“Here we go. One…”
“Two…” Adele yelled.
“Three!” He lifted the blindfold off Shona’s eyes and waited for her reaction.
When she didn’t say anything, he stepped around her and studied her stunned expression. “Does your silence mean you’re overwhelmed by how good your store looks or you don’t like it?”
“I love it. It’s everything I thought it could be and more. The fairy lights you’ve strung under the veranda look amazing, and the cushions and potted plants are gorgeous.”
Adele grinned. “Mrs. Terry dropped off the cushions. She said she’ll talk to you about her sewing group meeting in your store.”
Shona walked through the gate and looked up at the sign. Printed in a deep blue, the flowing text was full of character and charm. If it had been hung anywhere else, it would have looked out of place.
“I’ve dreamed about opening a store for so long that it doesn’t seem real.”
“It’s real, all right. Come and see what Shelley and Penny did this afternoon. If you don’t like anything, all you have to do is move it.”
Before Shona walked inside, she touched the old-fashioned lanterns on either side of the front door. “These are gorgeous, but they’re more expensive than the ones I ordered.”
“Penny saw the original photos you gave the construction crew. The lanterns are a close match to the ones you liked.”
“She didn’t have to do that. She’s my landlord—”
“And your friend. You can tell her how much you like them next time you see her.”
Adele hopped up and down. “Come and see inside. It’s so pretty, especially with the lights on!”
Taking a deep breath, Shona stepped into the store.
Joseph was seriously worried. She’d shown more excitement over his birthday cake than what they’d done today. “You don’t have to hide how you’re feeling.”
She walked from the entryway into the main retail and craft space. He expected her to say something. Anything would have been better than the silence that stretched into forever.
Even her quilts, displayed on the walls and in neatly folded, color-coordinated displays, didn’t encourage her to speak.
By the time he’d decided she must truly hate what they’d done, she turned to him and smiled. It was the kind of smile that made his toes curl, made the lights inside the cottage seem a little brighter, and his heart pound more than was good for him.
“Okay. I get it,” he sighed. “You really, really like what we’ve done.”
“I really, really do,” she said with a grin. “You’re amazing.”
For the first time in thirty years, he blushed. “I wouldn’t go that far. It was a team effort that I couldn’t have done—”
Shona silenced him with a kiss. Everything he was about to say disappeared in a wave of heat when her lips touched his.
“Sometimes, Joseph Adams, words only get in the way. What you’ve done is amazing.”
His muddled brain liked how she thought. If Adele hadn’t run to the other side of the room, he would have backed up his appreciation with another kiss.
“Look at these,” Adele said excitedly. “I like this display the best.”
Shona’s gaze darted to Adele and then back to him. His heart sank. He’d seen that expression on her face before and it wasn’t good.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I shouldn’t have kissed you.”
Before he could say anything, she followed Adele across the room. He should have told her it was okay. Told her he didn’t mind being kissed. In fact, he’d enjoyed it. Not that he was that experienced in kissing different women. He’d had a grand total of two girlfriends before he married Hillary, and their marriage wasn’t exactly filled with romance.
He gave himself a mental kick. Standing in the middle of the room like a ding-a-ling wouldn’t make her feel any better. So he walked across to the carved animals Adele was showing her and hoped she didn’t run for cover.
