I booted up the software and got to work. We were still dealing with material delays, but there were some things we could do and this was going to be a busy week.
I just had to keep my mind off Vera and get things done.
Chapter Nine
Vera
One day. That was all it took me to build the nightstand using the rough design Wyatt and I had come up with. The stain was still a little tacky, so I hadn’t played around too much with the hidden side pocket design, but I was reasonably sure it would work.
The piece sat in the middle of my small workspace, proof that maybe this crazy idea of mine could turn into something real.
The trade show was on Saturday; today is Monday. I had a lot to do.
I used some of the wood scraps to make sample pieces of the stains I had to offer, and ran around town getting business cards and order forms printed. I practiced the things I would say to potential customers and toyed with the idea of a social media presence.
I was plagued by questions. What if I didn’t sell any and this was a waste of time and money?
What if I overlooked some design issue and people demanded their money back?
I was literally picturing a horde of horny women storming my house with pitchforks and vibrators as weapons.
I needed to get out of the house. Luckily, I had a shift at the diner on Wednesday so I could focus on soup or salad instead of catastrophizing. I arrived earlier than necessary for my shift andslid behind the counter to grab an apron. “Hey, early bird, you miss me?” Ruth asked with a smile. She was around the same age as I was, but half a foot shorter, and her hair was dark where mine was light.
“Just needed a change of scenery,” I said, tying the apron around my waist.
“Why not call up that handsome carpenter you were talking to last week?” She wiggled her eyebrows.
I sighed. The one good thing about worrying about my business was that I didn’t have the brain cells left to think about Wyatt. We’d had so much fun together that day we’d gone to Springwood. We’d synced while we were working but also laughed until my stomach ached. And the almost kiss…
I pushed the thought away. It was a good thing Benji had interrupted. “I do enjoy that scenery,” I admitted, “but he is exactly the distraction I don’t need.”
She gave me a look. “So you’re just going to be celibate until life stops being complicated? Might be waiting a while.”
I shot her a look. “This from a woman who is single, and works a hundred hours a week.”
She planted her hands on her hips. “That’s different.”
“Oh, yeah, why?” I arched a brow.
“Because I don’t have a sexy carpenter looking at me like he wants to eat me for lunch.”
Blood rushed to my cheeks, and I straightened the napkin dispenser on the counter. “He does not look at me like that.”
“So you’re trying to tell me that everything between you is totally platonic? Never thought about kissing the man or taking him to bed?”
I pressed my lips together. And avoided her eyes.
“Thought so,” she grabbed two full plates from the window and headed towards table seven. She bumped my hips with hers as she walked by. “You worry too much, hun. Think of dating lesslike risking your peace and more like sampling the buffet. You don’t have to commit to the whole meal. Just try a bite, and if it’s terrible, spit it out and go home.”
“You know how long it’s been since I sampled the buffet?” I muttered.
She laughed. “Might be time to get back to it then.”
The diner was supposed to be a distraction but every time I had a second to spare, my mind wandered back to what Ruth had said. She was as hopelessly single as I was, so should I really take advice from her that she wasn’t willing to take herself?
Then again, she was right, we were in different places in life despite being the same age. I was about to have an empty nest and I had a man who was not only interested but who I was compatible with.
Then again I had been compatible with Scott when we’d gotten together. That had ended in a divorce and a few rounds of therapy. I wasn’t as young as I was when Scott and I had met either. I was older, maybe wiser although that was debatable, my priorities were different. I was looking for a good lay. Who wasn’t? But that wasn’t all I needed.
