"Okay, back to you working here. You're always welcome to work with me, but we'll have to redefine our partnership. Right now the paperwork says you're a silent partner."
"Oh, I don't want to be in on the business decisions. I'm not good at stuff like marketing. But I wouldn't mind redesigning the website." She paused. "I do think we need someone in charge of marketing, or at least increasing our social media platform. And Lee just happens to fit the bill. We've already hired her. We can ask her to put together a marketing plan and some social media content and, if we like what we see, we can give her a raise and let her take over that aspect of the business."
I mulled that over for a minute. I kept up with our social media accounts and tried to post several times per week, but my pictures weren't always great and I knew next to nothing about composing pictures or editing them. Now that I'd hired Lee and Sierra was more involved I would have the time to learn, but my heart would never be in it.
"I'll talk to her," I agreed.
It sank in then. My best friend wasn't leaving. And we were going to work together for the foreseeable future. We could get pedicures together, go shopping, go to the movies. Expand our business. We would no longer keep touch via texts and phone calls, or have visits that never seemed long enough.
There were so many possibilities.
"What is it?" Sierra asked.
"You're going to be here. I'll get to see you almost every day. And I'll finally have someone to go do things with."
She made a face. "Ugh. You expect me to leave the house? Why don't you make Brody do that?"
"Because as much as I love him and even though he's one of my best friends, you're a woman. You get me. There will be times when I need you more than anyone else."
A blush touched Sierra's cheeks and I knew I'd embarrassed her. She wasn't much on sharing her feelings, so this was verging into taboo territory for her.
"I guess," she mumbled.
I didn't say anything else, but I was already thinking about what she and I could do together next week. I would be sure to schedule myself a day off in the middle of the week and tell Lee that she would be on her own. Sierra and I tried to work with Lee as often as we could, but she had handled the shop alone a few times so we both felt comfortable letting her do so more often. She was sweet, quiet, and damn smart. She learned how we ran the store within a few weeks and now that she'd been there for about two months, she fit right in. If Sierra and I ever opened up another location, I knew that she would be a perfect fit to manage it. She needed a few more months to learn the complete ins and outs of the shop, but she was still amazing.
"I need to send Natalie Phelps some flowers," I commented.
Sierra picked up my train of thought in a snap. "Screw flowers. We should send her a male strip-o-gram. Lee has been a blessing."
I shook my head. "No way. I refuse to be responsible for an elderly woman's heart attack."
Sierra leaned forward, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "I heard that Suzy Pratts saw her at La Bare's in Dallas when she went for her bachelorette party."
"No way." I leaned forward as well. "Unless she has pictures, it didn't happen."
Sierra grinned as though I'd challenged her. "You're right. I think I'll ask Suzy."
"Sierra..."
She laughed and hopped to her feet. "Oh, this is too good. Tell me why I didn't move to a small town sooner? It's a hotbed of gossip and eccentric characters."
"Because you don't want to be one of the eccentric characters everyone gossips about?" I asked.
"Good point. Considering how many churches are in Farley, you'd think more people would be worried about the stain on their soul from gossiping so much."
I laughed. "Are you kidding? Church is the perfect place to go if you want to catch up on the town gossip."
"Really?" she drawled. "How delightfully hypocritical. Maybe we should start attending with your parents on Sundays. I'm curious what's being said about us."
"I will say this much. Most of the people gossiping at church would repeat whatever they said behind your back directly to your face. In a nice way, of course."
It was Sierra's turn to laugh. "Man, I've been missing out. Next Sunday?"
"No way."
"I've heard that Brody Murphy started coming to church with your parents and he brings Jacks with him."
I mulled it over. "Not while we have all this unfinished business between us. Once the dust has settled, we'll see." I pointed a finger at her. "But that means you have to get up before noon on Sundays. Service starts at eleven."
