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So, great. Chase wasn’t the one. I could deal with that. I could meet someone new. Where? I didn’t have the foggiest idea. The dating pool in Franklin Notch was shallow, and I’d over fished it years ago. Now with a clear vision of my future, I would find someone on the same path.
Not immediately, of course. With Mrs. Evans safely on her way to Ohio, I had the thrift store to look after. The very empty, quiet thrift store. The one that might actually stay in the black this year since I didn’t have a full-time employee, other than myself of course.
I’d need to do something with the shop: hire an employee or sell it or close up the storefront and use the space for sewing. I hadn’t decided. But, I had to decide because before long, the snow would melt and the tourists would descend on the mountains for the Highland Games. Fall foliage and the Highland Games were one of the few times of year that the shop actually made money.
For now, I only had myself to pay but rather than working on clothing, something that would actually pay the rent, I sat in the quiet shop, waiting to close up for the night.
I sighed, tapping my phone to life. Four thirty-five. Nearly time to close. Not close enough.
The bell on the front door jingled, and I straightened until I caught sight of Ben’s curly hair over an antique wardrobe.
“You’re early,” I said, excited for the distraction regardless. I stood up, rounding the cash register to meet him.
He hefted a duffel bag over his shoulder, hair wet from a shower. He’d even dressed up. Or at least dressed up as much as he ever did: intact jeans and a nice plaid shirt.
I reached out, wrapping a curl around my index finger. “Did you shower for me?”
“Well, a muskrat peed on me. So I showered for both of us, really.” He shot me a lopsided grin.
“I appreciate it. I don’t know if the fine staff at Mount Pierce would let someone in if they smelled like muskrat pee.”
“I’m sure you’re paying them enough to ignore the smell,” Benny teased as I grabbed my keys from the counter and made my way toward the front door. “Hey, you’ve got another thirty minutes according to that sign on your door.”
I waved my hand. “Screw that. I’m the owner and I’m closing this place down for the weekend. Besides, it’s not like it’s crawling with customers. Other than Jacob stopping by with the mail, it’s been quiet all day.”
I locked the door and gestured for him to follow me into the back.
“What’s the plan, anyway?” he asked. “Are you hiring someone new?”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure yet. The building is paid off so I could keep it and make the whole place my studio.”
“How?” Ben asked skeptically.
He had a point. The two-century old building had a strange floor plan consisting of tiny rooms and narrow hallways. I’d taken down one wall to build my studio in the back of the building even though the structural engineer had been hesitant to approve that much. I could clear out the storefront for some extra space, but the tiny interior rooms weren’t good for much besides storage.
“Do you think I should sell?” I asked, flicking the lock on the back door closed and glancing back at him.
Ben’s brow furrowed and he pursed his lips, considering the question. “Do you want to sell it?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. I can’t keep sitting here, bored out of my mind. And I can’t hire someone just to close the place down in a month.”
I sighed, overwhelmed. I shook it off. “That’s a next week problem. For now, let’s just think about the relaxing weekend we’re about to have: spas, good food, booze.”
The edge of his lips hitched up. “So romantic. Except for me being there.”
I rubbed his arm. “Don’t sell yourself short. Sure, I could have been having crazy sex with Chase, but what would we talk about when that’s over?”
“I don’t know,” He shrugged. “What did you two normally talk about?”
“See, that was the entire problem. Nothing.”
Despite his distaste for Chase, Ben was too good of a friend to rub the breakup in my face. Had Chase and I had even a tenth of the connection as Benny and I, I wouldn’t have hesitated to have him move into my house.
I made quick work of cleaning the break room before grabbing my suitcase from the corner. “Alright, let’s go have a romantic getaway!”
* * *
We elected to take Benny’s truck. While the weather hadn’t called for snow, in mid-February, snow was never too far away. Besides, my driving was only slightly better than Mrs. Evans’ and I didn’t want to risk us ending up in a ditch.
