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Bending to pick up the folded plastic bags the dresses had been shipped in, Shianne strode to the back storage room and tucked the stack of bags into the tote for use when they were purchased. She'd struggled the first few years in business here. If it hadn't been for her parents buying this building for her, she'd have had to close down a long time ago. But, little by little, the ladies embraced her and her little shop. They began to trust her to help them pick clothing for their body types and for others. Then, she decided to give internet marketing a try, and doggone she was good at it.
The first month she'd sold three hundred dollars more than she had any other month. The second month, she tripled that. Last month had been her biggest yet and she found herself doing more ordering and shipping. She did more volume through the mail than she did in person. She actually began thinking about hiring someone to help her. She was going to be a boss lady extraordinaire. Finally, at the ripe old age of thirty-two, she was doing well in business. She was on the New Year's Eve Ball committee. She was finally achieving the things she used to daydream about.
Turning the light switch off in the storage room, she stepped across the hall to her little office and grabbed her cross-body purse from the desk, careful not to topple the piles of papers waiting for her to package up and mail with their clothing orders. That would be first thing tomorrow morning's work. Right now, she had a committee meeting to attend.
She walked through the shop, admiring how it looked today so full of new styles and fabrics. She locked the door, turned the 'open' sign around to 'closed', and practically skipped to the back door.
Her keys were in the front pocket of her purse. Pulling them out, she locked the back door after she stepped out, then turned, and yipped in fear.
A smaller woman with dark hair and green eyes stared at her from a few steps away.
"Who are you?"
"I'm here for the Teal Fenty S extra-large."
Shianne's brows bunched. "What?"
"The Teal Fenty S extra-large. You have it on your social sites. You said it just came in and you've got it. I want it."
Her throat dried and her stomach warned her this was not quite right. "Ah, well, I'm on my way to a meeting right now. I can get it for you tomorrow. What size would you like?"
The woman crossed her arms in front of her and cocked her head to the side. "The extra-large?" She added sarcastically.
Shianne flinched slightly. "Is it for you?"
"What difference does it make?"
Shianne immediately went into sales mode. "The extra-large is too much for you. I can't see that turning out well at all. And, I have a reputation to uphold here."
Uncrossing her arms, the woman tucked her thumbs in her front pockets. "I can handle anything you have. It's what I want and, honestly, I don't see how what I get is any of your business as long as I have the money to pay for it."
Shianne opened her mouth, hesitated, and let her lungs deflate. "I'm sorry. I have a meeting to attend. Please come back tomorrow. I open at nine and I can get you all set up."
The woman shrugged. "Okay. See you at nine." She slid into a car, a late-model gray vehicle. The make and model were not Shianne's forte, and she didn't bother herself with learning about cars and trucks. But she could tell you a high-quality taffeta over one of low quality and she could spot a well-made pair of slacks across a room. That woman, who never gave her name, wore low-priced clothing that a million other people wore. Not that she was a clothing snob or anything. Well, of course, she was, it was her job after all. But, that gal didn't have a lot of money, and she wanted the teal Fenton Samuel, which was the newest in his collection this year and one she likely couldn't afford.
The woman didn't look at her again as she backed out of her parking space, then twisted the steering wheel, and moved out of the alley behind her shop. Striding to her car, which she knew was a Ford Edge, because she just purchased it a few weeks ago, she stopped and looked at her building. Devine Designs was stenciled on the door but nowhere else. Shrugging, she got into her Edge, started it up, and excitedly left her parking space and turned toward Porter's Steakhouse, where they'd be having their meeting, and also where the New Year's Eve Ball would be held. Tonight, they were going to be deciding on where everything would be set up. They only had two weeks until the Ball and she was getting so excited to show the town just what these younger women could do.
The only other thing she still wanted to accomplish was meeting a nice man like Lara did. She really liked Myles, but Lara told her to stay away. If it went bad, Lara would feel put in the middle. Sadly, Shianne agreed to stay clear of Myles. But, whew, seeing him today just gave her goosebumps all over her body.
4
Myles navigated the last curve in the mountain road and stopped in the parking lot across from the common area to Maya and Jasiah's home. There were people milling about today and all of them seemed focused on the happenings at their home.
Striding across the common area, his eyes scanned the crowd for his sister or Jasiah. He couldn't seem to find either of them in the crowd. Then, Jasiah's tall form stepped out of the crowd and bent down to lift a heavy log with five other men. In unison, they lifted the log onto their right shoulders and walked together to carry it to the side of the cabin, where he assumed the spare bedroom was underway.
The weather was crisp up here on the mountain, but it was clean and fresh too. Finally, he saw his sister, wearing a cute fluffy pink jacket and matching hat as she strode toward him.
Her smile grew as she neared. "It's great seeing you today."
"Thanks. It's great seeing you too! The addition is underway, I see."
"Yes. It'll be finished in a couple of days."
His eyes rounded. "A couple of days?"
She laughed and turned to watch the men place another log. "See how quickly they are placing those logs? They'll have the room placed today. They've done this for years. All the men come together and raise a house in no time. Tomorrow, the chinking will go on. The electrician from town is training one of the younger men as an apprentice. They'll be up here laying wires, which I'm told will run in a groove they'll cut in the logs, then seal it up, for electricity. They'll hang the light fixture while the chinking is being done. Then, they'll cut the wall from the cabin out to make a door. Believe it or not, the logs they cut out of the existing wall for a doorway will be reused for other purposes. Jasiah said a toy box and parts of the crib, which he insists on making."
"Wow. That's amazing."
