“I will tell you I think the buyer is offering you a good price, I assume at the urging of the association that controls the business district,” she said. “The buyer has requested to close on the property at the end of September, but that seems awfully soon to wind down business.”
“Not soon enough,” Cassandra muttered.
Paige raised her eyebrows. “What do you think?” she asked me.
I took a resigned breath. “We’ve been struggling for some time, and this offer is considerably more than what we paid last year. I’m in favor of taking it.”
She flashed another of her professional smiles. “Excellent. The two of you should be able to start over somewhere you might get more traction.”
I glanced at Cassandra. “What do you think? There’s no going back once we sign.”
Cassandra picked up a pen, did a cursory last glance through the contract, and signed it. She turned the paper toward me.
“All right, then.” I signed my name beside hers, my heart skipping a beat.
Tears welled in Cassandra’s eyes and I reached across to hug her. “We should go out for a drink after work,” I whispered.
She nodded, forced a smile and wiped her eyes.
“Then that’s that,” Paige said. “You ladies are getting the better end of the deal on this one. Always good to come out ahead. I’ll call Barry and let him know we’re good to go.”
We walked her to the front of the store and Cassandra locked the door behind her.
“I’m not even sure I want to open the store today,” Cassandra said.
“We have inventory to deplete, and it’s still tourist season. Might as well make what we can on what we have,” I replied.
“We can button it up after Labor Day weekend?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
She hugged me. “I’m sorry, Brynn. I’d hoped this would be good for both of us. Thank you for giving me the chance.”
I laughed. “If you hadn’t signed on, I would have had to close last year. I’m glad we got to do this together.”
“What about your new man? He won’t mind you going out with your girlfriends on a Saturday night?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I’m sure he’ll understand. Will Lucas be unhappy?”
“Hoes before bros,” she recited, and laughed as she wiped away the last of her tears. “I expect you to tell me more about this guy now that business is taken care of. We can even invite Lisa, if you want.”
“I think this is Dylan’s night at the firehouse. I’ll give her a call.”
Cassandra nodded at the shop windows. “In the meantime, looks like a busy day in Hillendale. We might even turn a profit.”
Customers wandered in, and by the time Starr arrived to work an hour later, we streamed music to work by, reinstituting Nora’s tradition of Windfall karaoke and singing along with what customers we had.
After we’d closed the shop for the day, Cassandra and I crossed the street to the Hillendale Pub, where Lisa had already gotten a table. As we took our seats, a server arrived with a plate of mozzarella sticks and a couple shots.
“Kamikazes,” Lisa said. “I took the liberty of ordering.” She lifted her glass of water. “Whether we’re celebrating or commiserating, here’s to ya.”
“What’s with the water?” Cassandra asked.
Lisa bounced in her seat, a secretive smile on her face. “Bun in the oven.”
“Well, then. Celebrating, it is.” She clinked her shot glass to Lisa’s water glass and downed it. “Good choice.”
I raised my shot glass. “To Windfall.” The citrusy flavors tingled on the way down, almost making me forget the vodka.
The owner of the pub set a hand on our table and leaned in. With his other hand, he waved at our food and drinks. “These are on me, ladies. I’m sorry to see you go.”
While I doubted his sincerity, I appreciated the gesture.
“Heard the singing coming from the shop today. Just like old times.” He gave us a wink and moved on to the next table.
“Well, damn,” I muttered, tears leaking from my eyes.
“Don’t you start,” Cassandra said. “How am I supposed to keep it together if you can’t?”
“I know,” Lisa said. “How about you tell us about your new man to cheer us up.”
I bristled, unsure if she was asking because she was my friend or if she was pumping me for information to pass along to Kyle through Dylan.
The waitress stopped by our table. “What can I get you ladies?”
Cassandra motioned a circle over the table with her finger. “Two more shots, and we’ll be ready with our dinner orders when you get back.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Not sure I’ll make it to dinner if you get me drunk before we have a chance to eat.”
Cassandra pushed the plate of mozzarella sticks in front of me. “Start soaking the alcohol up with these. Honestly, Brynn, we deserve to let loose tonight.”
I raised my second shot her direction before I emptied it. We all perused our menus, but as soon as we set them down, Lisa returned to her mission to find out more about Ian.
Cassandra eyed me as if she knew I questioned Lisa’s motives. “What does it matter?” she asked softly. “Kyle’s past tense, right?”
“That doesn’t mean I should run roughshod over his feelings,” I replied, the buzz from the shots catching up with me. I dipped a mozzarella stick into the marinara sauce and took a bite.
Cassandra turned to face Lisa. “What did you think of Ian? Brynn, here, thinks he’s the hottest guy she’s ever met. Me? I’m not so sure, but hey. We all have our own taste, right?”
Lisa glanced between us, frowning. “He was okay, I guess.”
Cassandra leaned on the table. “What’s the gossip around town? Are people ready to draw and quarter him?”
I raised my hands to stop her. “Okay, okay. Enough. I don’t care what people are saying about him, and
