“I haven’t decided.” Rosie picked up a can of stain and inspected the label. “I’m working on it. It has to be significant. Meaningful.”
“It needs to be catchy,” Olivia corrected. “Lend itself to a great sign and a stylish logo.”
Rosie changed the subject, and I sensed they’d discussed the shop name a few times before. “We’ve been cleaning and painting for what seems like forever.” Rosie walked to a small refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of wine. “Now you get to join in on the fun.”
“What was this building before it was a thrift store?” I took the glass of rosé offered and sat in one of the lawn chairs pitched in a dimly lit corner.
“A hundred things.” Rosie smiled to herself as she poured her own glass. “Some records I found said it was the town’s first library, started in a lady’s home. We’ve uncovered a lot during the demolition. One day I’ll tell you all about it.”
“Why not now?” I asked as she and Olivia joined me.
My sisters exchanged a look. “Because we want to talk about something more interesting,” Olivia said.
My gaze wandered over the wooden beams in the ceiling, the large display window outlined in colorful stained glass, and the antique lighting hanging above us. “I can’t think of anything more interesting than Rosie opening her own bookshop.”
Rosie lowered her wineglass and trained those bespectacled eyes on me. “So…you’re going to live with Miller James.”
My drink caught in my throat at that outlandish declaration, and I coughed to gain some air. “I’m notlivingwith him. I’ll be living on the farm.”
“He’s only one of Sugar Creek’s hottest bachelors.” Olivia crossed her long legs and studied me closely. “Tall, handsome, knows what to do with a tractor. Admit it, you noticed he’s hot, right?”
“He’s a family friend. He practically grew up with us.”
“And he’s got a girlfriend,” Rosie said.
“Of course he does.” That was just the law of the world. A cute guy was not in want of a companion. “She’s probably obnoxiously gorgeous.”
“I’m afraid she is.” A genius in the publicity biz, Olivia knew anyone and everyone in the corporate world. “Also wildly successful and an entrepreneur like him. She created her own skincare and makeup lines, which went viral after some Hollywood celebs touted them seven years ago. Alexis Fineberg of Fineberg Faces.”
“Catchy.”
“Did you notice Hattie didn’t answer my question?” Olivia asked Rosie.
“I did indeed.” Rosie nodded gravely. “It speaks volumes.”
“What question?”
“Whether you noticed how attractive your new boss is,” Olivia repeated.
I gave a dismissive shrug. “You know I have a type—and Miller isn’t it.”
“Right. How could we forget? You’ve always gone for the tall, undernourished, barely employed type.” Olivia took another sip of her rosé.
My spirits were still battered, so I was feeling more than a little defensive. “They weren’t all that bad.”
“Every one of them broke your heart, Hattie. Which leads us to our next idea.” Olivia shot Rosie a sly look. “Rosie and I have decided to be your matchmakers.”
It was a good thing these two were my sisters, otherwise I’d have to dislike them. “Hard pass, but thank you.”
Olivia lifted her glass in a one-woman cheers. “Yep, we’re taking over this dating game.”
“There is no dating game,” I said. “I’m on the bench. In a time-out.”
“You’re officially on the market,” Olivia said.
“Nope. Not on the market. Not even near it. Not in the parking lot or within delivery range of this market.”
Rosie produced a tin of some of our grandmother’s renowned snickerdoodles and passed me one. “It’s been five months since the debacle. The big breakup.”
