“Coffee is just fabricated energy.”
Disdain lace the words, causing unease to wash over me. “I’d much prefer letting my designs motivate me.” She pauses long enough to breathe. “I’m here to make you an offer.”
The voice and arrogance suffusing the air belonged to one person. As I live and breathe, McKenzie Cooper is standing in my home. The woman has the smug self-importance air of her father. Instead of her father’s plump figure, though, McKenzie has the body of a starving supermodel.
“What can I do for you, McKenzie?” Last I checked, we have nothing to talk about. Her father denied my loan, and she owns a competing boutique in town.
“Nothing,” she says with a little put-out sigh, as she tears her eyes away from my cozy decor to look at me. “Daddy told me what happened at the bank. I came to make a once in a lifetime offer.”
“I’m surprised you know where my shop is?” I say, unable to keep the sarcasm from my voice. The Coopers do nothing from the goodness of their hearts.
She waves her hand dismissively. “Once I mentioned the name ‘Waters’, there isn’t a soul over seventy that doesn’t know where your grandmother lived.”
I clench my teeth, almost taking offense, until I realize from the glint in her eyes that McKenzie is doing what McKenzie does best. Getting under my skin. Though I have lived in Candy Cane for the past fifteen years, listening to her, a person might get it into their heads that I recently stumbled into town. “What’s your point?”
“That no one who matters knows where your back-room shop is.”
I flinch. While she’s intentionally trying to hurt me, Nathan had said working from my back room is no way to grow my business. Hearing my efforts to keep my home and business aren’t good enough from the man I lusted after is hurtful. Hearing the truth from a woman I don’t like only irritates.
“You have no loan and I’m fitting the costumes for the Santa parade — the biggest event of the year.”
“Arguably, the masquerade ball is the bigger event.”
McKenzie shrugs. “Fitting the town’s decision makers is one thing, Noami, but we both know that if you want them to be your clients for anything other than one party, you need to be at the party.” She smiles. “That’s where the real networking happens.”
I open my mouth, only to snap it shut. She’s right. Neither the mayor nor his wife invite me to their home for anything more than a fitting. Why would they? I’m their help and though Grams was an upstanding community member, she’s no longer alive. McKenzie, however, is the daughter of a man that secures most of the town’s investment, deposits, and loans.
“We both know the ball isn’t enough to see you into next year.”
“I’ll manage.” It takes all my strength not to rub the smug smile from her face. Not to tell her I don’t need her father or that I’d secured funding, or that Nathan Dawson, one of the wealthiest people in town, is on my side.
“You don’t have to manage, Naomi.”
I frown. Did Mr. Cooper change his mind? And why did he send his daughter instead of telling me himself? Excitement at not having a company I didn’t know own half my business quickly dissipated.
“My boutique is thriving. My clientele aren’t only from Candy Cane but Miami, Texas, and I even have clients as far as New York.”
My breathing hollows. My chest rises and falls in short pants. There’s no way enough oxygen is getting to my lungs because I’m dizzy.
“You wouldn’t ever have to worry about money—”
“Why would I work for you?”
“Haven’t you been listening?” she snaps impatiently. “If it will make you say yes, I’ll let you manage the costume line. You’ll have full control.”
“You’ll let me have control of an area I spearheaded?”
“It’s the least I can do,” she says, oblivious to my fury.
“Whoopty-doo!” I have the pleasure of watching her eyes widen.
The front door opens, but I don’t glance away from McKenzie. “What’s going on here?” Nathan walks into the room to stand by my side and I welcome his strength.
Usually I won’t rock the boat. I put up with McKenzie’s snide remarks about me and my business because, deep down, I understood the reason behind her nastiness. After all these years, she still resents Charity for breaking off their friendship. McKenzie can’t get to Charity, so I’m the next best thing. The perfect person to lash out her hatred against. Eventually, I’d have to ask Mr Cooper for a loan. But I don’t need her father anymore. That thought fills through my mind, freeing me.
“Before I began designing costumes for the parade, the town hadn’t seen a new custom costume in years. We both know costumes aren’t your speciality, McKenzie. It seems like you've underestimated the workload this close to Christmas, and everyone in town will find out on parade day.”
Panic replaces her smug smile as she glares at me. “I can afford to hire the best designers.” It isn’t just old hatred staring back at me, but a new one belonging solely to me. “You have nothing.”
