bar.
Even Erin’s mom had helped out, coordinating outfit ideas and photographing them with help from Ally and Sarah.
And Heather was flying home early from Texas and would be back in Heartache by nightfall.
The project was going to help so many people.
It went a long way toward helping Erin feel she’d made restitution, of sorts, for the hurt she’d caused Patrick’s wife and children.
“Isn’t it amazing to see?” Erin had no idea when she would be able to open the expanded square footage now that she needed to sort and store so many donated items, but her commitment to Dress for Success only increased after Jamie’s ex-boyfriend had threatened her.
Sarah had explained that Lucas’s father was the one who’d threatened Erin.
“The donations started arriving less than twenty-four hours after the episode aired on Tuesday night and they haven’t slowed down since. ”
“This is a lot of fresh starts,” Jamie exclaimed, her pencil pausing over the buttons of a portable adding machine. “We’re going to be able to give away quite a few mini-wardrobes as starter packages to women who are in the most difficult situations.”
Jamie went back to her calculating as she wove her way through the boxes and packages stacked in every corner of the new space that had been empty just three days ago.
Bethany touched Erin’s arm. “You and Jamie both kept saying how much stuff was being delivered, but until you see it, you can’t really appreciate it.” They stepped back onto the selling floor of the regular store, where a few shoppers took photos of themselves out front.
Last Chance Vintage was definitely experiencing more customers and more sales since the show, just as Remy had predicted.
Unfortunately, the spike in sales hadn’t given her much time to spend with him the past few days.
All the more a shame since he planned to return to Miami tomorrow.
He and Sarah would drive back together in her car after they dropped off his rental.
They’d be home before school resumed on Monday.
But then again, there was a surprise planned for tonight.
Maybe he’d changed his mind about leaving. Or maybe he planned to come back once Sarah finished school. Erin had been thinking about it all day. Remy had seemed so excited about whatever it was he had planned.
“Thanks for paying for Jamie to help me out this week.” Erin wouldn’t have known where to start with an inventory project.
Lucas’s mom had been invaluable. “I’m glad she got to know Sarah a little bit before she goes home.
I have the feeling Lucas and her are going to end up seeing more of each other in the future. ”
The two teens had been talking about schools they could both attend, or colleges in the same state so they could visit each other. Remy was skeptical and—while he’d liked Lucas immediately—he worried about the kid’s unstable family.
Of course. Even for someone without Remy’s issues, that was a reasonable concern.
But Remy had become more vigilant since the arrest at the store, not letting Sarah go far by herself.
Erin had tried not to overthink how much it would hurt to lose Remy, telling herself she needed to concentrate on her own needs for a change—her business and her charitable program.
“He’s a good kid, isn’t he?” Bethany squinted at the front window display and darted into the vignette to straighten a sign that read Go Green—Buy Consignment!
“Lucas stopped by Finleys’ Building Supplies on Monday to see his mom’s new office and he seemed so proud of her. He completely won me over.”
“I liked him right away when I met him, too.” Erin checked her phone to see if Remy had texted her.
She had one eye on the clock, looking forward to spending time with him.
“And apparently his father isn’t eligible for bail because of some drunk-and-disorderly issues in the past and an unanswered summons, so Jamie doesn’t have to worry about him coming around for a while.
Plus, once he’s out of jail, the restraining order will go into effect for her, Lucas, Scott and me. ”
“Basically, he’ll have to stay out of Heartache when he’s released.” Bethany gave the thumbs-up sign.
“Amen.” Erin gathered her keys and checked her phone for the umpteenth time, still thinking about Remy and whatever surprise he had in store for her. Was he ready to move forward? “You’re sure you want to hang out here after I close up?”
“Positive.” Bethany hugged her. “Jamie has an idea for reorganizing and I’m going to help her get started. You know how I like stuff like that.”
“You do like a plan, don’t you?” She winked at her sister-in-law, so glad to see her happy again. Was it too much to ask for some of that happiness? “I’m grateful to you both.”
She backed out of the store with a wave.
Locking the door with her key, she thanked the excited customers milling around out front. After a few minutes, she climbed into her car to head home, where Remy had said he’d be waiting for her. She’d been wondering about the surprise all day.
She’d also been nervous.
The last time she’d gotten excited about a “surprise” from a guy, she’d been looking for a ring from Patrick.
He’d actually been buying expensive “I’m sorry” jewelry for his wife.
While—obviously—she knew that Remy wasn’t deceiving her that way, she did worry about letting her expectations get the better of her only to be disappointed later.
And no matter how much she cared about Remy, he had been distracted all week about what had happened with Lucas’s father, repeatedly going through scenarios with Sarah on what to do if accosted.
Rolling down her car window, she pulled into her driveway just in time to see Remy pounding a sign into the front yard.
His muscles glistened with a light sheen of sweat, his T-shirt gone missing as he wielded a sledgehammer to get the job done. She admired the enticing show of masculinity without question, but she wondered what on earth he was doing.
She pulled into her driveway and he turned to see her.
His broad grin made her smile back. He stepped aside so she could read the sign he’d just installed on a sizable wooden post right where she had planned to plant a peony bush.
The sign displayed a logo for a home security company—right underneath the words “This home protected by…”
He’d installed a home security system.
Disappointment deflated her. She’d let herself really hope this time.
Now she needed to drum up some kind of response while she sat in her car and stared through the windshield.
She felt gut punched and knew she should stir up enthusiasm.
It was very kind of him, and had probably taken several hours to set up.
But in spite of everything, she had longed for a romantic gesture before he left.
An indication that he cared about her enough to make her a priority.
That risking her heart had been worth it.
“Wow.” She stepped out of the car and strode across the grass. “This is a surprise.”
He wrapped her in his arms and squeezed her tightly. Because he missed her? Or because he spent so much time remembering the horrible death of the woman he could never replace?
She blinked, trying not to let this upset her when she’d known…known…he was planning to leave her tomorrow. Damn it, she had no one to blame but herself for letting herself hope.
“I couldn’t leave here without knowing you’re going to be safe.” He stroked her hair. “Wait until you check out all the features this thing has.”
Circling her waist with one arm, he guided her toward the house.
“Has Sarah seen it?” She wondered what his daughter had thought. “She said she was going to drop by here with Lucas this afternoon to use the internet and search for schools.”