Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
A my drove home from Nashville with every thought about the newspaper. Actually, thinking about the paper was too mild. She was obsessing. She played different scenarios for saving her business over and over again in her mind. Nothing solved her problems.
No, she needed to come up with a different approach. When the long drive home with the papers stacked in her trunk didn’t produce any other ideas, she knew that she was back to where she’d been that morning.
She owned a small-town newspaper that would bring in enough money—she hoped—to support itself. The problem seemed to be that the Two Hearts Times wasn’t going to support her. She was going to have to get a job working for someone else. That would involve a long commute, though. She’d have to sell the newspaper and move. But who would want a paper that could barely keep itself afloat?
Her haste in buying the business had gotten her into a sticky place. Her friends had come up with one idea to save the newspaper. Maybe they could come up with a second one.
The landscape morphed into a scattering of houses, then farmers’ fields. She passed the questionable motel that had a police car parked in front with the lights on and, not long after that, saw the sign welcoming her to Two Hearts.
When she saw the sign, reality kicked in. Her friends had come up with a great idea, and the odds of them producing a second one were slim. She’d have to figure out something else on her own. At this point, she wanted a cup of coffee and one of Dinah’s fabulous pieces of pie. It might not solve her problem, but it was a good start.
Inside, Michelle greeted her, and Amy chose a table off to the side. Being led to her favorite table helped her feel like she belonged here. She sat here every time she came in alone or with a friend. Just one more thing to love about her small town.
Once seated, Michelle hurried over, her order book in hand and a glass of water in the other. “We had a busy lunch rush. There are fewer choices of pie.” She gave Amy a steady look. “You are getting pie, right?”
Amy grinned. “Every chance I get.”
“After lunch or instead of it?”
“I’ll be sensible and have pie after whatever the special is.”
“Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. And I have cherry and key lime left.”
“I’ll take the key lime. I don’t think I’ve tried that flavor, but Dinah does everything great, so I know I’ll be happy. ”
“Coming up. That and your usual cup of coffee.”
As Amy waited, the door to Dinah’s opened. Mrs. Brantley walked through the door with a determined expression and a clipboard tucked under her arm. That woman ruled the town as mayor with everything organized on her clipboard.
Scott followed behind her.
For a flicker of a moment, Amy considered asking them to join her. Then she remembered she didn’t want to spend time with Scott.
She was surprised when he followed Mrs. Brantley to her table in the middle of the room. They were close enough that Amy could hear some of their conversation with Michelle. Perhaps conversation was the wrong word. Mrs. Brantley spoke, and Scott listened and nodded.
“We got back from our trip in time to show Scott our town. He could have missed everything we had to offer, especially our new wedding businesses.”
Scott looked directly at Amy. Instead of his usual calm expression, she saw panic.
After Michelle had taken their orders and left, Mrs. Brantley checked her phone. As she tucked it back in her purse, she said, “I have great news, Scott. I was able to schedule a time for you to observe at Bella’s Brides today while she has an appointment with a bride. I want you to experience everything Two Hearts has to offer. That’s much better than the simple tour of her business I had down for the day after tomorrow.”
Amy hid a snicker behind her hand. Scott’s fear had clearly morphed into horror.
Her meal arrived, and Amy picked up her fork to dive in. As she ate, she glanced over at the pair. They’d also gotten the special and pie, with Scott also choosing the key lime. That might be the first thing they had in common.
Before taking a bite, he stared directly at Amy and mouthed the word “help.”
Amy sat back in her seat and watched them. When Mrs. Brantley got rolling on something, she definitely was a force to be reckoned with. She had set her sights on giving Scott the ultimate tour of Two Hearts, probably hoping he’d be so enamored with the place that he’d move here.
She ignored little facts like his long-term career in Chicago. He took a bite of pie as Amy watched them. Mrs. Brantley somehow managed to eat gracefully and lay out plans for the day at the same time.
When he said what looked like “please” with his hand beside his mouth so his host couldn’t see his mouth moving, Amy knew there was no way she could leave without helping. Besides, he’d done her a huge favor by not reporting the fish or mentioning her slippers. Then he’d agreed to stage the proposals with her. Well, he’d been roped into it, but he could have said no as they’d fled the room. No matter what, she owed him.
Amy polished off her pie and then, with a sigh, pushed back from the table and went over to pay. She could feel Scott’s eyes on her the whole time because, at this moment in time, she was his one way out. Michelle and Dinah didn’t know him.
Michelle took her money and said, “What do you have planned for the rest of the day?”
Amy gestured with her thumb toward the parking lot in front of the restaurant. “I picked up the newspapers today, and I’m going to distribute them.” She glanced toward the door. “Do you think I could put some over there? I have these cute little stands now.”
“Dinah!” Michelle called over her shoulder.
Dinah stepped out of the kitchen area, wiping her hands on her apron. “Everything okay?”
“Delicious as always.” Amy repeated her request to the restaurant’s owner.
“Of course, hon. I think that’s a great idea. We’ve started to get more visitors, so we may be able to sell quite a few of them. That reminds me. I’ve been thinking about doing something with the newspaper. Do you think you’d be able to use a recipe from me once a month?”
Amy couldn’t fight the grin that came to her face. “I know everyone would love that. Just get it to me whenever you have time, and I’ll find space. By Wednesday or Thursday of each week would be helpful, though, if you wanted the recipe in the next issue.”
Dinah waved her hand through the air. “Timing doesn’t matter much to me. Not unless I have something special for a holiday, and we don’t have any of those coming up soon.” She gave a nod. “I’ll get to thinking more about it.”
She turned toward the back. Amy gave one more moment’s consideration to what she’d do next before she turned and went straight to the table she should avoid. The one with the man she’d hit with a fish.
“I couldn’t help but overhear your plans for Scott. But I know you’ve been away, Mrs. Brantley. I’m sure things related to your mayoral duties have been piling up.”
Mrs. Brantley said, “I have a few issues. But I’ll get to them soon.”
Scott’s eyes had gone hopeful for a moment, but now he let out a sigh as he assumed his shot at getting out of this planned day was over.
“I may have a way for both to happen. I need to get the newspaper out, and I could use Scott’s help to do that. At the same time, I can give him a tour of Main Street and some other parts of town.”
Mrs. Brantley looked from Amy to Scott and smiled. Oh no! She thought Amy was interested in this man, and that was the last thing she needed right now.
Scott jumped to his feet. He must have decided to take the bull by the horns. “I’d be honored to help you distribute the newspaper. I enjoy a little workout in the fresh air.” He turned toward his host. “If you don’t mind, Mrs. Brantley. You’ve been so kind to me today.”
Mrs. Brantley kept smiling the smile that concerned Amy. “It’s a lovely idea. You two kids have fun.”
And that brought Amy to the point where she was walking out the door of the diner with Scott directly behind her, all with a promise of spending the next few hours alone with him. The day had certainly not gone as anticipated. A quick glance towards Scott’s face said he felt the same way.
As he left Dinah’s Place, Scott felt as if he’d broken out of prison. His afternoon at Bella’s Brides had been canceled. “Thank you.”
Amy giggled. “She had your day planned down to the second.” She stopped and turned to him. “I distribute the newspapers every week by myself. I don’t really need your help.”
He glanced back toward the restaurant. “I think I need to do what I said I would. She’s such a nice lady . . .”
“Good point. Then climb on board. We’ll drop off papers at the grocery store and hardware store. A short visit to Simone’s bakery should take care of the wedding requirement. We’ll get something to eat there. You can tell Mrs. Brantley about your visit later.”
“She has that location scheduled for tomorrow. At least, I’ll have one place knocked off her list.” He sighed. “Everything there is probably pink.”
Amy laughed, and he liked the sound. “You’re right. Pink has become the town’s color and pairs well with weddings. I understand the trend started when Bella painted the park’s picnic tables pink.”
When he pictured family photos taken during a picnic, he winced. At the grocery store, Scott jumped out to carry the papers. He had volunteered, so he would do this. Not that he thought for a second that Amy couldn’t. She seemed to be singlehandedly running the newspaper.
Amy stood with her hands on her hips, looking as if she wanted to argue, then shook her head and led him inside. She’d given him notice, though, that she wasn’t a delicate flower. She was used to doing her job on her own.
After a quick visit with Sam at the hardware store, where Scott learned about a new line of hammers that had just arrived and that Sam felt would revolutionize hammering, they pulled up to the bakery.
A sign over the pale pink door said Delicious Weddings . As they approached the door, he stopped. “I only see wedding cakes in the window.” Wedding-only businesses weren’t a guy’s favorite place to be. “Are you sure we can buy a cupcake?”
“I know we can’t.”
“Then why?—?”
“Because we’ll get a sample or two. Simone gives me one every time I visit her shop.”
Scott reluctantly opened the door and then stepped back to allow Amy to enter first.
“Besides, you were scheduled to come here tomorrow, and there’s no way that Mrs. Brantley hadn’t booked that with Simone.”
In the back, Simone was intently focused on the cake in front of her. “Welcome to Delicious Weddings. I’ll be with you in a sec. Please look around.” Now that they were closer, Scott could see she was adding a yellow border to a cake with words across the top.
Amy called out, “It’s just me, Simone. And I have a visitor with me.”
Simone finished her work and turned toward them. Her gaze went to Amy, then to him, and she got the same smile Mrs. Brantley had. Before he could clarify their relationship—or lack of one—Amy did.
“I just rescued Scott from a day with Mrs. Brantley. She’d scheduled him for tours. Including Bella’s place.”
Simone nodded. “Right. She contacted me about tomorrow afternoon. I don’t have anything special ready to show him.”
“Don’t worry about anything. I brought Scott here, so that’s one stop off the list.”
Simone cocked her head to the side. “If you’d like to try a new flavor, I could give you a taste.” Before he could ask what flavor, she added, “You’d be my first taste tester. I usually make Nick do it because he’s a chef and has no choice since he’s engaged to me. But he’s working at his Nashville restaurant today.”
Amy quickly said, “I’m game.”
“I am too.” He didn’t see a downside to trying any cake flavor.
A couple of minutes later, she handed each of them a dainty plate with a square of frosted cake and a fork. When he saw the color, he laughed. “We were just talking about the town’s love of all things pink.”
“I love pink, too, so it works for me.” Simone bounced on her feet as she watched them. She was a bundle of energy.
They each took a bite. Simone leaned forward as she waited for their responses.
“Strawberry.” And a tang he couldn’t figure out.
“You’re right about that. It’s strawberry cream cheese frosting on my regular white cake.” After a few seconds pause, she asked, “Well? Is the frosting a keeper?”
Amy didn’t hesitate. “Unexpected and delicious.”
“I agree.” Scott peered into the glass case in front of him. “Is there more?”
Simone laughed. “Of course. But not in there.” She boxed up a piece for each of them.
When they left the bakery, Scott realized that instead of time passing slowly as he would have expected with newspaper deliveries and a cake bakery, he’d enjoyed the last couple of hours. “Thank you for rescuing me.”
Amy seemed to hesitate before saying, “Anytime. Can I drop you off somewhere?”
He knew she had more papers to deliver. He also knew she didn’t need a stranger’s help. “I can walk back. Thank you again.”
As he started toward his temporary home, he realized he would like to see Amy again. However, spending time with her when he knew he’d be leaving wouldn’t be his best plan. But he’d agreed to be the man in her photos, so they’d be together again.