Page 106 of Tempting Dreams
"Sure." I followed her into the back where there was a break room, storage area, and a closed door, presumably to Belle's office.
Eve went into the break room, pulling a water out of the fridge. "You want one?"
"I'm fine. Thanks." How could she be so calm when my heart was pounding?
Eve unscrewed the cap and drank. Then she set the bottle on the small table and pulled a manilla folder out of her bag. "I wanted to give you something."
"What is it?" This was it. She was either going to tell me that she wasn't renewing the lease and I'd have to start over, or I'd get to stay in this town that I'd grown to love.
Eve opened the folder and turned it so that the paperwork faced me.
It was titled Lease Renewal Agreement. My heart leaped at the words, but I didn't trust what I was seeing, so I turned over the page and scanned to the bottom of the second page where Eve had signed and there was an X marked for my signature.
Eve handed me the pen. "I'm hoping you'll want to stay in Christmas Town despite what happened at the town hall."
I drew in a shaky breath as I took the pen from her. "What Bill did?—"
"It wasn't okay, and he's been told that he's on probation through the end of his current lease. If there's any more harassment of store owners or stunts like the one he pulled with your picture the other night, I'll cancel his lease early and deal with the penalties. I don't think he'll be a problem anymore, and if he is, he's gone."
I blinked away tears. "I was prepared to start over."
"I hope you'll want to stay. You don't have to sign this tonight though. You can think about it. I know that Bill's actions weren't professional and were creepy, and we didn't protect you like weshould have. But that's changing. It doesn't matter how long someone has been here; we don't treat our people like that."
"And I'm one of your people now?" I asked, feeling emotional.
Eve nodded. "You're one of us now, and we couldn't imagine Candy Cane Lane without your shop."
"I want to stay."
She smiled. "Good."
When I turned my attention back to the lease, she said, "It's the same lease terms as before, except it's for five years."
I scanned the document to confirm that what she was saying was true. I couldn't believe it was a long-term lease. That was more than I'd ever imagined. Plus, it would lock me in at a good rate and meant I didn't have to worry about having to leave while I was building my business.
I signed my name next to the X and closed the folder.
"It's nice doing business with you," Eve said with a smile before she hugged me.
"It's nice doing business with you too."
Natasha appeared in the doorway. "Did she sign?"
Eve held up the folder. "Five more years of sexy lingerie."
I grinned, not quite believing that I’d gotten everything I wanted.
"We want you to know that we're building something here, an experience. We want people to come back to Christmas Town to get the same feeling every time, and Tempting Dreams is a part of that."
"I'm excited to be here," I said to them.
"Now, we'd better get back out there. We're celebrating Belle tonight too."
As I followed them out front, I felt like a part of the town. These women were my friends, and I'd found a futurewith Hudson. He held his arm out to me as I approached. "Is everything okay?"
"Everything is perfect."
He leaned down to kiss me on the lips. "You got everything you wanted?"
"And more," I said with a grin.
He squeezed me to him as Belle stood at the front of the store, trying to grab everyone's attention. This was just the start of my happily-ever-after.
