AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“The hardware store is closing?”
Hannah nodded. “Larry’s leasing the building out in two months. He says that he’s ready to retire and that there just hasn’t been enough business to justify selling it, so he thought the place should retire with him.”
Macie hurried to Joselyn and grabbed her hands. “You should do it! Then we can open businesses together and brainstorm and make mistakes and figure out what to do together. That apartment I signed a lease on just up the street will be ready at almost the same time this building will be available. There are two bedrooms—you could move in with me!”
“But what kind of business would I open? I haven’t figured that part out yet.”
“We’ll help you brainstorm,” Hannah said.
“We will. And we can use that giant spreadsheet of yours.”
“And I can tell you which ones are businesses that I’ve heard people in town saying that they wish Nestled Hollow had. This could be the fire that makes you decide.”
Joselyn stared at the hardware store, picturing what it might look like as a business she was running. She let herself imagine it was hers and let herself feel the emotions that came with being a business owner. To look at this building with pride, knowing that she had created the business it housed, and excitement bubbled up inside her.
Could it finally be her time? She had stood on life’s shore in her swimsuit for so long, trying to find the perfect spot to jump in. Could this be it? Did the perfect situation really just open up to her?
Goosebumps covered her arms and a thrill raced up her spine. She had graduated second in her class with a business degree. She had a good day job that had allowed her to save enough to open this business. She had worked forty different night jobs at small businesses over the past ten and a half years so she would know what she wanted and how to best manage it.
And now, for the first time, she saw a path to exactly what she wanted right before her.
She turned to her sister and her sister-in-law, a lightness in her chest practically lifting her off the ground. “It’s perfect. I want to do it. Let’s call Larry, then we’ll head back to my parents and we can all brainstorm.”
two
MARCUS
Marcus was handing the very last ice cream cone to a family of four when the elderly Mr. and Mrs. Keetch walked up, arm-in-arm, right between his Ice booth and Love a Latte’s Fire booth.
“Looks like that might be the last family to leave the sculptures,” Linda Keetch said, “so you both are probably good to clean up.”
Marcus tossed the ice cream scoop into the bucket of warm water. “Whew! Because I was scraping the bottom of my last bucket on both flavors.”
“I’ve run out of hot chocolate,” Tory said, “and I’m close on apple cider.”
Ed Keetch nodded. “Well, that’s what happens when you provide the best there is. I don’t think we’ve ever heard so many positive comments on the Fire and Ice treats in all the years we’ve held it.”
As the older couple walked away, Marcus looked at the empty cartons of ice cream. He had made what he thought was more than he could even come close to giving out, and it had been a good thing. He grinned at Everett. “This was fun. I’m glad I did it.”
“It seems like everyone in Nestled Hollow is glad you did, too,” Everett said. “Do you make these flavors for your restaurant?”
Marcus shook his head. “I wish. I’ve tried to talk them into it—their ice cream machine is the best I’ve ever worked with—but all they want on the menu is vanilla. Now don’t get me wrong; I make the best vanilla there is. But it’s stillvanilla.”
“Have theytriedyour other flavors?” Everett said, with a note of disbelief in his voice that made Marcus smile.
“Yep.”
Everett shook his head. “You’re a resource they’ve been wasting.”
“My ice cream was yummy!” Everett’s three-year-old son Drew said as he rubbed his stomach.
Marcus crouched down and tickled Drew. “It wasn’t too cold for you on this super cold day?”
The little boy grabbed his stomach and laughed in a way that made Marcus laugh, too. “It wasn’t too cold for me because I have super powers. I can even fly.”
“You can?”
Drew nodded. “Want to see?” When Marcus nodded, the boy leaned forward and whispered, “I need your help.”
