Page 152 of Let Me Love You

“That’d be amazing,” Lexie says.

“And he’d bust ass for you,” Heidi adds.

Dana stays quiet, and we all notice.

“What’s up with you?” Lexie finally asks her when the pizza box is empty.

“Sorry, nothing. Just got a lot on my mind at the moment.” She forces a smile. “You know how it can be.”

“Oh yeah, I get that,” I reply, but the conversation ends there. If she wanted us to know what she was going through, she’d tell us.

Another hour passes, and the parking lot is full of clothing racks. Though they smell like smoke, the discount I’m offering makes up for how many times they’ll have to wash the fabric.

“Are y’all ready for the crowd?” I posted the announcement on my social media pages, then sent out a quick newsletter too.

“Yep, bring it on!” Lexie cheers.

Within five minutes, my loyal customers show up and begin grabbing things.

I have my cash register app on my phone, so we set up a small table at the front of the building so they can use their credit cards.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have any bags,” I tell Mrs. Ferguson, who has a huge pile of clothes in her arms.

“Don’t worry, hon. I’m gonna put these in the wash as soon as I get home and start wearing them tomorrow. Just don’t tell my husband. The less he knows, the better,” she says with a wink, and I chuckle.

“Okay, your total is five hundred and seventy-three dollars. You saved fifty percent!”

“Wow, amazing! So I guess if he does notice, I’ll tell him it was a deal I couldn’t refuse.” She smirks, handing over her credit card.

“Thank you, I really appreciate your support,” I say, and she hugs me before leaving. There’s a line of people who have as much as she did. By the time the sun sets, nearly everything is gone. I’m virtually in tears because of how many people showed up.

Heidi gives me a hug when she notices my emotions bubbling over. “See, everyone wants to see you succeed. Out with the old and in with the new.”

I nod, wiping my cheeks. “Thank you all so much for helping me. Please, if there’s anything you want that’s left, take it.”

I look at the parking lot, and the racks are almost bare, but Lexie and Heidi take me up on my offer. However, Dana doesn’t.

“Well, I better get going, y’all. When will the new schedule be posted?” she asks.

Internally, I want to wave my arm around my store and remind her that it’s not even operational, but I don’t want to take my frustrations out on her, so I swallow the anger down. “I dunno yet, but I’ll be in touch when I do,” I tell her, and she awkwardly leaves. The tension is thick between us, but I have no idea why.

Lexie and Heidi pack the items they picked out in their cars, then come back over.

“Want help putting the racks back inside?” Lexie asks.

“Sure, we can store them in the front for now,” I say.

Lexie and Heidi help me clean up, then we hug goodbye. Though I’m sad as hell about seeing my shop nearly empty, I head home with a smile on my face that so many people came out and purchased stuff. I was worried that everything would be a total loss, and I wouldn’t be able to recoup my inventory costs, but my customers came through. Though I often talk shit about small-town drama, there are times when I wouldn’t want to live or run my business anywhere else. Today was one of those days.

It’s been two weeks since the renovations started at the shop, and I’m thrilled with the progress. Noah’s company was hired, and he promised to go as quickly as possible.

Being able to support Noah’s business is one silver lining I’ve found from this. I know he’s a hard worker and always gives the best quality, so it’s a win-win.

Each morning, Archer and I bang each other’s brains out, then eat breakfast together. He goes to work, and I stay home since I’m selling my new inventory on social media. I’m storing it all in my bedroom so I can still bring in some income, but when the boutique is open again, I’ll move everything there. I haven’t had as much time to focus on online sales until now, and Lexie has been my right-hand woman through it all. Once we transition to the boutique, I’ll probably need to hire someone to keep up with it.

I walk into the living room and see Archer happily playing a game of tug-of-war with Sassy.

“Hot damn,” he says when he eyes me up and down. “Are you a firework display?”