But in the end, he’d failed on both counts.
Much as he loved the family business, the price he’d paid to not only save it but take it to a new level of success had been too high.
So unless he wanted to spend the rest of his life alone, with nothing but a strong balance sheet to keep him company, he needed to make some changes. To act rather than talk. To make a personal investment instead of just writing checks.
Starting now.
He pulled out his phone. Called up the website he needed. Took the necessary steps.
And before he walked out of the garden ten minutes later, he’d added a new item to his agenda for next week.
16
“Devyn. Wait.” Lauren grabbed her sister’s arm as they started across the fellowship hall Thursday night.
“What’s wrong?” Devyn stopped.
“Why is Diane Fisher here?” She inclined her head toward the blond woman seated with the costume committee in the far corner.
“She’s in the show, and she volunteered to help with costumes. Is there a problem?”
Lauren frowned. “She and her husband never get personally involved in local events.”
“She’s involved in this one.” Devyn dropped her voice and angled away from the small group. “I guess with you out of the loop, you haven’t heard the news. She’s not living with her husband at the moment. I think she’s staying in a small rental unit owned by a woman named Anna Williams.”
“Wow.” Lauren gave Diane a surreptitious scan as she digested that news. “That’s quite a comedown from the Fisher mansion.”
“Do you know her?”
“Not well. They stopped coming to community events years ago, and they rarely attend services at Grace Christian anymore. When they do, they skip the social hour. It’s like the people in town aren’t good enough to mingle with.” She studied the otherwoman. “I wasn’t too social while I was married to Dennis, either, but I wasn’t a snob.”
“I haven’t picked up any snobbishness in her. She comes across as pleasant and down to earth.” Devyn surveyed the group of four women again. “But sheissitting kind of off by herself a bit. Maybe she could use a friend.”
Lauren shook her head. “I don’t travel in her circles. The Fishers are rich and successful and drive expensive cars and wear high-end clothes.”
“They’re also separated, so the perfect picture you paint must not be so perfect. And Diane’s in our circle for the duration of the show. Come on. I have to get the rehearsal going. My female dancer for the dream ballet sequence is talented, but she needs a ton of coaching.”
Devyn continued forward, leaving Lauren no choice but to follow—and hope she wasn’t going to regret her decision to take on the costume chair position.
Once they reached the group of women, Devyn greeted them, chitchatted for thirty seconds, then moved on.
As her sister departed, Lauren took the empty chair waiting for her and opened her notebook.
Fortunately, she knew two of the women from church. And while she wasn’t well-acquainted with Emma Blair, the new owner of Sweet Dreams, she was always pleasant during their exchanges at the bakery. All three should be easy to work with.
Diane was the wild card.
She’d have to play it by ear with the woman and try not to be intimidated by the chic slacks and top that likely bore designer labels. Nor by the ginormous diamond on her left hand.
Interesting that she was still wearing it.
But speculating about Diane’s marriage wasn’t going to get the costume situation addressed.
Summoning up a smile, she pulled her pen out of her purse. “Are you ladies all involved in the show onstage too?”
Emma hooted. “If I could sing one-tenth as well as I bake, I might have considered trying out. Trust me, I’ll do far better with a needle and thread than I would with a musical scale.”
“So all of you sew?” Lauren encompassed the group with her question.
