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Chapter Five
Juniper stretched out a kink in her neck from falling asleep over her desk and watched as people bustled along the busy city street running from one errand or another. Some were window shopping hand in hand.
Half a block away, she watched a mother about her age shuffled her energetic toddler and three hyper puppies into a waiting car and laughed as a puppy escaped to play in a small patch of grass under a palm tree. The show that ensued of a toddler and two more puppies joining the impromptu chase sparked a deep respect for a mom who dared take on such energetic babies this early in the morning.
Before the sun could fully bathe the city with its full power, Juniper breezed through the motions of her morning routine and pulled her loose hair in a sloppy ponytail to hang over her shoulder and out of the way.
Lights flickered on as she unlocked the front door and moved through the shop floor flicking on a few lamps at different workstations. She loved their warm glow.
Cool wooden slabs soothed the sore spots on her soles from the day and night before.
Something her mom would be chiding her about. Walking barefoot was her second favorite thing to do no matter the time of year.
The first was to plan lavish weddings. Like the one she wanted someday. If she could ever find that perfect someone. So far it was a bust.
Too bad all the guys she knew in high school were either already married or never topped two bullet points on her perfect man list.
Juniper dialed the air conditioning down a couple of degrees and welcomed the cool air of the office. In a couple of hours the cement sidewalks would sizzle with the summer heat. If she were lucky, some of the shoppers would run into her shop for a little escape and do some dress shopping.
She moved deeper inside and made her way to the front desk and turned on the computer so it could be ready to go by the time her limited staff and assistant arrived in an hour.
Five stations divided up the open floor plan. Each department, which was only large conference room tables, fit together like individual puzzle pieces that, when put together, formed a beautiful seamless machine.
The past two days tested the reliability of her system and it worked. Nearly five months of fitting everything together for the Stewart wedding and it paid off.
Hopefully. She still had to do the number crunching. If it didn’t cover all the debt she owed the bank, it would put a pretty sizable dent in it and hopefully give her some room for negotiating the remainder.
Hints of cinnamon still lingered from their in-house kitchen and all the delicacies their chef whipped up for Stewart’s wedding beforehand.
Her stomach growled at the possibility of a lingering sticky bun hanging out in the refrigerator and tempted her in that direction.
On that note, maybe some freshly ground coffee would go well with the delicacy. Anything their chef cooked up fit into the supreme category. One did not simply eat, they savored and then licked the plate clean. That was why she always ate with her office door closed.
With breakfast in hand, Juniper headed toward the back where her office sat.
Soft lighting cast a gentle hue of yellow over the quiet space that felt more like a home than a business. Good thing too. The lower half of the building was all things wedding. From the first day the real estate agent had given her a tour, she’d known the place was for her. The upper level held her office on one side while the other she divided off for a single bedroom apartment. Talk about taking your work home.
She loved everything about the building. Rustic with a hint of charm, was how she saw it.
Exposed red brick walls, rich wooden floors, and just the right amount of furniture to make everyone feel at home as soon as they walked through the door. Small town vibe in the big city. Upstairs she’d worked to make it cozier, homier, but down here and in her office, she liked the change. It helped set her mind in work mode.
The old-timey brick building had seen several businesses come and go. Its glory days were long gone, but for them it was perfect.
The wooden floor dipped on the second floor nearest the back corner where a printing press once stood until the small paper went digital and had no need for such a large space.
Now they cornered off that area for her personal office that offered a view the Hollywood sign.
At nearly six in the morning fingers of darkness still clung to the fringes of the early morning, but only by a few minutes. Beams of light would soon break through. Her favorite time of day. The chance for endless possibilities. A fresh start of a new day. Who did not love that?
Looking out over a sea of palm trees she whispered, “I wish I may, I wish I might let this heart find a love so right and if you could help me save my business too, that would be a great damn bonus.”
She sighed with disgust, feeling childish as hell. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d whispered the little rhyme, but yeah she could use all the help she could find.
Vows from Juniper was a dream come true if she could keep the doors open long enough for it to really kick off.
A flash of something across the street drew her attention.
Juniper’s eyes narrowed.
