AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Abby showered and dressed without putting too much pressure on her injured ankle. Opting to let her hair air dry rather than blowing out the waves, she grabbed coffee and a Greek yogurt, and ate her breakfast while icing her ankle.
She texted Natalie to see when she would arrive. They had a lot to do, and despite what she’d told Connor, Abby wasn’t sure how much physical work she’d be able to accomplish with her injury. Natalie worked full time at the Pelican Bay General Store and picked up a few shifts at Tonino’s Pizza and Pasta on weekends. She’d given her notice at the General Store, but with another couple of days of work remaining, the brunt of the preparation for the grand opening had fallen on Abby’s shoulders.
Poor planning.
Downstairs, Abby limped to the thrift-store desk she’d bought dirt cheap and booted up her laptop. They’d placed advertisements in the local papers for a June seventh opening—a little off the mark from the Memorial Day opening she’d hoped for.
Paper tote bags, business cards, and other promotional materials with the Soap Sisters logo had arrived two days ago and were sitting in boxes. Now, if only they could make headway on the painting, Abby would feel less stressed. Boxes of pretty gray laminate wood flooring sat stacked along a wall. Given their slow progress with painting, Abby was rethinking tackling the flooring until after prime tourist season was over at the end of the summer. At the rate they were progressing, they’d be lucky to finish the painting before opening.
She needed help with the handiwork.
Call Connor.
Abby picked up the business card he’d left, turning it over to finger the number he’d written.
My number. Let me know if you need any help.
His words were tempting. Regardless of their past, Connor would help if she asked. And hadn’t he already offered?
No.
She set the card on the desk. She needed to do this on her own.
Abby had dreamed of opening a shop for years. She’d learned about production, packaging, and distribution while working for a cosmetics company, and planned to leverage her knowledge along with the product line she’d been perfecting.
After a visit home to Pelican Bay a few months ago, and learning the town was preparing to put serious money into renovating the boardwalk, including restoring Erickson Fun Pier, Abby had decided it was time to take a chance on her new business.
An enticing offer had been made to new business owners, including a reduced rent the first year and a lesser discount the second year. After discussing the idea with her mom and Natalie, the sisters signed a two-year lease, with the option to renew.
Erickson Fun Pier had reopened a week ago. Every day since had brought a noticeable increase in visitors to the beach town, especially along the boardwalk. Abby needed to capitalize on the bump in tourists.
But first, they needed to finish the renovations.
The bell on the front door of the store jingled, which meant Nat had arrived. Abby limped to the doorway leading to the main area of the store.
“Hey, sis. What happened?” Nat asked, taking in the ice pack Abby had taped to her ankle.
“Stepped in a hole while jogging on the beach.”
“Wow. How bad is it?”
“It’s swollen, but I don’t think it’s broken. Hurts like a bitch, though.”
“Maybe we should have Mom check it out or get it x-rayed.”
Abby shook her head. “There’s no time. Besides, someone saw me fall and confirmed it’s a sprain.”
Natalie raised an eyebrow. “Who?”
“Connor.” Abby hobbled over to grab the dried-up paint pan and tossed it into a trash bag. She so did not want to have this conversation.
“Connor Maguire?”
“He was surfing and got a firsthand view of my fall.”
“Huh.” Natalie studied her sister. “And?”
“And nothing.”
