Page 56 of Love in Bloom

Help Cindy and Dale get other jobs. Temporary? - CHECK WITH BARB.

Rent space? - CHECK WITH BARB.

Sell delivery van? - CHECK WITH BARB.

Sell excess inventory, tools, and equipment? - CHECK WITH BARB.

Sell current customer list - CHECK WITH BARB.

If Eric found a new location for her before her current lease ended, she would keep the inventory and delivery van. The van was in decent shape, but the coolers had to go. They were old and Wren was running out of tricks to keep them going. She’d probably give them to Barb just so she didn’t have to dispose of them.I can do this.

Wren debated about asking Barb for a temporary job, since she was going to check for Cindy and Dale, but working for someone else felt like a step down. She had money in the bank. She’d be OK until she found a new location.I can do this.

She had excess inventory she could sell, but she’d hold on to her tools and customer list until the bitter end. If she hadn’t found a new space by the end of the year, she’d take it as a sign from above that it was time to move on. Maybe she’d move back south where the winters weren’t so cruel, and seeing Miller every day wouldn’t hurt.But,I can do this. I just need a location.

Moving.Biscuits! Where am I going to live?Barb couldn’t help her with that one, but maybe Emily could. She was moving in with Jackson after the wedding. Her bungalow would be empty then. That might be an option. An apartment would come with a lease, and she didn’t want to tie herself down in case the universe had other plans for her. She stared at the blank wall, wondering if there were any other options. Nope. None. If Emily’s bungalow was a bust, she didn’t know what she’d do. A text interrupted her fears of becoming a bag-lady.

Friday, 1:15 PM

Miller: Ginge, sorry about the migraine. Let me know if you need anything or if you want a head and neck massage. I’ll keep my hands above your shoulders. Promise. Unless you want otherwise ;-)

‘Want otherwise’ is what had gotten Wren into this mess. Her gut told her there was something fishy about Ball Realty not renewing her lease, and it wouldn’t surprise her if Diane was behind it. Greg had mentioned he and Diane were friends when he’d hit on her at the disastrous AAS dinner. If she’d stuck to her guns and hadn’t let the smooth-talking lawyer convince her they could manage a short-term relationship, she’d still have her business and her heart. Instead of watching out for him, she should have been looking out for herself.

Again. Once again, she’d lost everything because some man wanted to be partner in a law firm.What did I do to deserve this?Wren slumped down in her kitchen chair.

With her marriage, she’d lost who she was. With Miller, she’d lost her business, her home, her dreams, and her heart. She threw her pen against the wall and watched it bounce to the floor and roll. It was satisfying, but not helpful.

Wren woke up the next morning with the headache she’d promised herself. Caffeine and ibuprofen had helped, and Miller brought her a sweet tea after lunch. Wren was with a customer, so he’d placed it on the counter and mimed ‘call me’ with his fingers. She smiled, but she knew it didn’t reach her eyes.

Diane breezed through the door mid-afternoon as Wren started her end-of-day routine. “Oh, good, you’re here. I stopped by yesterday, but you’d already closed for the day.”

“What can I help you with, Diane,” Wren said. Diane pulled a tape measure and a notepad out of her purse.

“I just want to take a few measurements. We’re trying to determine the best place for Miller’s desk.”

Wren walked to the front of the shop and opened the front door. “I still hold the lease, and as long as I do, you’re not welcome here. You can expect my final invoice tomorrow, and I expect it to be paid in full by the end of the week.” Diane’s mouth opened and closed a few times, like a startled fish.Did she think I’d roll over and cooperate?!Maybe even hold one end of the tape measure for her?

“Well, I suppose a few more weeks won’t set us back too far,” she said as she shoved the tape measure and notepad back into her purse. “Although it will be an inconvenience for Miller, but I’m sure he and Michelle will figure something out.”

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