Chapter 8
ANGELA
Thankfully, Eve had pushed off the town hall until after Christmas. But the looming meeting made me nervous. What if Eve decided that it was too much trouble to fight the town to keep my little store? What if Bill succeeded in pushing me out of Christmas Town?
I'd done another photo shoot this morning with Wynter. Then I spent the afternoons uploading the images and product information to the site. I was following Hudson's advice on getting the basics uploaded.
I agonized over how to write the descriptions and which images to use. When there was a knock on my door, I jumped. I wasn't used to having any visitors. Bill wouldn't dare come inside and chance the possibility of seeing scantily clad mannequins.
But when I stood and walked to the door, I saw a few women there. I recognized Clara from the Christmas Shop, Reina from the bakery, Meg from the coffee shop, and Belle, the owner of the bookstore.
I unlocked the door and pulled it open. "Is everything okay?"
Meg came in first with a tray of to-go drinks, handing one to me. "I made your favorite gingerbread latte."
I pulled out the drink with my name on it and passed the drink carrier to Reina.
"Your shop is so empty," Clara said as she moved around the room, then sat on the chaise. "But I love this new chair."
"That's for a photo shoot we're doing." My cheeks heated just thinking about Hudson seeing me posing there in the red teddy.
"What photo shoot?" Clara asked, sipping her drink
Meg threw out the drink carrier and sat next to her.
I pulled over two stools I usually kept behind the counter. Why were they here? Was it to socialize, or was it to ask me to think about closing for good?
The second option had my heart racing.
Reina and Belle sat in the chairs, and I leaned against the front counter. "I'm taking pictures of products to post online."
"You mean lingerie?" Belle asked with a smile.
I didn't know her well since she was new. "Wynter's taking the pictures. She thought it would be more authentic to use the shop as the background.
"I can see that," Meg said.
"Is there something wrong?" I couldn't wait another second to find out why they were here, and I wasn't comfortable talking about my risqué photo shoots. If Bill found out about them, he'd make a stink.
Clara's brow furrowed. "We want to support you. We're upset about the damage to your shop.”
Relief flooded my veins. "Oh, well. That's nice of you, but I'm fine."
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Meg asked.
"What could you do? It's not like you can sell my products in your stores. That would be ridiculous."
The women were quiet, looking at each other.
"That's actually not a bad idea." Reina opened a pastry box I hadn't seen earlier, and everyone reached for a sweet treat.
"What? No. There's no way. I don't sell candles or coffee mugs." I leaned in close and said quietly, "I sell lingerie."
Clara laughed. "Yes. We've heard."
"Bill would accuse me of tainting the other shops." I shuddered at the thought of his reaction.
"You're being a bit dramatic. Bill is difficult, but nothing we can't handle," Clara said dryly.
I arched a brow. "Are you sure about that?"
Clara threw her arms up wide. "Have you looked around lately? Most of the shop owners are women. We stick together. And frankly, we're tired of him giving you a hard time. We love your shop and everything you have to sell."
"I'm opening my store on Saturday. I can reserve a display for your holiday items. Would that help?" Belle asked.
I felt limp with excitement. "That would be amazing. But I couldn't ask you to do that. You need to promote your own shop."
"If something like this happened to me, I would hope that you all would help me," Belle said, looking around the room at the other women.
"Of course we would," Reina said.
"I've been doing pop-up shops, but they're not as effective as they used to be," I said.
"We need to stick together and help each other out. Business ownership is no joke. It's hard. Let us help you," Reina insisted.
"That would be really nice. Thank you. I can bring my things to you today if you want."
Belle smiled. "Perfect. I can't wait to see how it looks. Books and lingerie, the perfect combination."
"Don't forget the coffee," Meg pointed out.
Reina grinned. "And the sweets."
Belle clapped her hands together. "I just had the best idea. We should have a grand opening for the book shop, serving all of our wares."
"I love that idea," Clara gushed.
"We can do it after Christmas. Eve's been saying how we have to plan things for our slow season," Meg added.
"This will be my soft opening, and then we'll have a huge party after the holidays. Or maybe I should wait until the renovations are completed."
Clara shrugged. "We can host two parties."
I couldn't believe they'd come here to help me.
I'd assumed they'd view me as competition, not a friend.
But I hadn't been here long enough to get to know them.
Sure, I trusted them to keep an eye out for my daughter, but that was different than taking a business risk for me. "Wow. I don't know what to say."
Clara stood and came over to me. "Say thank you, and when we need your help, you return the favor."
"We have to stick together," Meg said.
"Thank you." My eyes stung with unshed tears. I wasn't used to asking for help or even needing it. But these women had stepped in and forced my hand in a way that I couldn't refuse.
"I say we have meetings like this more often. Maybe even drinks after closing time," Meg suggested.
"I have Ayla."
"Doesn't her father take her on Wednesdays?" Clara asked.
I nodded. "Yes."
"We can schedule it for Wednesdays then," Reina said.
The women stayed and chatted for a while, and I felt part of something bigger than just my store or this town. I was making friends, and they promised to be there for me.
By the time they said their goodbyes, I was feeling a lot more hopeful about everything.
"You'd better bring your holiday items by this afternoon so we can get your display set up," Belle said as she walked out of the shop.
"Will do. Thanks again." The women had been a whirlwind. But also exactly what I needed.
I ran upstairs to gather what I'd need for a display, and when Ayla got off the bus, we walked together to the bookshop.
I knocked on the glass door, which was on a corner. I'd heard that she wanted to add a patio that would wrap around from the back to the side with a covered area where people could sit and socialize.
The sign on the door read Opening Soon.
The door opened, and Belle smiled at us. "Come in."
"I love books," Ayla said as she walked in.
"I do too." Belle took the box from her and set it on a round table by the wall. "I'll have books on the tables when people come in and place novelty items over here."
The shelves and displays were already arranged, and it looked like she was stocking books. There were a few tables and comfy-looking leather couches to read.
Belle wore a yellow cardigan set with a brown corduroy skirt with tights and boots. Her brown hair had more volume than mine. "You can arrange things however you'd like. This table is yours until your shop is open again."
"I really appreciate this, Belle. Should we discuss a contract for consignment?" I couldn't believe that she'd offered an entire table.
Belle's face screwed up. "Absolutely not."
It was more than I expected. "I can't thank you enough."
She placed her hands on her hips. "You might not remember this. But you stood up for me in town halls when Bill didn't want Eve to allow me to open my shop."
"I know what it's like to deal with Bill. I didn't want him to destroy your dream."
Belle squeezed my arm. "I owe you one. Not the other way around."
There was another knock on the door. There was a man wearing a Sterling Brothers sweatshirt, his truck parked on the street outside.
It had to be one of Hudson's brothers. I wasn't familiar with most of them, except for Ford.
Belle's expression was wary. "Maverick's here. It's probably for the patio I'm planning."
There were large French doors that led to the side area and the back. They allowed lots of light in, and I could see that it would be an inviting space for book lovers. I had a feeling Ayla would want to spend a lot of time here after school.
Belle opened the door. "Mav, It's good to see you."
His face pinched. "I go by Maverick now."
Belle swallowed and nodded slowly. "Maverick then."
There was a little bit of awkwardness between the two. I wondered if they knew each other in school. The Sterlings had grown up here, but I didn't know if Belle had too.
Maverick nodded as he moved into the room, taking in the space and us before settling on Belle. "Eve relayed what you want. I'm just here to do some measurements."
Belle tipped her head to the side, her hair swinging with the motion. "You don't want to hear what I want?"
Maverick grunted as he moved passed us to the back of the store. French doors led to what looked like a small grassy space.
Belle stood next to him, and I opened my box, starting to unpack. "I was thinking we could do a stone patio with a fountain in the middle and cafe-style chairs around it."
"Eve said the same," Maverick said curtly.
She rested her hands on her hips. "I just want to make sure you have my vision for what I want. This store is my dream, and I want everything to be perfect."
"I'm good at what I do." His voice was tightly controlled.
"I'm sure you are. It's just— I'd feel better if I show you my designs." Belle moved to the counter to grab a sketch pad.
He paused then and looked at her. "You drew them?"
"I was always drawing something in school. Remember?" She waited for him to respond, and when he didn't, she continued, "The vision was so clear in my head; I just had to put it on paper."
She handed him her sketch pad.