Finding Promise (The Promise Series, A Small Town Romance) (19 page)

“We built that one too.” Luke pointed at a float advertising
the inn. “The acting society came up with that idea and by the reaction of the
crowd; we’ll have to move quickly to secure them for next year.” The float was
set up like a small stage with actors moving between sets; checking in,
sleeping and having breakfast at the inn. 

“Let’s go get something to eat.” Caroline tugged at Luke’s
hand. She wanted to taste and see as much as she could.

“After all the baking and cooking you’ve been doing, I’d
have thought that you’d be put off food for a while.” She held onto her hand,
trying to keep up. For such a tiny being, she sure could move fast.

“I love cooking and baking but it’s always nice to eat
someone else’s food for a change. Besides, I’ve never been to a Fourth of July
fair and I want to experience as much as I can.”

“Really?” Surprised, he stopped her. She nodded making his
heart ache for her. What kind of parents didn’t give their kids a chance to
enjoy such an important occasion in the American culture? “Well, then we better
get to it then. You’ve got loads still to do.”

They held hands while walking around looking at stalls of
useless, enticing items, had a precious memento taken courtesy of the photo
booth and ate so much they felt sick. Caroline couldn’t fathom the thought of
ever eating cotton candy, corn dogs, candied apples or kettle corn again. “I
think I’ve put on a few pounds,” She groaned, clutching her stomach. “I’m going
to pay dearly for this.”

His lips curved. “It’s a few more pounds for me to enjoy.”
He laughed at her failed attempt to punch him in the stomach. “No. Not there,
please. I’m pretty stuffed myself. I don’t think I’ll have room for your picnic
lunch waiting for us by mamma. I had a good time, Caroline. You get jaundiced
by the fair, seeing it year after year, but with you today, I felt as excited
as a little kid. No, don’t be embarrassed.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “I
found it endearing and special that I could be part of your first time.”

“It was special for me too. Thank you for sharing it with
me.” She leaned in for another kiss.

“Will you two get a room please?” They turned to a mocking
Rachel. “Come on, the fireworks are about to start.”

Content, she sat between Luke’s legs on the edge of one the
blankets they’d spread out on the grass in the town square, watching the
fireworks display. They were surrounded by her friends, the Edwards and Patsy.
Matt and Nate were there too and it looked as though things between them and
her friends were amicable, yet not really friendly.

Sighing with contentment, she nuzzled in closer, bringing
Luke’s arms tighter around her. It seemed nearly like too much good luck but
her relationship with Luke was more than she could have hoped for. They saw
each other every day for the month, even if it was just for him to pop over to
say hello. He often sat at the table, keeping her company while she baked. When
she wasn’t busy, she sometimes visited whatever site they were currently
working at and took them something to eat. When not working, they spent their
time together going for walks in the nearby forest, lazing on the beach and she
even went with sailing with him. And they made love often. Being with Luke was
certainly broadening her sexual knowledge. She’d found that she’d discovered an
unknown and very welcome part of herself through their sexual encounters. The
love they made varied in its intensity, hot and nearly brutal when the urge
overcame them and at other times, sweet and tender, taking pleasure just from
being together. She had come to accept that she was utterly in love with him.

“I love you, Caro.” Luke whispered in her ear as the last
and biggest fireworks lit the night’s sky, echoing her thoughts.

She turned her face to kiss him. “I love you too.”

--------

She was driving into town, her boot filled with the inn’s
order for high tea and a number of picnic hampers for tourists. Once her
deliveries were complete, she was meeting Faith and Rachel for lunch at the
waterfront to celebrate the success of her business. She wanted to thank them
for their support and belief in her and had bought each of them a gift. She
wanted to get them something that they could all enjoy together. She had
pre-paid for a day at the spa for the three of them and planned to present it
to them at lunch. She found that she was no longer adverse to such things,
having taken Howard up on his offer one day when her back, aching from rolling
out a copious amount of pastry, had been in dire need of a massage.

She planned to do some shopping after lunch. Summer was
turning into fall and the weather was getting colder. The hot kitchen protected
her against the chill of the weather but she still needed some clothes for when
she ventured outside of it. The day she left New York, she’d hurriedly packed
her bags, grabbing the first things she could find. That had unfortunately been
primarily summer clothing as most of her winter wardrobe had been packed away
by the housekeeper. She couldn’t afford to splurge heavily but with the
business that she’s had lately, Rachel, during her monthly tutelage on managing
her accounts, had assured her that a few items of clothing wouldn’t cause any
harm to her bank balance. Having the day off too, Rachel and Faith had agreed
to accompany her, stating that they needed to replenish their wardrobes too.
Caroline saw it for what it was, an excuse to shop and didn’t mind it at all.

“Hi.” She exchanged hugs with the girls. “Should we sit
outside? Matt told me that the winters are as harsh here as they are in New
York, so I want to enjoy the outdoors while I can.”

“You spoke with Matt?” Faith lifted a brow in enquiry.

“Sure. You know he’s staying at Luke’s now?” At their nods,
she continued. “I was over there last weekend and had the opportunity to chat.
He’s work has afforded him with opportunities to experience so much and being a
natural storyteller, it was lovely to listen to him spin tales of what he’d
done and where he’s traveled. Haven’t you spoken to him then?”

“No, I’m not really interested in speaking to him.” Faith
didn’t lie convincingly. “I was just curious. So, is it just Matt and Luke up
there then?” She half-expected, half-dreaded hearing that another Matt was
seeing someone.

“No, it was just them and Nate of course. Nate is there so
often that he may as well move in.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder,
smiling at the recollection, “They say they’re going to kick Luke out and take
over his house as he’s hardly ever there.”

“That would be just like Nate, presumptuous jack-ass! But,
let’s not ruin a beautiful day, ladies, with the talk of men.” Rachel waved her
fork in the air so vigorously Caroline thought that the shrimp salad on it
would fly off at any moment.

Caroline thought that a change in subject was a good idea.
“I asked you to lunch in order to thank you for all your help and support over
the last few months and to give you this as a small token of my appreciation.”
She handed them the prettily decorated gift cards, finding pleasure in their
surprise.

“A day at the spa! Thank you, Caroline.” Faith jumped in her
seat. “This is perfect.” She squealed and clapped her hands together in
anticipation, amusing the other customers in the restaurant. “I can’t wait!”

“You really shouldn’t have but I’m really glad that you did.
I’ve heard loads of good things about that spa. Thank you.” Rachel leaned over and
uncharacteristically kissed Caroline’s cheek. “But I want you to know that you
don’t have to buy us gifts when we help you out.”

“I know but I loved spoiling you anyway. I was going to get
you each individual gifts but then decided against it. It’s symbolic to me that
we can spend the day together, being pampered and celebrating not only the
business but our friendship. On a personal note, I also want to celebrate how
far I’ve come. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Faith gave up trying to hold her tears back and dabbing the
corners of her eyes so that her mascara wouldn’t run. “Nonsense,” she looked to
a nodding Rachel to lend weight to her rebuttal, “you would’ve done it without
us and you would’ve been just as successful. But, we appreciate having you in
our lives too, so we’ll go and celebrate that with you. To life, living and
friendship,” Faith held her glass up for a toast.

“Life, living and friendship,” they all echoed, misty eyed
as they clicked their glasses together.

--------

“Caroline! Rachel! Look!” Faith’s shriek nearly made
Caroline drop her shopping bags.

“What? What’s wrong?” Alarmed, she looked around.

“Look! That’s perfect for you.” Faith beamed as though she’d
just discovered something precious, pointing at a little shop at the
waterfront.

“To let? Damn! I was hoping to get something to wear to the
soiree, darling. Now, whatever will I do?” Rachel dripped with sarcasm putting
on her version of a posh accent. She didn’t understand what the fuss was about.
Faith was pointing at the To Let sign in the window of what was once a boutique
at the waterfront. “I don’t mean to sound mean but I didn’t think that it would
do well here. It’s not the right market for swanky evening dresses because
there’s nowhere to wear them to.”

“I’m not referring to the boutique, you idiot. For her.”
Faith pointed at Caroline.

“Oh, you mean for me? For my shop? Isn’t it a bit soon?”

“I don’t think so. Weren’t you just telling us how busy you’ve
become that you can’t keep up? You said that you were going to have to decide
to hire some help or else start turning down orders. So, here’s a solution for
you. Open a shop.” Faith waved her arms in the air, exasperated with her
friends.

“I’m afraid to say so but she may be onto something.” Rachel
agreed with Faith. “Look, I don’t think you should jump into anything but I
think it’s worth investigating. Your business has grown significantly over the
last two months and if you want to retain sustainable growth, you will need to
consider expanding eventually. We have spoken about you opening a bakery before
and this may be a good opportunity for you.”

“I need to sit down for a minute.” Caroline sat down in one
of the benches in the park across from the shop, her friends followed suit
silently, giving her the space to think. Her instinct had served her well thus
far; bringing her to Promise, helping her make friends, setting up a business
and pushing her to find love with Luke. “Okay, let’s look into it. I’ll need
your help though, Faith, I don’t know the first thing about running a business.
I imagine that I’d have to apply for licenses and such things but don’t know
where to start or how to go about any of it. But I’m willing to listen and
learn. Rachel, I’ll need your help with the finances. Can I afford to do this?
How much money would I need to start and still be able to live?”

“Of course we’ll help, honey. That goes without saying. As
for the rest of the details, how about we head on back to your house and we can
work out a plan. You know how I love plans.” Faith took Caroline’s hands in
hers; appreciating what a monumental step it was for her.

“But, I don’t want it for free. If I do this, no,” she
corrected. “If we do this, we do it together.” Seeing their nods, knowing they
thought that she was asking for help, she back-tracked, “I don’t mean that you
help me. Well, I do, but that’s not the only thing. I want us to be partners,
business partners. In that way, whatever each of us put in, will benefit all of
us. I don’t want an easy ride. If anything, Promise has taught me that a bit,
actually a lot, of stress and some perseverance goes a long way to making the
taste of success so much sweeter. The only way I’ll do this is if we become
business partners, legally.”

“Okay. Now I need to sit down.” Faith sat down on the bench
next to her. “I must admit that it’s one thing to have great ideas for others
and another to be directly involved and impacted by them.” 

“Serves you right, smart ass.” Rachel patted her friends
head affectionately. “But I think the idea has merit. I like it, Caroline. Us.
Business women. I bet that if we put our heads together we could do this. Okay,
who’s in – at least about looking into it?” She enquired, her face mirroring
the nervous excitement in theirs.

“It looks like we’re all in.” Caroline stared at the shop.
Intuitively, she knew, as she did with the house, that here again was the
promise of possibilities.

--------

Stepping into the hall, Luke knew he was in for a surprise.
Most of the lights were off and Caroline had lit candles in every room he
passed through. Following his nose, he found her in the dining room. The
fireplace was burning and the table was set for two, candles flickering on candlesticks
next to a bucket of champagne. He took one look at her and stopped, momentarily
stunned by what he saw. She had on a short, silky black robe that opened enough
to tease, offering glimpses of black lace as she moved towards him on six inch
black heels.

“Please tell me what I did to deserve this so I can do it
again.” He pulled her to him and kissed her long and deep. “God, you smell
good.” He first sniffed and then kissed her neck, loving the way she responded.

“We’re celebrating.” She laughed, forgetting her seductive
act and jumping into his arms, straddling him.