Page 89 of Out to Get Her
“No,” Melanie said. “Basking in the glow of everything you’ve earned and all the potential good you’ll do will be great.”
Erin pointed a thumb at Melanie. “Yeah, what she said.”
Samantha might be nervous, but Erin had no doubt she would win this thing. And since Addie’s had been the place where they’d met—or at least where they’dre-met—it was the perfect place to celebrate with all of their friends.
It also made it the perfect place for Erin to break her big news.
She’d gone back and forth about whether to tell Samantha tonight. On the plus side, it would make a good distraction while they waited for the election results. Even if Samantha didn’t respond well to Erin’s announcement, they’d still have Samantha’s victory to lighten the mood. And if the election didn’t go the way Samantha wanted, then at least they might have some other good news to celebrate and soften the blow. If Samantha would indeed be happy about what Erin was about to tell her.
Either way, it was a solid plan. But Erin didn’t want her news to steal even the tiniest bit of Samantha’s thunder, so maybe she should wait.
She was overthinking things.
This town was rubbing off on her already.
Melanie squeezed Samantha’s shoulders and excused herself for a bathroom break before the results came in.
“So what was it you wanted to tell me?” Samantha wrinkled her brow. “You were being all cryptic on the way here, and it sounded serious.”
“It is. I think. Maybe.” Erin took a deep breath and blew it out in a pinpoint stream.
“Just tell me.” Samantha’s voice wavered. “You’re going back to New Orleans soon, aren’t you?”
Erin hated the sadness in Samantha’s voice. Hated how small those words sounded. Samantha, her rock, was terrified.
Good thing she was dead wrong.
“Actually, the opposite,” Erin said. “Grandpa’s house is officially not for sale.”
Samantha straightened her back as her eyes widened. “Are you serious?”
Erin nodded. “Since it’s paid off, I won’t have to worry about rent like I did in New Orleans, so I can keep selling my jewelry online and maybe even have enough to open a little shop in that empty space downtown.”
“A shop? For your jewelry?” Samantha let out a gasp and grabbed both of Erin’s hands. “That’s so exciting!”
“Not just for me, though. I could open it up to everyone around here who has art or makes stuff. Like, I heard Ms. Pellerin is still painting. And Mr. Robicheaux makes the coolest metalwork creations in his forge. I was thinking they could put their art in there on consignment, or we’d work out some way to sell their stuff, too.”
Tears pooled in the rims of Sam’s eyes. Tears that were making Erin’s eyes water now.
Dang it. She wasn’t supposed to cry. This wasn’t supposed to be a crying thing.
“That sounds wonderful.”
“Then why are you crying.” Erin rubbed furiously at her own face.
“Because it makes me so happy that you’re staying here. That you seem happy here now.” She paused. “You are happy here now, aren’t you? Because you seem—”
“Yes,yes!Of course, I’m happy,” Erin said. “I’m happier than I’ve been in… well, as long as I can remember.”
Samantha smiled. “Good. I’m really glad.”
“And that’s the other thing I wanted to tell you.”
“Oh? Two things?”
“Yes. Sort of,” Erin said. “But related kind of.”
“Well, tell me!” Samantha sounded like a kid being asked to wait an extra five minutes for a cookie.
