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“He’s working. He’s working a big job in Harriston, so he’ll probably just stay at his apartment there tonight,” she says with a shrug, but I can see the look of disappointment on her face.
Marissa and Rhenn have only been seeing each other a few months, but I can tell it’s something bigger than either of them have ever experienced. What started off as a hot little fling, quickly turned into more. He ended up moving to Harriston, only about thirty minutes away from my sister, and transferred his job. Even though he has an apartment there, he spends almost every night in my sister’s bed, getting up early and heading off to work. The only thing left hanging open is his dojo back in Jupiter Bay, where’s he’s originally from.
“A night apart will do you good. Give the ol’ cookie a rest for once,” I tease.
“Eww, don’t say cookie.”
“Muff? Honey hole? Sweet love wallet? Snake charmer? Flesh cave? Penis fly trap? Vagina?”
“You’re disturbed. You’ve been hanging around Aunt Emma too much,” she retorts, fighting a smile.
I can’t help but laugh. “Yeah, that ol’ woman is kooky as hell, yet quite entertaining,” I reply, closing out my daily sales log and counting the register.
“I brought you this,” she says, placing the super yummy iced coffee in front of me. Extra whipped cream, just the way I like it.
“Thanks,” I reply, taking the drink from the counter and slurping up the delicious goodness. “Now, I’ll have to spend thirty extra minutes on the stationary bike tonight.”
“Spin class?” she says, making a horrified face.
“Yeah, at six. You should come.”
“Yeah, I’d rather slam my pinky in a car door.”
A bubble of laughter spills from my throat. “So dramatic. It wasn’t that bad.”
“It was horrible. I almost died.”
“Did not, baby,” I say, counting out the rest of the change and filling out the sales log. When it’s complete, I attach the sheet to today’s report from the laptop (which works wonderfully, I might add – just don’t tell Latham). Once the deposit slip is filled out and everything placed where it goes, I turn off the lights and lock the front door. “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Someone else is making an offer on the building.”
Marissa looks surprised. “Really? Who?”
“I don’t know, but it came from a realtor in Harriston.”
“That sucks. Can you counter?”
“Yeah, I increased my bid by five thousand. I hope it’s enough because I don’t have anything else to add.”
Marissa reaches across the counter and takes my hand. “I could help. I don’t have too much, but what I do have is yours.”
My heart soars. “Thank you, but I’m not sure I want to do that. I don’t want to owe everyone. I mean, what if the new venture doesn’t take off the way I hope?” I ask, finally saying the main concern I’ve had since I found out about the building being for sale.
“It’s going to do great, Harp. Don’t worry about that. Everyone loves your store, and when you bring in more local product, they’ll love it even more. It shows you care about the community and supporting local entrepreneurs.”
I can’t help but smile. “You’re right,” I state, standing up tall (and towering over my petite little sister). “This new addition is going to be badass.”
“The badassest badass shop in town!”
That makes me giggle. “Badassest isn’t even a word.”
“It should be. We’ll add it to the dictionary – right next to a photo of your storefront.”
I laugh as I gather my purse, Marissa trailing behind me as I head to the back door. “Thanks for your support,” I tell her, pulling her into a hug right before we push through the back entrance. The sun shines brightly, the air warm and heavy.
“You’re welcome,” she replies, turning and heading toward the corner so she can walk back around to the front of the store where her car is parked. “You know,” she adds, stopping in her tracks. “Didn’t you go to school with that Pete Hughes? I recall him being a realtor in Harriston.”
With my keys in hand, I stop and give her my attention. “Oh, yeah. I forgot about him.”
“Maybe you can give him a call to see what he knows?”
