Page 14 of Finding Forever

By the time the timers started going off, Beth and her friends had mixed another set of cakes, enjoyed a cup of coffee, and talked about Kayla’s wedding.

They placed the first three freshly baked cakes beside each other in a neat, lopsided row. They weren’t perfect, but they smelled delicious and looked like each of the recipes might just work.

“Well,” Susan said, surveying the row of cakes with satisfaction. “I’d call that a successful start to our baking marathon.”

“I’d call it a miracle,” Julie said with a teasing grin.

Beth looked at the three cakes cooling on her counter and couldn’t have agreed more.

Chapter 9

Dave had spent most of Friday at Finley Point. By the time he arrived at the arts center, Hank and his crew were moving the refurbished front counter into place with two sets of dollies.

It was the original sales counter from the hardware store. Made from solid oak, it was dented and scarred, but held so much history that no one had wanted to replace it. It was also enormous and heavy enough that it had taken four men to walk it in from the truck.

“Glad you made it,” Hank said as he stopped to wipe his forehead. “Grab the corner closest to you. We need all the help we can get.”

After a lot of maneuvering, they walked the counter into position just inside the entryway. Dave stepped back to look at it. It sat solid and square, exactly where he’d pictured it since the day they’d found it under a pile of old crates and boxes.

Beth walked in just as Hank and his crew were leaving.

“Oh, that’s gorgeous,” she said, stopping to take it in.

Then her eyes moved from the counter to the door and the wide stretch of floor around it. Something in her expression shifted.

“But I don’t think it can stay there.”

“It’s exactly where you wanted it,” Dave said.

“I know, and I’m sorry. It’s just bigger than I imagined.” Beth placed the folders she was carrying on the nearest table. “Think about opening day. Everyone will be arriving at once, wanting to sign in and say hello. That’s exactly where people will stop and cluster. I’ve watched it happen at the Welcome Center. I think the desk should be closer to the wall.”

“There’s plenty of room to get around it,” Dave said. “People will figure it out.”

“They will. Eventually. After they’ve spent five minutes standing in each other’s way.” She gave a small nod, the kind that meant she’d said her piece and wasn’t going to fight about it. “Maybe I’m wrong. It’s your call.”

An hour later, Dave was placing an online order when six people pushed through the front door at once, all talking and carrying folding chairs.

“Rachel said you needed these for the storage room,” someone called to Beth.

Within seconds, the doorway was blocked with people, coats, elbows, and chairs. One person stopped to admire the counter while someone else leaned a chair against it to shake Beth’s hand.

Nobody was moving.

Beth waved everyone farther into the room, pointing to where she wanted the chairs stored. As the doorway finally cleared, Dave glanced at her.

There was a definite I told you so in her expression, although she was polite enough not to say it.

“Not a word,” Dave said once everyone had left.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You were about to.”

Beth was fighting a smile and losing. “I wasn’t going to say anything about six people turning into a traffic jam.”

Dave looked at the counter, then at the clear stretch of wall farther from the door. Without saying anything to Beth, he pulled out his phone and called Hank.

“This better be good,” Hank said. “We’re loading framing for the resort.”