Page 15 of Snowflakes Over Starr's Fall
The Business Association had been a ladies-only event for years before Joshua Reed had finally joined last year, giving up his ensconced curmudgeonly status as the town’s bachelor bookstore owner—Laurie had helped with that—and then just a few months later, her brother Zach had rocked up, the proud new proprietor of Miller’s Furniture Restoration. Michael Harper had joined his wife in chairing, and while Jenna was glad the men had joined, both for their sakes as well as that of the association, she missed the girls-only vibe; plus, as everyone knew, she didn’t like change.
When was she going to start embracing it? Maybe not until she was forced to turn the “closed” sign on the mercantile—forever.
“Hey, Jenna,” Zoe called over to her, flicking her bright pink hair out of her eyes. Zoe was twenty-eight and, at least to Jenna, impossibly cool. She wished she could be the kind of person to rock pink hair and a nose ring, but she just wasn’t, and she’d come to accept that. Still, every time she caught sight of Zoe with her laid-back, uber-confident attitude, Jenna felt a little pang… of something. Not strong enough to be actual envy, but definitely something. Maybe it was just getting older. She would be forty in less than a year, and there was no escaping that, or how she’d wished her life had turned out a little differently by this point. It was what it was, Jenna told herself as she steeled her spine. No use being sorry about it. As Liz said, self-pity wasn’t a good look on a woman her age… or to be fair, on anyone.
“Hey, Zoe,” she called back with a smile, and then greeted the others around the table. Annie was usually in attendance but had been missing the last few to spend time with her mom. Still, it was a good showing. Just as Lizzy Harper, the new chair, came to the head of the table to start them off, Rhonda breezed in with a cocky grin for everyone as she plopped herself down at the end, fanning her face.
“I power walked here and I’m a little hot,” she explained cheerfully. “Also I was checking out the nice set of wheels parked in front of the church.” She let out a wheezing cough. “Someonewon the lottery.”
Nice set of wheels?Alarm pinged through Jenna as Lizzy banged the gavel to call them to order. There was only one person in Starr’s Fall who had a car that answered to that description, and he had no business being here…
“Meeting come to order!” Michael called cheerfully. Jenna had been the Business Association’s chair last year, but over the summer it had moved to Lizzy and Michael, and Jenna had told herself she was glad. She didn’t need the extra hassle of running Starr’s Fall’s sometimes-struggling association, but as Michael banged the gavel again, clearly enjoying the mini power trip, something in her chafed, just a little bit. She was used to being in charge, but it was just as well she wasn’t, she told herself, as she needed to focus on her own business.
“All right, ladies and gentlemen, let’s get started,” Michael began. “Tonight we need to discuss the Fall Festival next week, then we’ve got Winter Wonderland to organize in December, plus the continuing issue with the streetlights, and any ideas we might have to beautify our lovely Main Street, including the empty storefronts.”
He paused, looking around the table with eyes that were bright with enthusiasm. “Now, before we begin with all that… I’m thrilled to say we have someone new joining us today, to act as a consultant to the association. He comes with plenty of experience and wisdom from working on Wall Street for twenty years, starting his own venture capital firm, investing in new and innovative technologies and businesses,andhe lives right here in Starr’s Fall! I’m sure everyone will be thrilled to welcome…” He paused to take a breath, and Jenna tensed instinctively, because she justknewwhat was coming next… “Jack Wexlerto our group!”
Then, like he was a celebrity arriving on a talk show, Jack strolled in from the hallway, giving everyone a lazy wave before he joined Michael at the head of the table, looking relaxed and assured in a crisp white button-down shirt, open at the throat, and well-ironed khakis. The Rolex Jenna had seen before glinted on one wrist, and as he leaned back in his folding chair and crossed his legs, Jenna saw he was wearing designer loafers of what looked like Italian leather with no socks.
Such a rich guy cliché, she thought, her lip curling before she made herself iron out her expression to something approaching neutrality. So Jack Wexler was going to advise all the residents of Starr’s Fall how to operate their businesses. Great. Just what she needed right now.
Her lip curling again, Jenna folded her arms, sat back in her seat, and waited for whatwisdomJack Wexler would no doubt smirkingly impart.
7
Jenna Miller had an expression on her face that would curdle milk—lip curled, eyes narrowed, arms folded, head cocked to one side like she was seriously skeptical about anything he might say before he’d even spoken. Jack kept his expression friendly and relaxed as he flicked his gaze away from her. Lizzy Harper had invited him to this meeting, and he was going to do his utmost to be helpful to those attending, no matter what Jenna Miller thought about it.
Admittedly, he’d been reluctant when Michael had first floated the idea to him, at the boardgame evening last week. “We could really use an injection of energy into our little group,” he’d told him with enthusiasm. “And as someone with so much experience…”
Not that he’d even talked up his experience. He’d asked him what he’d done before moving to Starr’s Fall, and he’d told him, end of. When Michael had, with obvious interest, pressed for more information, Jack had given it to him—just the facts, no humble (or otherwise) bragging. And when he’d practically begged him to come to their little Business Association meeting, he’d agreed, because it seemed rude not to and, the truth was, he was going a little crazy with the boredom and isolation.
He should have realized Jenna Miller would be here… and looking like she was spitting nails.
“Jack…?” Michael prompted, and belatedly he realized he was supposed to speak. Michael seemed to be waiting for him to impart some serious pearls of wisdom, like he had the magic formula for financial success in his back pocket. And once he might have, but now, stupidly, considering the way Michael had just bigged him up—and he hadn’t even mentioned all his accomplishments—he felt nervous. That, he suspected, was down to Jenna and the look on her face.
Jack gave the room a friendly smile, making sure his gaze skimmed right over the woman glaring at him from the back right of the table.
“Before I say anything myself,” he told them all, “I’d love to hear from you, and what your experiences have been, operating a small business in Starr’s Fall. What are the advantages, the challenges?” He raised his eyebrows, smile still in place, although he couldfeelJenna fuming. “What excites you about having a business here, and what worries or even frightens you? What’s happened in the past, and what is your vision for the future?” He could feel himself getting into the rhythm of what he was saying, his voice falling into that upbeat and confidently coaxing tone that had won over so many would-be investors. It felt good, getting back into it, even if he was just advising a bunch of small fish in a very small pond.
How the mighty have fallen.
He could imagine Alex, his old nemesis from Axios Investments, snickering at the sight of him sitting here, like he was at the head of an important board meeting in some gleaming tower on Wall Street, instead of in a church basement that smelled like gym socks and stale coffee.
Never mind. These were, he’d discovered over the last few weeks, kindhearted and decent people—at least bar one, who was now openly scowling at him. He almost felt like telling her to be careful, because her face might freeze that way. He could imagine his mom saying that to him once upon a time, a thought that made him ache with sorrow and so he pushed it away.
“Anyone?”
“An advantage is definitely the community here,” Laurie volunteered with a warm smile for the whole group. “I moved here a year ago, totally on my own, and everyone was incredibly welcoming and supportive. The number of people who turned up for my grand opening…” Her eyes brightened with emotion as she looked around at everyone assembled. “It still makes me choke up. Peoplewantbusinesses here to succeed?—”
“Well, save that adults-only store that guy from Torrington tried to open, next to where that new pizza place is,” Rhonda chimed in darkly. “We didn’t want that kind of thing going on here, let me tell you. He was selling VHS tapes out of his trunk in the parking lot before we had him move on.” She dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper as she explained to Jack, “We had Mike, the town mechanic, give him a friendly nudge. If you’ve ever seen Mike, you’d know how that went.”
“All right,” Jack replied, both startled and amused and trying to hide both emotions. “Thank you.”
“Rhonda, that was twenty-five years ago,” Liz interjected good-naturedly. She turned to Jack with a smile. “I didn’t even live here then, but I know that nothing like that has happened since.” She tucked her silver hair behind her ears. “But I agree with Laurie. The community here is great in terms of support. But…” She hesitated, glancing around at everyone almost in apology. “Sometimes people can be a little stuck in their ways. I get it, because no one wants Starr’s Fall to change?—”
“Except we want the empty storefronts to be filled,” a young woman with a shock of bright pink hair chipped in. “Not all of us are against change, Liz.”
Jack saw the pink-haired woman give Jenna a friendly but rather pointed smile, and he realized that there was history here. History he must have accidentally stumbled into when he’d walked into Miller’s Mercantile.
