Chapter Fifteen
After her shift at the diner, Deb stopped off at Sweet Stems. Foster was cleaning the shop.
“No events today?” Usually on Sundays, he juggled weddings, parties, and banquets.
“Nope. I’m using the opportunity to catch up.” He swept plant debris into a big pile, straightened up, and gave her a thorough once-over. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She didn’t know why she bothered to lie; the man was clairvoyant.
“Hold the dustpan for me.” She crouched down and he made quick work of shoveling up the mess. “Is Win being his usual jerk-off self?”
“No.” Lately, he’d been more attentive than usual, which wasn’t saying much. “What if I told you I was sort of crushing on someone else and he’s turning out to be a lot like his brother?”
Foster stopped what he was doing while her words registered. “You’re freaking kidding me. TJ?” He was the only Garner brother besides Win who was still single. “Holy crap. When the hell did this happen and why have you been holding out? Does Hannah know?”
“No one knows, and I may be temporarily insane, so don’t get too excited.” The last thing she needed was to make the same mistake on a second Garner man.
He grabbed a chair and shoved it at her. “Sit and tell me everything.” He hopped up on his worktable to listen.
“There’s not much.” No way was she telling him that she’d harbored feelings for TJ since . . . well, forever. “Ever since he hired me, we’ve been hanging out, mostly doing work stuff, though we went skiing together.” She told him about the kiss.
“Get out. I can’t believe you kissed TJ Garner.”
“You think it’s bizarre?”
“Because of Win?” He shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong, honey, Win is adorable. But he’s definitely Liam Hemsworth to TJ’s Chris Hemsworth. Thor, sweetie. It’s no contest.”
She blew out a breath. I’m so not doing this again.
“Will it be uncomfortable at work?”
“Maybe. A little. You think he likes me?”
“He kissed you like he meant it, right?”
“It could be that he’s a really spectacular kisser.” Spectacular was way underselling it. But why had he kissed her in the first place? It wasn’t like he was hot to get in her pants. She’d practically begged him to come inside and he hadn’t. “We’d be weird, right?”
Foster thought about it. “Let’s just say it would be unexpected, given your feelings for Win.”
Win wasn’t the problem. “I mean, do you think we’re mismatched? You know, supersuccessful alpha guy with lives-above-a-diner gamma girl.”
Foster laughed. “Cut yourself a break. You’re in management now. I don’t think you’re mismatched at all. In fact, now that you mention it, I don’t know why you two never dated in the first place.”
She let out a breath. “Fear of the Garner man curse: heartbreak.”
“There’s always Felix.”
She and Felix fought constantly and he had ten years on her. “Ack. I need to forget men and focus on work. I might actually be good at this retail thing if I knew what the hell I was doing. Tomorrow, GA’s launching its new website. TJ thinks sales will go crazy with the online store.”
“You sound doubtful.”
“It’s not the merchandise,” she said. “We have great stuff. But I’m not thrilled with the retail part of the website. It reminds me of Banana Republic catalogs before the Gap bought it. Before I was born.”
“Did you tell TJ?” Foster picked up a loose spool of ribbon on the table and wound it tight.
“Yep. He sided with the web designer, because she actually has experience in this area.” She shrugged her shoulders. “For all I know, the site will be a runaway hit. It better be because one of GA’s largest competitors is also selling merch and they got a huge spread in Outside magazine.”
“Ouch. That’s not good.”
“Nope.” Deb took the spool from Foster and hung it on the pegboard behind her. “TJ wants me to help get GA a story. I don’t have any contacts in the magazine world.”
“Is there anything else you can do to bring attention to the online store? What does Nike do?”
She chortled. “Nike is Nike. It doesn’t have to do anything.”
He hopped off the table to find cleaning solution. “Nike had to have done something to become as big as it is.”
“I suppose it helps that the company sponsors high-profile athletes,” she said. “GA’s an adventure company, not a manufacturer. But something like that might work . . . a spokesperson for the gear we sell.”
“You have anyone in mind?”
“Nope. But it’s definitely something to think about. It would be great to promote the merchandise on a bigger stage than just our website.”
“Listen to you.” Foster laughed. “You sound like a marketing executive.”
“I sort of do, don’t I?” Color me proud.
“In the meantime, what about TJ?”
She wanted to put him out of her mind but couldn’t stop reliving the kiss. Over and over again. “I’m not going to think about it and try to make it to thirty drama free.”
“What are you wearing to your party?” Foster got down a square glass vase, some floral foam, and started making a gorgeous arrangement with white roses, lilies, snapdragons, and spiral eucalyptus.
“Who ordered that?” It was so pretty.
“It’s for you.” He continued to work his magic, deftly positioning the assortment of flowers. “They’re past their prime but still have a couple of days of life in them.”
“Sort of like me.” She laughed.
“You haven’t even hit your prime yet.” He glanced her way. “Well, what’re you wearing?”
She hadn’t thought about it. Maybe she’d borrow something from Hannah, whose wardrobe was more robust than her own. Of all of them, Delaney had the best clothes, but Deb would worry about spilling shrimp cocktail sauce or strawberry margarita on one of her pieces. Her designs cost more than Deb spent on groceries in a year.
“I don’t know yet. Maybe I’ll wear the dress I got at Hannah’s store the Christmas Josh came home.”
“The really fitted one?”
“Uh-huh.” Hopefully, she could still squeeze into it.
“That one’s good,” Foster said, and put the finishing touches on the arrangement. Jeez, he was fast. That would’ve taken her all day and it still would’ve looked like a five-year-old had made it.
The phone rang and Foster answered it. “She’s here,” he told whoever was on the other end of the line. Probably Hannah. They talked for a few minutes, but Deb couldn’t make out what they were saying.
After hanging up, he said, “Hannah wants you to go over to the store.”
“Okay.” She’d pick up coffee on the way because Hannah couldn’t leave Glorious Gifts unless she had one of her high-school kids there.
He handed her the vase with the flowers. “Call me afterward.”
“Why?” Not that they didn’t talk to each other constantly, but the way he said it seemed . . . dire.
“Hannah will tell you.”
“You’re freaking me out, Foster. Is Hannah okay? Does it have something to do with Colt’s accident?”
“Everyone’s fine. Just go over there.”
Deb took her flowers and walked the block and a half to the gift shop, ditching the coffee idea. She could go later. Hannah waved from the back of the store, where she was helping a couple of customers. Deb put her arrangement on the counter and sat in a big upholstered chair Hannah was selling. Recently, she’d branched out into more home furnishings, which went over well with the influx of new part-time residents.
The women Hannah had been helping paid for their items at the cash register. One of them was purchasing the angora scarf Deb had been eyeing but couldn’t afford. Everything seemed normal. Hannah would’ve locked up the shop if there’d been an emergency. It was probably some small issue about the party and Foster, being Mr. Perfect, had overreacted.
The ladies finished their transaction and went on their way.
“These are lovely.” Hannah held up the arrangement. “Did Foster make it for you?”
“He said the flowers were close to their expiration date. They look fresh to me.” She got up and joined Hannah by the cash register. “How’s Colt today?”
“Good. They’re having him stay one more night in the hospital as a precaution. But Josh said he’s doing well. Delaney brought wedding stuff to the room to drive him crazy.”
“Was TJ over there?” Deb tried to sound nonchalant.
“I think so. Why?”
“Just curious.”
Hannah put down the arrangement. “He get you home okay last night?”
“Mm-hmm,” Deb said and thought, if Hannah only knew. Foster would eventually tell her. Those two couldn’t keep anything secret.
“I wanted to talk to you about something, but you have to promise you won’t let on that you know.”
“Oh my God, you’re pregnant!” Deb knew Hannah and Josh had been trying since his last leg surgery. No wonder Foster wanted her to call him. They had to plan a shower.
“Come sit down.” Hannah motioned for Deb to take the big upholstered chair again and she sat in one of the pine gliders she got from a furniture maker in Nugget. They’d become one of her most popular items.
Hannah was a fabulous merchandiser and had accessorized the swing with red plaid pillows with white-eyelet ruffles for Valentine’s Day. She had a knack for making every day in the store look festive. And now there’d be a nursery to decorate.
“I’m not pregnant, Deb. That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.” Hannah’s brows furrowed. “It’s Win.”
Deb gripped the rolled arms of the chair. “He’s okay, right?”
“He’s been seeing that card dealer in Tahoe, the one from last summer. She’s pregnant and they’re getting married.”
At first, Deb thought she’d misunderstood. They? Who were they? And then it hit her like a Mack truck; Win was getting married to a stranger. She sat there, silent, waiting for it to sink in and for her to feel something. Disappointment, anger, an enduring sadness. After all, for fifteen years she’d told herself that he was the one. The man she was destined to be with. She’d waited, consoling herself every time he was with someone new that he was sowing oats, raising hell, playing the field, all those clichés. And when he was done, he’d come back to her. Everyone in Glory Junction expected it, even his mom and dad. She’d fantasized about that day like little girls planned their weddings. He would rush into her arms, maybe cry a little bit, and tell her he’d wasted all that time when she’d always been The One. The only one. The one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
That’s the way it was supposed to be, except it wasn’t. Win was marrying a blackjack dealer from Tahoe.
And while she should’ve been devastated, she wasn’t. In fact, the most emotion she could summon was nostalgia for her lost youth and melancholy for wasting so much time and energy on something that would never be. And, oddly, relief, like she’d shed a dress that never really fit right, even though she’d forced herself to believe it was the best one in her wardrobe.
“I have to go.” She needed to be alone, to think about this development and reevaluate her closet, so to speak.
“Deb, don’t leave. Let’s talk about it.”
The last thing Hannah called before Deb walked out the door was “Win needs your support.”
Win had always had her support. That was the problem.
* * *
The next morning, Deb went into GA bright and early. She had a dinner shift at the diner, but her time there was winding down. Felix had found someone to replace her and she’d be spending her remaining time at the Morning Glory training the newbie.
The day was turning out to be mild, a welcome break from the cold, snowy days they’d been experiencing. Despite Glory Junction thriving financially from snow, no one was complaining about the slightly warmer weather.
Deb wore her best outfit and knee-high boots, last year’s splurge and one of the reasons her credit cards were maxed out.
She found the whole crew, even Gray and Mary, gathered around Darcy’s computer. Win was conspicuously missing, probably picking out a tuxedo somewhere.
“Come see the website,” Josh called to her.
TJ glanced up from the monitor, gave her a once-over, but didn’t say anything. She joined the huddle and watched over Darcy’s shoulder as she clicked through the various pages. The staff section was gorgeous, even better than it had been in Jillian’s office. The pictures of the Garners danced off the page. Even the ones of her and Darcy were great. And the little bios were fun without taking themselves too seriously.
The videos on the homepage were enough to make anyone sign up for a tour. Deb was exhilarated just watching, and she regularly did most of the sports portrayed in the short clips. She still thought they should’ve included one of TJ doing moguls or aerials. He really was beautiful to watch and it seemed a shame that they’d missed out on an opportunity to further wow prospective clients.
The services page did just what it ought to do, in her opinion. No mysteries about price or what was offered. Jillian had made it simple to read. But when they came to the retail store, her heart dropped. It was even worse than Deb had remembered. Completely devoid of the same dynamism as the rest of the site. She suspected Jillian thought it was stylized, but to Deb it was just boring. Nothing that sold the clothes.
“Great job, you two.” Gray draped his arms over her and TJ’s shoulders. Crazy to give her credit; she’d had nothing to do with the site other than to drink really good espresso. But the Garners were great that way.
“You guys like it?” TJ said to Colt and Josh, and Deb hoped one of them would say something about the retail store.
“Blew me away, dude.” Josh pounded TJ on the back.
“Killer.” Colt leaned against the desk to keep from putting weight on his bad ankle. “I’ve gotta get home before Delaney goes to the hospital and finds out I checked myself out.”
“Darcy, Mom?” TJ turned to the two women.
“It’s gorgeous,” Mary said.
Darcy nodded her head, and Deb watched her to see if she was thinking the same thing about the store. Poker face. Obviously, no help in that corner. She’d wait and see. Perhaps it would be fine and sales would come pouring in.
TJ was beaming, clearly thrilled with the end product—and the praise. A warmth furled through her. It was nice to see someone so passionate about what he did. And even though he was really good at it and a badass, he still needed a pat on the back every now and again. Which was sweet. And utterly human. Until recently, she’d never seen TJ that way. His self-assuredness had intimidated the hell out of her. And his attitude toward anything outside of work had seemed robotic.
But the guy who had kissed her Saturday night had been all man.
The cluster broke up. Mary left for an appointment and Darcy had to answer the phones. Josh had a group of tobogganers, Gray needed to make a bank deposit, and TJ headed to his office. She stood there for a second before remembering that she had her own office and made her way to it.
Inside, she didn’t recognize it. The walls had been painted a soft beige and the big upholstered chair in Hannah’s store now sat in her corner, next to a floor lamp. A matching love seat faced it and a glass coffee table had been placed in the middle, forming a cozy seating area. There was even a jute rug. The other side of the room, where it used to be empty, was now occupied by a round conference table and four chairs. In the center was Foster’s floral arrangement, the one she’d left at Glorious Gifts when she’d found out the news about Win. Framed pictures of her skiing, rock climbing, and kayaking lined the wall behind the table. She had no idea where they’d come from. Next to her desk was a rolling rack with a few carefully hung samples of the clothes they were selling on the site. Over her computer hung a corkboard. Across the top, someone had artfully painted, “Time to get shit done.” It looked like Foster’s writing.
There was a big bow tied around her chair with an envelope. She pulled it off the ribbon, sat down, and read the card.
“Happy birthday from all of us.” It was signed Hannah, Foster, and Delaney.
She gazed around the room and a tear slid down her cheek. It was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her. Too bad she felt like a total fraud. The only reason she had the job was because TJ felt sorry for her. She had no delusions otherwise. She had no experience, no education, and what she knew about retail could fit on a price tag.
This was an office for an executive. Someone who knew what they were doing, not her. She grabbed a wad of tissue from the box on her desk and blotted her eyes. It sure was fabulous, though. Better even than Jillian’s.
“Hey.” TJ stood in her doorway, his hands stretched over his head, gripping the top of the casing. The muscles in his arms flexed.
“Hey,” she said back.
If he noticed she’d been crying, he didn’t say anything, just glanced around the room. “You like it?”
“I love it.”
“They were here all night. The walls are probably still wet.” He came in and sat in her big chair, his long, denim-encased legs sprawled out in front of him. “FYI, I contributed the conference table.”
“Thanks. It’s awesome.” She wiped her nose.
“I thought we should probably talk after . . . you know.”
She tried to act casual. “We were both coming down from the adrenaline rush of Colt’s accident and kissed. No big deal.” She didn’t know how she managed to pull that one out of her ass. It sounded patently absurd, but she didn’t want him to think she was reading too much into it. Clearly it hadn’t been all that for him; otherwise he would’ve come inside.
At first, he didn’t say anything, just let the words hang between them. “Good. Obviously, it’ll never happen again.”
“Obviously,” she repeated, and hoped it didn’t sound as sarcastic as she’d meant it.
“I guess by now you’ve heard about Win.” His face softened. “I’m sorry, Deb.”
“Don’t be. I’ve been an idiot.” She turned away out of embarrassment. “I wanted to talk to you about the online store.” That’s right, keep things professional.
“What about it?”
“I was thinking that besides trying to get a feature article in an adventure magazine, we should try to do something high-profile, like maybe sponsor something where we have athletes wear Delaney’s stuff and let the world know that it’s exclusive to Garner Adventure.”
“Okay,” he said, surprisingly open to the idea. “Find the athletes and the event. As long as it’s not too expensive, I’m good with it.”
“Really?” She’d expected him to shoot it down as he had her recommendation to give the online store more wow factor.
“Sure. Why not? Just remember, we’re still dealing with Stanley Royce and I don’t know how much that’ll cost us in the end, so we’ve got to watch our spending.”
Deciding to press her luck, she said, “Now that the stakes are higher, you sure you don’t want to change the look of the online store?”
TJ’s response was to glare at her. He got to his feet. “Your car’s done. I can take you to pick it up later if you want.”
“That’s all right; Hannah or Foster can take me. How much do I owe you?”
“Consider it a birthday gift,” he said.
“I’ll pay you as soon as Felix gives me my last check.”
“I said it was a gift, Deb.” He glowered and walked out.