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“I thought everyone knew everything about everyone in a small town,” Claudia said frustrated.
Tanya gave Claudia a side look and then sighed.
“I know that sigh, what is it, Tanya?” Claudia asked.
“Nothing, I’m just thinking. I haven’t seen you this interested in anything that wasn’t a design or thread in forever”
Claudia pursed her lips together and kicked at some sand as she walked. She knew she was being childish, but she wanted answers.
“I'm not interested in the man. I just want to make sure that we're all safe and secure. Certainly, I can't be the only one who wants to know what the handsome man is doing into our small town?”
“He's handsome now, is he?” Tamara asked.
Claudia looked at a smiling Tamara and then let out a frustrated sigh.
“I have eyes. It would be useless to deny the obvious.” Claudia said trying to sound very practical about the whole situation. “You know if you came out to the store you could see him Tamara and give me your feelings on it.”
Claudia saw Tamara’s countenance drop and Tamara wrapped her arms around her body.
“No. If you think that he's someone that we should be wary of, then I trust your judgment,” Tamara said with a tone of finality.
“Fine, I will go ahead and ask my sister Margo to look into him and see what's going on. She's an auditor, but at least she'll be able to tell if there's anyone looking for him, like the IRS or police,” Tanya said.
“I hadn't even thought about if he was dangerous or not.” Tamara whispered.
Claudia was glad that Tanya was going to help her out, but she felt horrible that Tamara was thinking that there was some danger. She didn’t know a lot about the stranger, but she didn’t think he was dangerous to anyone’s health. Claudia knew his danger lie in the fact he was the first man in a while she didn’t see as a threat and that meant he was one of the most dangerous of them all.
* * *
“This will never work!” Sinclair said looking between grandmother Basil and Austin.
Ah, Sinclair was true to form thought Austin. He knew that his uptight museum curator stepbrother would act this way. He just hoped that Sinclair’s over the top reaction didn't influence grandmother Basil. Grandmother Basil looked in her coffee cup for a few moments and every second that passed, Austin thought was a lifetime. Finally, she sat back and looked at Austin and gave him a wide smile.
“I like your idea. It's something that you're good at, and it's something that will help the town,” Grandmother Basil said.
“The small town of Cooper’s Sand needs a fashion boutique for babies and post pregnancy mothers?” Sinclair asked looking between Austin and Grandmother Basil. Austin could tell he hadn’t bought into the idea.
“Sinclair you need to think about this,” Grandmother Basil began. “In a small town that is the life cycle of a lot of women. We marry, we have children and then we find a career that involves children, or we have some more. Every woman can’t be so fortunate as I was and have the children brought to my door.”
Sinclair still hadn’t bought into it. Austin could see him fighting it but grandmother Basil was on his side so he knew Sinclair would come around.
“Grandmother you were a different case,” Sinclair said.
“Yes, I was but I was still in the same life cycle. With no outside job I could get because I had kids it wound up, I got more kids. Do you think with so much of my life dedicated to you all that I wouldn’t have paid a little extra for you all to feel a little better about yourself and there is something about knowing that one of our own made the clothes that has some appeal.”
Sinclair turned to face Austin.
“You leave the city, and this is what you want to do?” Sinclair pressed again.
“Why do you seem so sure that a boutique would fail here?”
“The town is building itself up. It's a seasonal town. We all live by the beach and there will be certain seasons that we get a lot of tourists, the rest of the year we hunker down and wait until our season comes again. I don't see a lot of extra cash. It's a lot like what happens in museums. The money is doled out at one particular time over three to six months. And during that time, it's a hay day. When it's over though it's over.”
Grandma Basil nodded her head.
“Sinclair, you have some good points. When we think about a boutique, we have to think about the idea that it might be able to bring people to the town all year long,” Grandmother Basil said.
“Sinclair just think about it. We come home all the time. We do it because there is something to be said about the small-town vibe that is here. I’m saying that between that vibe and my connections that vibe can become country chic and help out in the local economy.”
