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“Umm…” She laughed and looked toward Becs, who was obviously listening to us. “Not exactly.”
“My car broke down. She picked me up and brought me here. To thank her, I invited her in, and she met Bear.”
I nodded at Becs before focusing on Josie again. “And then you started dating?”
“No.” Josie laughed and hesitated. “Tell you what, we’ll save that story for another time.”
“She’s not kidding, Jane,” Becs chimed in. “It is a really long story.”
“Tell us about yourself,” Josie said.
“She’s a fantastic designer.” Becs smiled. “Bree offered her a job.”
Josie’s eyes widened. “Really? That’s a huge compliment. From everything I know about Bree, she usually works alone.”
“She does,” I replied. “But she’s decorating model homes right now and juggling her regular clients, so she’s swamped.”
Becs walked behind the bar and pulled a bottle of water from the small refrigerator. “She told us she was approached about doing a wedding reception, and that’s where she thought Jane’s expertise could really help.”
My face flushed at the compliment. “I’m not sure expertise is the right word.”
“Have you planned a lot of parties?” Josie asked.
“I have,” I acknowledged. “It’s a big part of my family’s lifestyle. My mom volunteered on charity committees all the time, and I was usually with her.”
“Do you like planning and decorating for parties?”
I dropped my eyes and thought about that. No one had really asked me that before. Bree asked me if I liked decorating, which I do, but did I like decorating party venues?
“Actually…” I lifted my eyes and met Josie’s stare. “I do. I hadn’t really considered it before. It was just something I did, but there’s something magical about being a part of someone’s special day and designing the party around their dreams and visions for it.”
Josie laid her hand on my arm. “Then that’s what you should be doing.”
“But I don’t have any training. I didn’t go to design school. I have a degree in English, but that doesn’t apply here. I’m assuming people would rather hire someone with a degree in design, and I don’t want to be the reason Bree wouldn’t get business.”
“I think your experience is enough. Trust me, Bree saw something in what you’ve done, and she’s been to design school. You should trust her to know,” Becs added. “Plus, she would be your mentor while you learned.”
My attention shifted to Tank, who was listening to Bear and Race talk, but his eyes were on me. Taking a deep breath, I faced the girls again. “I would like to, but I don’t think my family would be supportive. They wouldn’t consider that a career. That’s what they call charity or volunteer work.”
Becs shrugged. “Who cares what they think?”
My shoulders sank. “It’s hard to explain.”
“I understand,” Josie stated.
My head snapped toward her. “You do?”
She smiled. “My mom’s an OB-GYN. My dad, who I never met, is also a doctor. They ran in very specific circles. I grew up surrounded by doctors and other professionals like them. They aren’t…” She hesitated, but I could tell she was trying to find the right words, so I waited. “Accepting of certain things. They live by an unspoken code of what’s deemed acceptable and what isn’t.”
Relief washed over me as she spoke. She understood, but then how was she here, in this place, with people so different? “You do understand.”
She laid her hand on my arm. “And now you’re wondering how I’m here?”
I laughed. “Yes, I am wondering that.”
“I considered becoming a doctor, but then decided I wanted to be a child psychologist. After I finished school and got some experience, this little town found me and asked me to come here and be their school psychologist. But they also wanted me to establish and run a summer camp for underprivileged youth. That’s what really brought me here. That’s what excited me. I never hesitated because I wanted to be a part of something like that. I just did it.”
“And your mom was okay with it?”
