Page 13 of Sweet Summertide

“Didn’t you strike first?” He shifted his eyes to the remnants of the lunch scheme, empty paper plates and cups, a half-eaten cheese pizza, and his workers scurrying back across the street. “And, if I had to guess, your little coffee stunt yesterday was really round one.” He had her pegged.

Her slack-jaw and pinched brows let him know that she knew he was right.

“Toodeloo,” Theodor said and waved his fingers over his shoulder as he exited.

CHAPTER 7

The late afternoonsun poured in the front windows of Holly’s store. She had picked this place because of the abundant light inside the south facing frontage. With all the light, came about a half hour where the sun shone straight inside and all the way to the back of the shop, which is why she could only see the silhouette of a man standing in her doorway.

Whoever the person was, was too short to be Teddy. She had managed to get through what remained of the day without so much as a glimpse of him and shook off the guilty feeling she’d been carrying around since courting his workers with delicious pizza.

“Parcel for Blake Hollis?” the man asked.

“That’s me, thanks. You can leave the package on the windowsill. Do I need to sign for it?”

He placed the medium-sized box where she indicated and scanned the barcode. “Good to go, ma’am.”

He left, and she shook off the icky way she felt whenever someone called herma’am. Growing up, her mother demanded Holly use polite southern manners. No matter how often she heard the word directed at her, it never sounded quite right. She always had the urge to look over her shoulder, half expecting tosee her mother standing there, arms crossed, and shaking her head at the utter disappointment Holly had become.

Holly put down the paint brush and covered it with a damp paper towel. She had every intention of coming back later to finish the wall-mural she was working on. Right now, she had other, more pressing things to handle. The delivery held her next offensive blow.

“Knock. Knock,” Millie said from the doorway.

Holly pulled the stack of papers from the box and held them up. “Look what I got!”

Millie took the top paper, a flyer advertising the new creamery with a perforated section along the bottom that featured a half-off coupon. “It looks good. But I can’t say the same for the way things are looking in here. Will you be ready in time?”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to make this place a success. You know that I’m afraid this is my last chance at making my own way. My parents are tiring of my ‘whimsy’,” she said and motioned air quotes. “If this doesn’t work out, I’ll be out all my savings, and probably have to go work with my mother at the stables.”

Millie threw her arms around Holly’s shoulders. “It won’t come to that. We’re going to make this work. Tell me how I can help.”

“Right now, you can help me pass out these flyers.” Holly handed her friend a roll of painter’s tape.

Millie held it up. “Really? Where on earth did you find ballet-pink painter’s tape?” she laughed and slid the roll over her wrist.

“I have connections.”

“With whom? Amazon?”

Holly shrugged, but of course, she ordered it online like a normal person who needs a stash of pink painter’s tape. “Let’s get going.”

Holly left the shop doors open to air out the mural she had been working on and repositioned the flyers in her arm. “Left, or right?” She looked both ways at Main Street. The sun was just about to go down and the street was coming alive. Even though the area was only newly coming into a revitalization, it was teeming with activity. On both ends, new shops and restaurants had opened and they drew people to the area.

On weekends, the square in front of the old City Hall building was a gathering place. Even now, live music echoed down the cobblestones as the band warmed up. Soon, the whole square would be filled with families and out-of-towners out enjoying the night air. Across the square, a restaurant had a lovely outdoor seating area with fairy lights strung over a brick patio. Little bistro tables served double duty for eating and enjoying the music.

Folks were trickling into the area, but it wasn’t quite time to hit the crowd yet. Holly looked the other direction where a few customers were busy coming and going from the Cove Boutique, a quaint little place that sold everything from fresh flowers to girly dresses and featured many local artisans. The shop was one of her favorite places to hunt for unique items, and it rivaled any big-city boutique: a slice of the city in the quaint little Cove.

She looked straight out at the soon-to-be chocolaterie, seemingly closed up for the weekend. All the workers had scattered, and no lights were turned on. “I have a better idea,” Holly said and stepped out into the road with Millie close behind. “Tape me.”

Millie tore a section of tape, several inches long, and handed it over Holly’s shoulder. “Are we really doing this?”

Holly answered with action when she plastered one of her eye-catching flyers to Teddy’s door. She stood back. The pinky-floral background and bright-green lettering screamed for the attention of any passersby. “I like it there.”

“You’re asking for it,” Millie said and clapped her approval. “And I obviously support you, one-hundred percent.” She handed over another stretch of tape.

Holly and Millie worked as a team, sticking dozens of flyers to every light post, bench back, and empty window along the street. Holly forced a flyer into the hands of anyone walking by too.

“We’re opening in a few weeks, make sure to come by for a scoop with your coupon,” Millie said as she handed out the last flyer. “What now?”

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