She frowned at her friend. “Ha. When would I have time for a fling, even if I wanted one? I’m working every waking moment either at the store or on my own projects at home. I’ve got orders for four wedding dresses to be created by the end of the summer and I’ve gone from never having responsibility for a pet to now having a dog with three puppies who need attention. All. The. Time.”
Suddenly the weight of everything was too much. The sleepless nights working, the worry over the business, missing her mother. Gemma’s upcoming wedding to the man of her dreams...who had for a very short time once been the man of Sam’s.
The loneliness.
Everyone in her world had someone else to love. Everyone but her.
The tears came out of nowhere, bursting out before she could stop them.
Katrina gave her one astonished look, then hugged Sam hard, which only seemed to intensify her sobs. Though the gesture was comforting, kind, it only made her feel more stupid.
“You’ve got so much more on your plate. You’ve got Milo and Gabriela and Bowie. I have no right to feel so overwhelmed.”
“You’re dealing with a lot. And dealing with it on your own, without Linda there to help you out. I understand how tough that can be.”
“Nothing like you have.”
“You can’t compare our lives, honey. My life is busy in my way, your life is busy in yours.”
“I feel as if I’m running a hundred miles an hour and never catching up. I always have something I should be doing.”
“That’s the blessing and the curse of being good at what you do. People want your designs, which means more work and more stress but more job satisfaction, too.”
“You’re right. I know you’re right.”
She would be embarrassed about this in about an hour but right now it felt good to vent to her best friend. “If I could only design the dresses, that would be wonderful. But I have to manage the store, too. Payroll and inventory and employees who call in sick last-minute and need me to cover their shifts.”
Katrina looked as if she wanted to say something but then closed her mouth.
“What?”
Her friend sighed. “If you don’t want to run the store anymore, why do you have to? Your mom had a good life insurance policy. The house is paid off and so is the store. You now have the freedom to do something different, if you want. Sell Fremont Fashions. Then you can focus on your wedding gown designs, which is what you love.”
The very idea sent her into a panic. What would Linda think about that? Her mother had loved running the boutique, though her taste in fashion had been questionable at best.
Fremont Fashions had been her mother’s salvation in those dark days after her father’s death. Linda had thrown herself into salvaging the store, building a clientele, handling all aspects of running a small business.
Selling the store to focus on her own love of designing dresses would feel like a betrayal of everything her mother had worked for.
“I could never do that.”
“Why not? You have the talent, certainly. All you lack is the confidence.”
And the contacts. And the skills. And the customers.
“You’re a sweetheart,” she said to Kat. “And you know I adore you. I’m just having a bad day. I’m sorry you bore the brunt of it.”
“I’m not sorry. I’m glad I was here. You know I always have your back.”
Her friends were the greatest blessing of her life and she didn’t know what she would do without them. She would have been lost these past five months without the constant support of the Haven Point Helping Hands, the loosely organized group she belonged to whose goal was to try making their community better.
“Now,” Katrina said, “tell me more about Gemma’s brother. Any sparks?”
Sam could feel her face heat again and hoped Kat didn’t notice. “Even if there were, it wouldn’t matter. He could actually be Jude Law and I wouldn’t have the time or the energy for romance right now.”
“Do we need to take you to a doctor?” Kat asked with a wide-eyed look of astonishment.
“I don’t have time for that, either. Once the puppies are gone and the summer wedding frenzy, er, season is over, I might be able to think about dating. But I’m afraid by then Gemma and Josh will be married and her cute brother, who, again, looks nothing like Jude Law, will once more be back in England with his cute kids.”
“Then we’ll have to find you someone else, won’t we?”
Katrina looked so determined Sam didn’t have the heart to tell her she hadn’t been interested in dating since her mother died.
“We can talk about finding me the perfect man again in September,” she said. “Now help me put away the dress, then we can walk across the street to the Helping Hands meeting.”
“Who knows? Maybe we’ll meet him on the way.”
“Who? The perfect man? Or Gemma’s brother?”
Katrina laughed. “Maybe this Ian Summerhill is both.”
Sam knew that absolutely wasn’t true, despite her unfortunate dreams—dreams she wasn’t at all prepared to share with Katrina, who knew her entirely too well and knew her unfortunate tendency to think she was in love every time a man smiled at her.
“YOU SHOULD SEE IT. It’s seriously the most spectacular wedding gown in the entire history of wedding gowns.”
“Is it?”
“Yes. The way she’s done the neckline is a wonder. It’s a work of art. And the sleeves are perfect. When I wear it, I feel like I should be starring in my own personal rom-com or something.”
“What is a rom-com?” Thomas asked from across the table at the Shelter Springs restaurant where they had met Gemma for dinner.
“It’s a movie,” Gemma told him. “It stands for romantic comedy.”
“Is there lots of kissing?” Amelia asked.
“Oh, yes,” Gemma said with a dreamy smile. “Loads and
