ANGELA
Thankfully, Eve had pushed off the town hall until after Christmas. But the looming meeting made me nervous. What if Eve decided that it was too much trouble to fight the town to keep my little store? What if Bill succeeded in pushing me out of Christmas Town?
I'd done another photo shoot this morning with Wynter. Then I spent the afternoons uploading the images and product information to the site. I was following Hudson's advice on getting the basics uploaded.
I agonized over how to write the descriptions and which images to use. When there was a knock on my door, I jumped. I wasn't used to having any visitors. Bill wouldn't dare come inside and chance the possibility of seeing scantily clad mannequins.
But when I stood and walked to the door, I saw a few women there. I recognized Clara from the Christmas Shop, Reina from the bakery, Meg from the coffee shop, and Belle, the owner of the bookstore.
I unlocked the door and pulled it open. "Is everything okay?"
Meg came in first with a tray of to-go drinks, handing one to me. "I made your favorite gingerbread latte."
I pulled out the drink with my name on it and passed the drink carrier to Reina.
"Your shop is so empty," Clara said as she moved around the room, then sat on the chaise. "But I love this new chair."
"That's for a photo shoot we're doing." My cheeks heated just thinking about Hudson seeing me posing there in the red teddy.
"What photo shoot?" Clara asked, sipping her drink
Meg threw out the drink carrier and sat next to her.
I pulled over two stools I usually kept behind the counter. Why were they here? Was it to socialize, or was it to ask me to think about closing for good?
The second option had my heart racing.
Reina and Belle sat in the chairs, and I leaned against the front counter. "I'm taking pictures of products to post online."
"You mean lingerie?" Belle asked with a smile.
I didn't know her well since she was new. "Wynter's taking the pictures. She thought it would be more authentic to use the shop as the background.
"I can see that," Meg said.
"Is there something wrong?" I couldn't wait another second to find out why they were here, and I wasn't comfortable talking about my risqué photo shoots. If Bill found out about them, he'd make a stink.
Clara's brow furrowed. "We want to support you. We're upset about the damage to your shop.”
Relief flooded my veins. "Oh, well. That's nice of you, but I'm fine."
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Meg asked.
"What could you do? It's not like you can sell my products in your stores. That would be ridiculous."
The women were quiet, looking at each other.
"That's actually not a bad idea." Reina opened a pastry box I hadn't seen earlier, and everyone reached for a sweet treat.
"What? No. There's no way. I don't sell candles or coffee mugs." I leaned in close and said quietly, "I sell lingerie."
Clara laughed. "Yes. We've heard."
"Bill would accuse me of tainting the other shops." I shuddered at the thought of his reaction.
"You're being a bit dramatic. Bill is difficult, but nothing we can't handle," Clara said dryly.
I arched a brow. "Are you sure about that?"
