Clara threw her arms up wide. "Have you looked around lately? Most of the shop owners are women. We stick together. And frankly, we're tired of him giving you a hard time. We love your shop and everything you have to sell."
"I'm opening my store on Saturday. I can reserve a display for your holiday items. Would that help?" Belle asked.
I felt limp with excitement. "That would be amazing. But I couldn't ask you to do that. You need to promote your own shop."
"If something like this happened to me, I would hope that you all would help me," Belle said, looking around the room at the other women.
"Of course we would," Reina said.
"I've been doing pop-up shops, but they're not as effective as they used to be," I said.
"We need to stick together and help each other out. Business ownership is no joke. It's hard. Let us help you," Reina insisted.
"That would be really nice. Thank you. I can bring my things to you today if you want."
Belle smiled. "Perfect. I can't wait to see how it looks. Books and lingerie, the perfect combination."
"Don't forget the coffee," Meg pointed out.
Reina grinned. "And the sweets."
Belle clapped her hands together. "I just had the best idea. We should have a grand opening for the book shop, serving all of our wares."
"I love that idea," Clara gushed.
"We can do it after Christmas. Eve's been saying how we have to plan things for our slow season," Meg added.
"This will be my soft opening, and then we'll have a huge party after the holidays. Or maybe I should wait until the renovations are completed."
Clara shrugged. "We can host two parties."
I couldn't believe they'd come here to help me. I'd assumed they'd view me as competition, not a friend. But I hadn't been here long enough to get to know them. Sure, I trusted them to keep an eye out for my daughter, but that was different than taking a business risk for me. "Wow. I don't know what to say."
Clara stood and came over to me. "Say thank you, and when we need your help, you return the favor."
"We have to stick together," Meg said.
"Thank you." My eyes stung with unshed tears. I wasn't used to asking for help or even needing it. But these women had stepped in and forced my hand in a way that I couldn't refuse.
"I say we have meetings like this more often. Maybe even drinks after closing time," Meg suggested.
"I have Ayla."
"Doesn't her father take her on Wednesdays?" Clara asked.
I nodded. "Yes."
"We can schedule it for Wednesdays then," Reina said.
The women stayed and chatted for a while, and I felt part of something bigger than just my store or this town. I was making friends, and they promised to be there for me.
By the time they said their goodbyes, I was feeling a lot more hopeful about everything.
"You'd better bring your holiday items by this afternoon so we can get your display set up," Belle said as she walked out of the shop.
"Will do. Thanks again." The women had been a whirlwind. But also exactly what I needed.
I ran upstairs to gather what I'd need for a display, and when Ayla got off the bus, we walked together to the bookshop.
