Page 65 of Rescued Hearts

Chapter Fifteen

Honor had always loved festivals with her sister, but this? This was something else entirely.

With Gray by her side, everything ran smoother, faster. He was the muscle and did all the heavy lifting of crates of jewelry. He set up the tables far quicker than she and Felicity ever managed. The pop-up tent? He got it erected in record time while she was arranging her items for display.

No struggling with heavy boxes or a table on uneven ground with legs that threatened to buckle. With Gray, the teamwork was effortless. They moved in sync. When she gave him directions, he took them without batting an eye. Like they were on the same wavelength.

And apparently the customers noticed her hot new sidekick too.

Honor arranged the final necklaces on the display rack and stepped back to survey the setup. Several women stood in front of the table, not looking at the jewelry—looking at Gray.

In fact, the steady flow of customers was definitely out of the norm. She was confident she had the best products to sell at this festival, but the number of women stopping by to browse was starting to make her wonder if there were some major whispers going around about who was “manning” her booth.

A new throng of women approached the table, all throwing sideways glances at Gray, who was completely ignoring them while he stacked the wooden crates out of the way.

She narrowed her eyes at the group, who weren’t paying any attention to her wares at all.

“Excuse me,” one called out to Gray.

He shot a glance over his shoulder.

“Do you have any of these in blue stones?” The woman tossed her hair over her shoulder in the most blatant display of flirtation that Honor had ever seen.

A laugh burst out of her, and she shook her head in amusement. Even though she could easily believe it, all right. Gray was the hottest man she—and likely all of the women at the festival too—had ever seen.

He fixed a look on Honor. From the crease between his brows, she knew he had no damn clue that these ladies were here for him.

Well, she was going to use him to her advantage. She moved up beside him. “Why don’t you come sit by me?”

“Sure, sugar.”

Her insides warmed, and they each took a seat on the lawn chairs she brought. The traffic only increased over the next few hours as the festival really got rolling. The live music, the smell of food from food trucks and the crowds of people really made these things fun. And having Gray with her was even more special.

Before noon, she had sold out of all of her silk corded necklaces. As she shifted products around the table and added more from her backstock, she heard a woman call out.

“Excuse me. What is this type of metal?”

Honor looked over to see a woman standing in front of Gray, twirling a lock of hair around her finger in the most cliché move she’d ever seen.

He leaned over and picked up the item, reading the tag. “Says silver.” He set it back down.

“Oh! Thanks. I’ll take two.”

Honor rushed over to accept the payment and wrap the items in tissue and slip them into a recycled paper bag. She was just doing her job. After all, itwasher business. She wasn’t being territorial. Not at all.

When there was a small spell of time where people moved off to watch a live band, Honor grabbed her tools and a length of wire.

“You know,” she said in a tone she tried to play off as cool, “my sales have doubled with you here.”

His gray gaze settled on her. “The festival is really busy. Lots of traffic.”

“Oh sure. That must be it.” She wasn’t upset with Gray. He was oblivious to the women giggling over him like he was the only man at the festival. And he was just being his usual helpful, polite self.

But the success of the festival had her wondering about that storefront. Could a specialty shop in a small town stay afloat? Every time she made another sale, her confidence grew and she became more convinced a store could work.

She twisted and shaped the wire into a sturdy but elegant ring. Then she wrapped it around a gemstone. Not just any stone—a big, bold and unmistakable one. When she finished, she stood up and took a step toward Gray even though he was within touching distance.

His smile creased the corners of his eyes, making her think of how he looked that day they were on horseback. He was wearing the same cowboy hat, and squinting into the sun exactly the same way.

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