Julie was really artistic, so once a week, she used colored chalk to prettily draw on the board a schedule of the happenings in Misted Pines: Jill’s tour times, Bob Wagoner’s trail rides, the farmer’s market, what was showing at the cinema, events and classes at the Art Center, deals the spa was having at the Pinetop, high school games, plays and concerts, performances in Frick Park, parades, all that kind of thing.
I noted more than once folks who came in took a picture of it.
Further, we made a deal with Jenna, who owned Mistery Flowers and Gifts, and she sent a big bouquet for our counter every Monday that we placed a card under so people knew it came from her.We sold boxes of the candy store’s homemade fudge.Made more deals with artists at the Art Center to sell their stuff, along with pointing people to the shop at the center where they could find more.
And I was pretty proud of the leaflet I designed on my laptop over a map of the town that looked like a (prettier) legend of a mall that explained what you could find where in terms of shopping, food and entertainment in Misted Pines.
And everyone carried them.
It was rad.
However,I had no idea what I was getting into when I made my deal with Kimmy, considering she took it as carte blanche to decorate my store for every holiday.
Even so, as noted, she was good at it.
And the Christmas look she gave The Groove?
It wasoff the hook.
Slowly,I made my mark on Hutch’s cabin.
I didn’t girlify it or anything.
But some of the buckshot hit Hutch’s couch, and since mine was newer, longer and comfier, we sold his online and moved mine in.
Before I returned the pictures of Clementine and Chisolm to Jill, I had copies made (with her permission), and I framed the one on their wedding day and hung it in the kitchen.
I did my thing with baskets, pottery, throw blankets, toss pillows, art and lamps, but I didn’t fill the place with knickknacks and clutter.
It looked like what it used to look like.
Just…homier.
Hutch could do homier too,though in his way.
For example, I came home one day and found an attractive wine rack in the living room, and it was filled with wine.
Then, he’d been out on the errand for me of picking up some stuff I won in an online auction, and when he was there, he bought a load of copper cookware that hadn’t sold, but I’d told him while I was bidding that I’d fallen in love with it.
I didn’t get it because I didn’t think it would sell in the shop since the reserve price was so high, thus my price would need to be higher.
But I told him I wanted it for us because it would be absolutely perfect in the kitchen (it was so gorgeous, we didn’t have to put it away, and cooking with it would be adream).
But again, I couldn’t buy it, yeah, because the reserve price was so high.
Hutch didn’t agree.
I came home to that cookware.
He was a man who did those kinds of things.
And I was a woman who was lucky to have that kind of man.
Hutch hadone more soul-baring session in him.
It came close after the night Enstrom and his boys stormed our log cabin.
He shared he’d had his PI friend look into me.
