She spent a few minutes before bed Sunday night standing tall and stating with heartfelt sincerity that she was pretty and worth any man’s love. She did the same thing Monday and Tuesday mornings and evenings in front of the mirror, and again Wednesday before work. Once more in the privacy of her office before she left for the bike store to help celebrate the grand opening. Carmie had been right—talking to herself and meaning every word helped. She really did feel more confident. “What if I jumped to a conclusion about him that isn’t true?” she asked her reflection.
There was only one way to find out. Talk to him about it. Tonight.
CHAPTER 28
From the minute Blake unlocked the doors of his new store Wednesday, he was swamped. The ads and radio spots had done their jobs. If not for Ross and Joanie helping with bike rentals, sales of cycling peripherals and bike orders from customers eager to buy, he’d have been in trouble.
As busy as he was, he kept an eye out for Vi. Knowing she’d be coming from work, he didn’t expect to see her till late in the afternoon. He looked forward to celebrating with her and the team.
Earlier, Ross’s girlfriend had stopped by. She seemed nice, and Ross was clearly crazy about her. Which amped up Blake’s eagerness to see Vi.
By six o’clock, business had slowed down enough to relax. Blake ordered dinner for the three of them delivered from Hastings. Not long after they finished, a fresh crowd of biking enthusiasts showed up.
“I thought Vi was coming,” Ross said when things quieted down again. “We close in less than an hour.”
“She has that new job and is real busy,” Blake explained. “She’ll be here.” But he was beginning to wonder. Somethingunexpected at DD Telecom might keep her from showing in time. “Let’s straighten up in here.”
They were hard at work when the door opened and Vi finally arrived.
Ross and Joanie greeted her with smiles. “You made it,” Ross said. “You can finally stop checking the time every few minutes, Blake.”
He gave a sheepish grin. He was awful glad to see her and relieved she’d made it. “Busy day?” he said, fighting to keep his hands off her.
“Pretty bad, but I survived. You got a haircut.”
“Finally, right? Thought I should.”
“Looks good.” She glanced around. “The store looks really good. Those are beautiful flowers.”
“They’re from Grandpop and Caroline.”
“So nice of them. Wish I’d thought of that.”
“I didn’t expect you to. Your being here is gift enough.” He smiled into her eyes, but she didn’t seem to notice. He sensed that once again, she’d pulled back. In the past, he’d put the blame on fatigue, but it’d happened enough that he was beginning to wonder what the real problem was.
“Was today as busy as you expected?” she asked.
“From the midday sales report, better. We’ll find out more when we get the final tally after closing. I couldn’t have made it through the day without these two,” he said, jerking his thumb at his employees. “You guys are the best.”
Joanie beamed. “I’m going to like working here. You’re a darned good boss.”
“What she said,” Ross agreed.
Joanie glanced at the wall clock. “We close in twenty minutes. Mind if I print out the numbers now?”
Figuring they wouldn’t see any more customers that night, Blake nodded. “Go ahead. You may as well get the depositready, too.” He doubted they’d taken in much cash, as most customers paid with a card or by phone, but some had pulled out their wallets or written checks. “Why don’t you restock the merchandise, Ross. If you’re hungry, there are cookies left,” he told Vi as his staff prepared to close for the day.
“I ate at my desk. Can I talk to you for a minute? In private.”
Maybe she’d warm up again and congratulate him with a steamy kiss or three. Blake nodded. “Let’s go into my office.” He shut the door and started to reach for her.
Holding up both hands palms out, she stopped him. “Not now or I’ll lose my nerve.”
“Uh, what?”
“Just listen, okay?”
With her chin high and a fiery glint in her eyes, she was spectacular. Also somewhat intimidating. No telling what she’d say. He sucked in a breath and nodded for her to go ahead.
