“Ah.” Paige nods and taps her chin. She stares at the sky for a moment before her expression brightens. “A low rating might not tempt her…but what about a small-business feature fromThe Meadow Bee?”
I frown. “What? But Elena Ferrera only features the best small businesses in town.”
She grins. “Exactly.”
“I would never get featured,” I tell her. “Not with a three-star rating.”
Paige waves away my worries. “You wouldn’t, unless you happened to know the best friend of Elena herself. And you’re looking right at her.”
My mouth falls open. Though I know of Elena, I haven’t interacted with her much because we have different friends and haven’t had a chance to cross paths often. I didn’t even knowPaige until last year for the same reason, so I had no idea Elena was her best friend. “You…” My voice comes out wobbly. “You would do that for me?”
“Of course.” She scrunches her nose like it’s no big deal, causing the sea of freckles on her nose to ripple. “I mean, I’ll definitely talk to Elena. I don’t know if there will be strings she has to pull, but it’s worth a shot.”
I wrap her in a giant hug. “You’re the best!”
She laughs. “Anything for you.”
I watch her drive away before heading back into the salon. Though I know there’s a possibility Elena won’t cover my business, it means so much to me that Paige is willing to try to help me.
Bash cocks his head at me when I return. “Everything good?”
“Better than good.” I fill him in on my conversation with Paige.
When I finish, he crosses his arms, and a smirk graces his lips. “Do you see what I mean now about you succeeding at everything you do? It’s becoming annoying at this point.”
I roll my eyes. “Well, it hasn’t happened yet. There’s still a chance it won’t.”
“It will. Trust me.”
I shrug. “We’ll see.”
As the workday progresses, the only thing that distracts me from my excitement about Elena is when I catch sight of Bash staring at me more than once. It’s not subtle. His gaze is like a magnet, pulling at me even when I’m trying to focus. Each time my eyes shift in his direction, his head doesn’t turn away like I expect. Instead, he holds my gaze for a beat longer than necessary, making my face burn hotter than a campfire before he turns back to the dog he’s working on.
When I try to calm a new, angry schnauzer in the tub, the dog twists and jerks, soaking the front of my shirt with soapy water.
I almost give up before Bash comes up next to me. “Need some help?” Without waiting for an answer, his strong arms brush mine as he takes charge, holding the dog still with ease so I can finish washing him. “There, now. You’re alright” he murmurs to the dog. But his deep voice is so close to my ear, butterflies swarm my stomach.
Our hands touch as he passes me a towel, and when he leaves me with the dog, it’s hard to focus again. It makes me wonder what work will be like when I’m forced to replace him.
A lot less distracting, that’s for sure.
But with Bash, the workdays always pass faster than usual, and today is no exception. Still, by the end of it, I’m just as exhausted as always.
“Don’t forget,” I say as we’re locking up, “we’re closed all next week.”
Bash smirks. “How could I forget about Autumn retreat? You underestimate me.”
I laugh. Though closing my shop for a week makes me nervous, I agreed to go before my finances took a nosedive. And I’m trying to have faith that God has a plan and will provide if it’s His will for me to keep my place open. “I just can’t believe it’s time already,” I say. “I feel like hardly any time has passed since I first offered you the job.”
“I tend to have that effect on people.”
I roll my eyes. “By the way, I got our cabin assignments from Hayden. I’m rooming with Hadley, and you got paired up with Logan.”
His answering grin is blinding. “Logan? Logan Henry?”
“The one and only.”
His jaw flexes. “I really need to get my car fixed. I know it’s been hanging in there, but I don’t know if it can handle the trip this time.”
