He meant every word but, as he stood with his arms wrapped around Jackie, he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling of uncertainty about his own future. Could he truly commit to staying in Sapphire Bay or would he miss his life in Manhattan?
There was only one thing he knew for sure. He didn’t want to let Jackie down like every other important relationship she’d had.
It would break both their hearts.
CHAPTER11
Jackie sat at a makeshift front counter in the cottage that would become her knitting store. After struggling to organize anything for her store on Monday and Tuesday, she’d talked to Paris and arranged to have a week off work.
Over the last five days, she’d contacted all the people who’d wanted to sell their knitting in her store. Most of them she knew from the knitting group she’d started at the church. Those who were unfamiliar to her were sending her some samples of their work. She wanted to sell authentic hand knitted garments at reasonable prices and great quality. The last thing she needed was something that’d reflect badly on the other knitters’ work.
After carrying some secondhand shelving into the store, she’d pulled her hair into a messy bun and started looking at her marketing plan.
Last weekend, Paris had shown her how to create basic ads on two different social media platforms. Today, she was creating more digital content and analyzing how those ads were doing.
Jackie had warned her friend that she was a complete novice, but that hadn’t deterred Paris.
As Paris reviewed the results of last week’s advertising, Jackie leaned over her laptop, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she added some information to her website and emailed a yarn supplier she’d discovered.
The dream of opening a knitting and yarn business was finally coming to life, but the fear of losing everything still gnawed at her.
“Jackie, have you tried boosting this post?” Paris asked, pointing to an advertisement for the store on her laptop. “This ad’s performing really well and it could help bring more people into your store.”
“What does boosting mean?” She expected Paris to roll her eyes, but she was just as patient as she was last week.
“Here, let me show you.” Paris sat beside her and opened Jackie’s Meta account. “With this platform, you can target specific audiences in individual countries, set a budget for your advertising, and even guide the ad toward a certain age group. It’s a great way to build your online presence.”
As Paris showed her what drop-down menus to use and how to find keywords that’d target her ads to people who enjoyed knitting, her mind raced. Until last week, the platform she’d used the most was TikTok, but that was only to see the latest puppy videos.
The thought of making videos to showcase her store was a little exciting, but mostly terrifying.
Paris grinned. “I know it seems daunting, but you’ll get the hang of it. In another week, we’ll look at how the ads we’ve created are performing. If they’re doing well, we’ll keep them going. If not, we’ll stop them.”
Next, it was A Stitch in Time’s website that got their undivided attention. As they continued working on the pages Jackie had added, her cell phone buzzed with an incoming call. Aidan’s name flashed across the screen, and her heart skipped a beat. He’d been wonderful this past week. After work each day, he’d joined her in the cottage, helping to move furniture around, unpack boxes, and even make some prefab furniture she’d bought from the general store.
Despite their growing connection, his uncertain future made her keep a part of her heart guarded. She’d be devastated when he left, but it was as inevitable as the sun rising each morning. Aidan thrived on the pace and opportunities you could only find in big cities. She was just surprised he’d stayed in Sapphire Bay for so long.
“Hi Aidan, how are you?” Jackie asked.
“I’ve had a busy morning, but that’s not why I’m calling. Are you free this afternoon? There’s something I want to show you.”
She frowned at the urgency in his voice. “Um, sure. I’m at the cottage on Anchor Lane. Paris is helping me with my website, but we should be finished in half an hour.”
“Great. I’ll meet you out front in about thirty minutes. Wear warm clothes.”
Jackie frowned. “Where are we going?”
“I’ll explain everything when I get there. Enjoy working on your website.”
“I will,” Jackie said cautiously. “I’ll see you later.”
Paris grinned. “That sounded interesting.”
“That was Aidan. He’s taking me somewhere important in half an hour.”
Paris looked at the sheets of paper spread across the counter. “We’d better get a move on, then. We can’t hold up a man who’s got a surprise waiting for you.”
Jackie frowned. She would’ve been excited if she liked surprises. But, most of the time, she preferred to know exactly what was happening.
