Page 22 of Like You Love Me

“This place is yours? It is truly amazing,” Bianca replied.

The woman beamed. “Thank you. I am Amirah Allen. I fell in love with this town and decided to move here from Charlotte and open a boutique.”

“Welcome to Sheraton Beach. How’s business been?” Debra asked.

“Business has been slow but steady since I opened up, but I’m hoping things will pick up with the Valentine’s Day holiday.”

Bianca’s eyes swept the length of the boutique. “I think all you need is the right marketing, and this place could be a hit.”

Debra nodded. “I agree.” They followed her to the register, and while she rang their purchases, they talked.

Bianca raised a brow at her. “Have you thought about being a venue to host bridal showers?”

“No,” Amirah replied.

Debra chimed in. “Ooh, I think this place would be so hot! You need a registry.”

“I agree.” Bianca removed a business card from her wallet and handed it to Amirah. “Give me a call, and we can discuss some marketing ideas for this area. By the way, if you haven’t heard, we are hosting a bachelor’s charity auction in a few weeks.”

She looked up from wrapping their purchases in red tissue paper and nodded knowingly. “Yes, I heard.”

“The event would be a perfect opportunity to display some of your merchandise and hand out flyers to the women who will be stampeding in there.”

Amirah beamed and replied, “I would really like that.”

“And we will also have a silent auction,” Debra added. “Would you be willing to donate an intriguing basket for the silent auction?”

Amirah’s eyes widened with excitement. “I would love to.” Bianca could see the wheels turning in Amirah’s head. “I think something like a large black satin box would add to the mystery.”

Debra’s eyes widened. “That would drive up the bids. Hell, I’ll even throw in my bid.” She looked amused as she handed Amirah her credit card. “My husband is going to love this outfit. I can’t wait for him to see it.”

Bianca couldn’t help but smile at how much in love Debra was with Rance. She couldn’t have been happier.

Amirah extended her arm, holding out their bags and laughed. “Well, we can’t have that. I am a huge Sixers fan, and we need to keep Rance’s mind on the game.”

Debra winked. “And I need him to keep his mind on me.”

After shopping, Bianca and Debra walked to the deli on the corner. The wind beat against her face, and snow was still coming down. It was cold enough that she saw her breath.

They stepped inside the deli and were escorted to a booth near a window. Bianca shrugged out of the black cashmere coat and gray scarf from around her neck and slid across the bench while Debra took off a blue peacoat and took the seat across from her.

“I thought the weather was getting better, but now I’m not so sure.” Bianca glared out the window at the snow flurries floating around in the air.

“It’s still January, and you know how unpredictable Delaware weather is,” Debra said mildly.

“That’s true.” They reached for the menus and perused the selections. A waiter arrived with glasses of water and a promise to be back shortly.

“Have you spoken to Collin?”

Bianca looked up from the menu and shook her head. “Not since I arrived home from the hospital. He’s been calling, but I’ve been ignoring him.” Before she could continue, her cell phone chimed, and she quickly typed a reply to Mary letting her know she would be out for the rest of the afternoon.

Debra waited until the waiter had taken their order before saying, “Have you decided what you are going to do?”

She blew out a harsh breath. “I don’t know. I plan to discuss it with London, but it never seems to be the right time.”

Debra raised a brow at her. “You’re going to have to make the time. You remember the way Collin behaved before.”

“What if he has changed?” Bianca asked between sips.

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