Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
A my paced across her newspaper office, turned, and crossed again. After several trips each way, she sat on one of her boxes to think about this. How could she go from person to person and have it look purposeful? She needed to be able to spend time with Cassie with the top goal of prying information out of her about the wedding of her dreams, which they were all hoping they were about to deliver.
She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. Then she stood again. “Okay, think of this as if it was an ordinary article. You’re going to pitch the idea to an editor. It’s all about being sneaky to figure out what someone wants for their special occasion.”
She nodded as she thought about it. “I just have to ask questions.” And then she perked up. “I’m a reporter. Reporters ask questions.”
She picked up her phone and called Cassie. “I’m going to do an article—really a series of articles—about the wedding businesses in Two Hearts.”
Silence met her. “I appreciate this, but didn’t you already do that?”
In her excitement, she had forgotten she had done that. And in the first month she’d been open. Think. Think!
“I am actually switching this up a bit. I want to write about the businesses, but this time in a way that doesn’t seem quite so promotional.” She loved the words coming out of her mouth and hoped her good ideas continued. “I could ask you about wedding trends for the summer. I know it’s the last minute if someone’s planning their summer wedding, but I think more people than we realize wait until now. And it may help someone who’s actually planning a year ahead. What do you think?”
“I love publicity. And I like your idea of not having it seem so much like an advertising campaign.”
Now Amy felt like she was on a roll. “It may be fun, too, if each of you comments on the others. That probably only made sense in my mind.”
Cassie laughed. “You’re right.”
“Bella could indicate her choices for wedding dress styles for a summer wedding, and you can comment and say which one you loved most. Simone shares cake flavors and decorating for a summer wedding, and you comment. Not just you but each of you for the other’s trend suggestions. Does that make sense now, Cassie?”
“I love it! And each time you write an article, it promotes the rest of us too. But don’t forget Paige and her photography.”
Amy chewed on her lip for a second. “I’m never sure when it comes to photography how something would change for the season. But you’re a wedding planner, so please clue me in.”
“Paige would take more outside photos if the background was green, beautiful, and not cold, as long as it wasn’t one of our ridiculously hot and humid summer days.”
Amy laughed. “I think I’d choose more inside photos then. But I do see your point. I’ll get Paige on board with this too. I may as well get started right away. Are you available tomorrow morning for an initial chat?”
She heard rustling as Cassie seemed to be checking a schedule.
“I can do any time from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Your price of admission is a piece of pie.”
Amy laughed. “I should be there at 11:00 a.m. I’ll see what I can do about the pie.”
As soon as she had ended the call, Amy raced out the newspaper office door to get to Simone. A few minutes later and out of breath, Amy burst through the door and startled a woman inside buying a cake.
“Sorry. Forgive me. I’ll just sit over here at this little table. You take your time.”
The woman, whom Amy did not recognize turned back to complete her order. From her interaction with Simone, she seemed to be a town resident. Amy knew she needed to get out more in the town and meet people, and this confirmed it. She should know everyone in Two Hearts by now. But in reality, she only knew the people she’d interviewed or spent time with. Even in church on Sunday morning, there were quite a few people she couldn’t address by name.
When the woman left, Simone said, “What was so urgent that you looked like you were about to pass out when you flew through my door?”
Amy approached the glass counter that held the few cakes Simone had made in advance. “I have an appointment to talk to Cassie tomorrow morning. I’m not allowed to call you, so I’m here to see if you can put together samples by then. I could pick them up and take them over for her to taste as part of the article.” She explained the idea she’d come up with as she’d been talking to Cassie.
“I love it!” Simone giggled. “We may just pull this off yet. And to answer your question, yes, I can have three or four samples ready. Stop by after 9:00 a.m. tomorrow.”
The door opened to another customer. Simone’s business really was taking off. Amy was glad for her because she knew she had been concerned when she’d moved here as to whether or not she’d be able to survive in the small town. As the town began to prosper, though, people had money in their budget for special birthday, anniversary, or graduation cakes. Amy heard the order begin for the last one as she was leaving.
Amy had the rest of the day before her and wondered what she should do with it. She knew enough about the town and the businesses that she probably didn’t need to do any more research for tomorrow’s interview with Cassie. Standing in front of Simone’s bakery, she looked directly at Bella’s Brides. But she did need Bella’s info, so she crossed the street and went in. Amy quietly wove her way through the dress displays to peer into the center area and ensure she wasn’t interrupting a bridal party.
“Amy?”
Amy jumped, her hand on her racing heart. “You scared me!”
“What’s with the subterfuge? I saw you skulking through the shop.” Bella watched her with a questioning expression.
“I’m the courier, remember?”
Bella grinned. “If this has something to do with Project Wedding, come toward the back with me. Then no one will see us together. Well, no one outside my employees, and they know not to say anything about anything.”
“Are there many secrets shared in here?”
Bella’s grin widened. “So many things. What spills out of someone’s mouth when they’re about to get married is amazing. It must be the pressure.”
Amy explained her idea for the article. Then she added, “I’m going to see Cassie tomorrow. If you have anything ready, I could take it over to get the ball rolling.”
Bella shook her head. “I need a little longer for the dress sketches, so please come to get them right before your interview with Cassie. I had a plan but changed my mind. What I really need—like desperately need—is the color or colors she wants. I know it’s pink and yellow, but which pinks and yellows? I have to get going on the matron of honor dress.”
Amy didn’t know how long that would take, but it must be more than a couple days.
Bella went over to her check out desk, retrieved her purse from underneath, and pulled something out. “I also have the color swatches Paige gave me yesterday.” She passed both to Amy. “Once the design and colors are confirmed, I’ll be able to ramp up production.”
Amy felt a little fidgety when she thought about the role she would have to play with Cassie. “I certainly hope this works. I’ve never played a role like this.”
“Just consider it a new role for the stage. Like your proposals.”
Amy laughed. “Hopefully not like the proposal photos.” She gave a brief summary of the goat experience that had Bella laughing by the end.
As Amy tucked the items in her purse, Bella said, “I hope we are able to pull this off. Cassie isn’t stupid, so it’s game over if she catches a whiff of anything that doesn’t feel right.”
Amy’s nerves ramped up. “Thanks for calming me down.”
“It wouldn’t be the end of the world.” Bella put her hand on Amy’s shoulder. “They’ll get married. It just could be a lot longer before she can do this on her own. One thing did occur to me. What about the marriage license?”
Amy gasped. “I’ve never gotten married. Do you need to have one of those before you get married?”
“You definitely do. I’m surprised Mrs. Brantley hasn’t thought of it, but she’s probably been so busy with her tasks and being mayor that it hasn’t occurred to her.” Bella stood, tapping her ballet-flat-covered foot as she considered it. When Amy had arrived in town, Bella’s feet had often been clad in high heels. Now that she was far into her pregnancy, Bella only wore flats. “We may have to talk to Micah about this to see how we can get it to work. As a lawyer, even if he doesn’t know, he’ll know who to ask.”
“I’ll add him to my list. Maybe I’ll stop by right after this.”
Bella grabbed her arm as she turned to leave. “Remember, you can’t go to Micah. We don’t want you going anywhere that wouldn’t make sense to Cassie if she happened to see you there.”
“Right. Everything is much more complicated right now. I could come up with a legal matter to talk to him about or even put him in the article I’m supposed to be writing. A lawyer in it would be a stretch, though.” Amy blew out a breath. “I’ll put Scott on it.”
“I’d talk to my husband for you, but I’m so exhausted by the time I get home from work that I can’t guarantee I will do anything except collapse on the couch. Micah’s even trying to learn to cook for me.”
“How are the results?”
Bella made a fake, toothy smile. “You see this?” She pointed to her mouth. “This is the expression I give him when he asks if I enjoyed a meal. I appreciate Micah’s attempts in the kitchen, but he needs to stick to lawyering.”
Amy laughed. “Maybe we should let people in town know you would love some meals when you got home from work. There’s nothing some of these older ladies enjoy more than sharing their love of cooking with someone.”
“We received some meals when we were first married. I loved having great readymade food. I’m kind of counting on that again after the baby’s born, so I’ll put up with Micah’s meals for now.”
Amy laughed again. “Then I’m going to be on my way.” As she started toward the door, she realized she had one more question. “What do you know, Bella, about the empty stores on Main Street? There are a lot of them.”
“I know the owners would be thrilled to either sell or rent them. I’ve been in every one of them at this point. The one next door to me used to be some sort of general store or sold fabric. It has shelves.”
“It has shelves?”
“They go all the way up one wall. In the old days, you walked up to a counter, and then they got whatever you wanted.”
“Are they wood shelves?” Having those already there would be a big help.
“Yes, they are, but why are you interested? You have a big place for your newspaper.”
Amy looked at the floor and then at the ceiling. “I love books. I have so many of them that it’s been suggested—multiple times—that I open a bookstore.”
Bella’s eyes lit up. “Another business on Main Street would be fabulous! Now, we don’t have many options for visitors. Paige’s place is cute inside, but visitors don’t browse at a photo studio. They go there intentionally for a photo session or to talk to her about getting wedding photos done. It’s kind of the same with my shop. Simone is really the only one who draws people in just to buy. It would be great to have a business like a bookstore to bring foot traffic to Main Street.”
“The problem is that I don’t think I’d be able to afford the rent. You already know my struggles with finances and the newspaper.”
“Has anything changed after the proposal photos went out?”
“Yes. Well, sort of. A few people have written to say they’re enjoying the small-town feeling.” The weight that had settled on her shoulders lifted slightly as she thought about new possibilities. “I keep hoping that will translate into new subscriptions. That the newspaper makes them happy.” She needed to remember those words. The increase may be tiny, but it was also a move in the right direction.
“As to the cost, the owners are so thrilled to get someone into their shops that they will give it to you for almost nothing. As long as they don’t have to pay any property tax on it, they’re already ahead.”
Excitement was starting to build in Amy. What if she could have a bookstore?
“Do you think I could see inside the building sometime soon?”
Bella gestured around her. “I don’t have an appointment for hours. Would now work?”
Amy thought over the rest of her afternoon. She wasn’t on a deadline crunch for next week yet. “Are you going to call the owner now?”
“I have a key. When I had some work done in the upstairs bathroom, the contractor said he could work on it more easily from the other side. Don’t ask me about the logistics of these things because I don’t know. Don’t worry, though, because I know it was completely patched up, whatever they did.”
Was she ready to do this?
“I can read your mind. Looking at a building isn’t buying or renting it. It’s not even fixing it up. It’s just looking at it.”
“Kind of like window shopping. I do love window shopping.”
“Exactly. I need to do some shopping in the city for the baby. Maybe we could get together for that one day. It worked out well when I rode with you the last time. Except we missed lunch out there.”
“But you had a good nap.”
Bella rolled her eyes. “I seem to be doing that a lot.”
“I go into the city every Monday. You’re welcome to ride along anytime you want.”
Amy waited while Bella went back and got the key. Her mind said this is completely wrong. She shouldn’t even consider looking to start another business in Two Hearts when she was already struggling with the first one.
Bella returned, and they started for the door again. “Why are you looking for a new place, though, when you already have one? You could easily fit a bookstore inside your newspaper office. And you own that building outright, don’t you?”
“I do, but because of where it’s located, I get close to zero foot traffic. Just dog walkers and things like that. I know having a bookstore in a small town probably isn’t going to bring in a bunch of money to start with, anyway. Reducing my chances of success by having it on a side street doesn’t seem like a good plan.”
“You’re definitely right. But it seems kind of a shame to have two buildings.”
When they arrived in front of the neighboring building, Amy realized she hadn’t paid much attention to the individual buildings on the street. She should write about the history of each one sometime.
This one was another one of the closed-up shops on Main Street. She’d seen a photo from a year before, and at that time, there’d been boarded-up windows instead of what they had now. It had looked completely abandoned. The weddings in town led the townspeople to remove the boards and occasionally clean the outside windows on the buildings to make the town feel lived in. Even if parts of it weren’t. At least not yet.
Bella opened the door and stood to the side. Dank air rushed out at them, and Amy wondered what she’d gotten herself into. “Maybe this is a bad idea.”
Bella laughed. “When these buildings are closed up, they feel lifeless. Now that the door is open, though, it will be fine. My building felt so abandoned when I first went inside. Look at it now.”
She had a point. Amy followed Bella inside. As she’d said, one wall was lined with wooden shelves. It was better than she could have asked for. They were spaced apart, just as she would have chosen for books. The other side had wood paneling on it, which she was pretty sure was called beadboard. At various points in history, there had been coats of turquoise, white and olive green because hints of each came through the peeling mess. Even so, she could feel the potential of the place as she surveyed the room.
“It sucks you in with possibilities, doesn’t it?”
Amy had almost forgotten Bella was with her. “It does. Is this how you felt when you got your shop?”
“Frankly, I was marrying a man to save my finances. No, I take that back. We were already married. My life was being uprooted in big ways. But when I saw my shop, I immediately envisioned my business there, and it gave me hope.”
Amy definitely wanted more hope. The building was deeper than she’d realized from the front, and as she compared it to Bella’s, she realized a lot had been done there in the same amount of space, so much that she couldn’t tell what the space must have looked like empty.
A long counter stood in front of the shelves. “This counter is awesome, but I wonder if it will cut off people trying to see the books?”
“I was wondering that too.”
Amy moved to the back of the room. “The flow would be better if the counter was portable and could be relocated here. I wonder where I would store other books and office supplies?”
Bella pointed upward. “The second floor.”
Amy gazed upward. “I didn’t even realize there was one. Do you have a second story?”
“That’s where we make the dresses.”
“I’ve never been in that part of your business. I’ve only seen the finished dresses.”
“You’re welcome to have a tour anytime you want. You may find something useful for the new article you’ll be writing.”
Amy started for the back of the building. “Great idea! Let’s head upstairs here.”
Bella stepped in front of her. “Be ready for anything. I’ve never been upstairs here. If you had seen mine when I went there the first time . . .” Bella shuddered then moved to the side so Amy could pass.
How bad could it be? Amy stopped at a closed door and pulled it open slowly. It creaked, ratcheting up her concern. Then she laughed. “I was starting to let this get to me. Let’s see what’s up there.”
Amy slowly crept up the dimly lit stairs. A window somewhere was allowing in enough light that she could see where she was going, but nothing more. Bella lumbered up the stairs behind her. When Amy reached the top, she realized the room was cleaner than she’d expected.
A couple of minutes later, Bella was beside her. “I just remembered Mrs. Brantley stored some boxes of ornaments and lights here for the Christmas tree lighting ceremony we had last December. Dinah ordered everything, but it was stowed here. I’m not sure where they’re keeping everything now.”
Bella waved her hand at the room. “So what do you think?”
Amy wandered over to the window and rubbed an area clean with her hand. Her hand came back dirty, but enough light entered through the semi-clean spot that she had an idea of the bright space this room could be.
“This reminds me of my second floor.” Bella looked around. “I have a bathroom on both floors.” She walked over and opened up a door. “I think this is where yours is. I didn’t notice a door downstairs, did you?”
“Nope. That’s okay. Now that I see a room this size, I wonder what I’ll do with all the space.”
“You want storage, don’t you?”
Amy laughed. “Yes. But I guess you can’t have too much room, can you?” She could envision boxes of books, maybe shelves where neatly organized books waited to replace those that were sold.
“Are you going to sell other things? In other bookstores I’ve seen specialty items like stationery and chocolates.”
“I can only picture books right now, but maybe I could add more items later. There’s one wall of shelves, so maybe I should build another one on the opposite side.”
“The room is wide enough to add shelving units down the center too.”
The vision came more to life as they spoke.
“Will your store be special in some way? Unique?”
“Everything in this town has something to do with weddings.”
Amy hadn’t realized she’d spoken out loud until Bella said, “Are you thinking of a wedding bookstore? I get a lot of clients—even with the many information-packed websites available—who want a book about planning a wedding or choosing a wedding dress. I’ll bet Simone has the same situation with cakes, Paige with wedding photos, and Cassie with the overall planning.”
Amy’s excitement built. “I’d only considered a small area for those, but I could have a whole section of the store with wedding books. A big how-to collection.”
Bella grinned. “That would be so fun.”
Amy heard someone calling from downstairs. A female voice she didn’t recognize at first asked, “Can anyone join your party?”
When she realized it was Cassie’s voice, Amy started to panic. Then she realized nothing she was doing right now had anything to do with Cassie’s wedding. Bella’s face showed a similar range of emotions.
Bella went to the top of the stairs and called down, “We’re up here.”
When Cassie got to the top of the stairs, she looked around. “I saw inside here a couple of times in December. It’s funny how an empty room appears so big.” Cassie walked around for a moment, and then she turned to the two of them. “Are you thinking of expanding, Bella?”
Amy raised her hand. “It’s for me.”
“Then I’ll rephrase my question,” Cassie said with a smile. “Are you thinking of expanding, Amy?”
They all laughed.
“Expanding isn’t really the right word. I’m thinking of having a bookstore too.”
Cassie lit up. “That sounds like a great addition to Main Street. What would you do with this space on the second floor? Storage?”
Amy looked around. “Seems like a lot of room for storage.”
“She has great ideas.” Bella explained the idea for the wedding section of the store.
“That’s so good! I can give you the titles of the books I recommend to my clients when they ask. And almost all of them ask. I’ve even thought of putting together some sort of journal on my own so they can keep track of details, but I didn’t want to go to all the trouble of trying to sell it myself. Would you sell my journal if I create it?”
Excitement rushed through Amy. “Absolutely! This store is feeling more real by the second. I’m both excited and terrified.”
Bella laughed. “I can certainly relate to that. Cassie’s fortunate because she didn’t need a storefront, just her house.”
Cassie looked around the room. “Every once in a while, I think about getting a space for meetings so I don’t need to have somebody in my house if I’m not in the mood. Or if I didn’t feel like vacuuming that morning.”
Bella chuckled. “I’d have needed that space right away. I rarely feel like vacuuming in the morning.”
After another chuckle, the women moved toward the stairway and back down. At the bottom of the stairs, Cassie said, “What have you decided, Amy? Are you going to check out some other places in town?”
Once again, Amy pictured her bookstore here and open with customers pulling books off the shelf and bringing them up to the register to buy. It felt so real. “I can’t imagine another place that would have shelves like this. This seems like the perfect place for a bookstore to start. I can add more shelving later.”
Bella nodded in agreement. “It certainly does. I know the owner, Harriet Tumwater, and she would love to have a tenant in here. It’s been empty for decades.”
Amy went toward the door. “I’m going to have to sleep on this. I’m not sure how I’m going to pay the rent when I already have one property. I’d try to sell it if I thought anyone would be interested, but two other nearby buildings with similar space are already available.”
That evening, Amy ate a rare dinner with Dexter. She made spaghetti for them and a salad for herself. She would have happily made a salad for him, too, but he wasn’t interested.
“So, Ames, how’s the newspaper going?”
He never asked about her business. “Business has been okay.” Make that stagnant. “How about you? How’s the exciting world of blogging?”
He rolled his eyes. “I picked up a new sponsor. I’m happy about where it’s going.”
She pushed her pasta around on the plate. “Things have been slower than I’d like, but the proposals will help.”
He laughed as he served himself a second portion. “What? You mean like a wedding proposal?”
“I guess I haven’t talked to you about it, but I’m surprised you haven’t heard. Scott and I have been doing engagement mock-ups. The readers liked the one I published.”
“I wouldn’t usually say a proposal would help with anything , but I see your point, especially where Two Hearts is concerned.”
Dexter had a way of making her smile. “Spoken like a true bachelor. I do have one other thing I’m considering.” She told him about the possible bookstore in her future.
“Great idea! I remember saying you should have a bookstore, bookworm that you are.”
“Mom said something like that too. She got me thinking. But I’m not sure I can make it all work. Not yet, anyway.”
They finished their dinner with family chitchat, Amy all the while trying to figure out how she could make a bookstore happen. She loved the idea. And it dovetailed nicely into her newspaper. She could even sell the newspaper there. Of course, she’d need to be in two places at one time to run both businesses. She’d have to sort out that issue when the time came.