His hand tightened around the drill. Sometimes, he wished he didn’t say the first thing that hit his brain. He didn’t mean to be negative but, from what he’d seen, Paris had a way of glossing over the bad things in life. He knew how hard it was to run a successful business, but he wasn’t sure she did.
“Where would you like the drywall, boss?” Tommy asked.
“Leave it against the far wall.” With the completion date of the cottage looming, he couldn’t afford to be distracted by a woman wearing black jeans and a white T-shirt. But, as he helped Tommy lift a sheet of drywall into place, he felt like an idiot. Paris had arrived at the cottage full of enthusiasm and excitement. She’d left looking miserable.
He just hoped she knew what she was doing.
Chapter 4
Pastor John walked into the room Paris was using for the junior floral decorating class. “You’re early,” he said. “I didn’t think you’d be here until three-thirty.”
“Jackie offered to close Blooming Lovely, so I thought I’d come here to work on my business case for the cottage.” She’d told John about starting her own business. At least he’d been enthusiastic, unlike someone else she knew.
“How’s it going?”
“Slow. I need to provide a spreadsheet showing projected sales and expenses for the next twelve months. Kylie gave me a copy of her income and expenditure sheet, so I’m using that as a guide.”
“When does it need to be finished?”
“Next week.” Paris forced a smile. “How’s your day?”
“It’s been eventful. We received funding for the redevelopment of the community garden.”
“That’s fantastic.” Pastor John had applied to all kinds of funders to expand their community vegetable garden. “Does that mean we’ll see more greenhouses in the backyard?”
“That’s the plan. The company that supplied the last one has a backlog of orders, so it could take a few months. I know someone who can help you with the documentation for the bank.”
“Everyone at the church is already busy. I’ll be okay.”
“I’m sure you will, but it’s no bother. Shelley has helped a few people with new business loans.”
She should turn down Pastor John’s offer, but his wife was an accountant. If anyone could save her hours of work, it was Shelley. “Are you sure she has the time to help me?”
“If she doesn’t, she’ll tell us.” John checked his watch. “We could ask her now if you like?”
Paris’ eyes skimmed across the flowers, wire, and foliage on each table. Everything was ready for the class. “That sounds like a great idea. Is she in her office?”
“She was there ten minutes ago. If she’s gone, Andrea will know where she is.”
After she’d slipped her laptop into its case, Paris added the notes she’d made for her application. She’d never asked for so much money in her life but, if she didn’t have enough working capital, her business would fail before it began.
“What are you calling your flower shop?” Pastor John asked as they walked out of the room.
“The Flower Cottage.” His thoughtful expression worried Paris. “Is it too plain?”
“It doesn’t need to be fancy. I like it. Once your customers visit the cottage, they’ll never forget your name.”
“I hope so. Kylie said it’s important to have the right branding. Otherwise, there’s a disconnect between what people expect to see and what they actually get.”
“In that case, The Flower Cottage is perfect.” As they walked along the corridor, Jack Dawkins hurried toward them. “Hi, Pastor John. My friend’s mom dropped me off early. Can I wait in the dining room?”
“We can do better than that. Mrs. Terry just took some chewy chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. If you go into the kitchen, she might let you have one.”
“Okay. Hi, Paris. I’m coming to your workshop. Dad thought it was a great idea.”
Paris’ eyes widened. “He did?”
“I told him how much I liked making the Christmas wreaths. Are we making them again?”
