Not Quite Over You
Page 57
Jasper didn’t talk much about his personal life but he’d mentioned Wynn’s strict rules when it came to her son. Hunter wasn’t to know that Wynn and Jasper were involved. Drew knew that shortly after Wynn and Jasper had started seeing each other, Hunter had approached Jasper. The two had become friends.
Cade sank onto the floor mat and opened his water. “Let me get this straight. You’re friends with her son and that’s bad?”
Drew and Jasper sat down. Jasper shrugged. “She didn’t want me involved with Hunter at all. She’d made that clear from the start. I guess I always knew this was going to happen.”
“You okay?” Drew asked. He knew how bad he felt now that Autumn was gone. For Jasper, it had to be worse. He’d lost Hunter and Wynn.
“I will be. I knew the relationship wasn’t going to last. It couldn’t. Not with Wynn’s ideas about Hunter. She didn’t want more than we had.”
“Did you?” Cade asked.
Jasper thought for a moment. “No. Sometimes I think about being in a real relationship, but that’s not going to happen. It can’t. I saw too much in Afghanistan. Things got broken and they can’t be fixed.”
Drew didn’t know enough about Jasper’s background to agree or disagree with what he’d said, but he couldn’t help thinking that the human spirit was amazingly resilient. Jasper had changed since he’d first moved to Happily Inc. He was less reclusive, he had friends, he’d been seeing Wynn.
“I’m sorry,” Cade said.
“Me, too,” Drew told him.
“Thanks, but I’m okay.”
Drew looked at the battered boxing bag and wondered if that was true. He had a feeling even if it wasn’t, it would be, with time.
Cade looked at Drew. “My mom’s being weirder than usual. I think she has something planned at the bank. About the chairmanship. Consider this a heads-up.”
“Thanks, but I can handle whatever Libby has going on.”
He was more concerned about Silver. Specifically his mother approaching Silver. Things were good right now—he didn’t want anyone messing with what he and Silver had. He wanted...
He realized he wasn’t sure what he wanted—not completely—but he did know he’d already lost so much with her. No way he was going to lose any more.
* * *
THE SMALLER OF the trailers had been delivered and it was perfection on wheels. Silver went over every inch of it, loving how Walter had executed all their ideas. If she could have wrapped her arms around the remodeled trailer and hugged it, she would have. She settled on hugging Walter.
“You’re the best,” she said. “Thank you. The craftsmanship is amazing. I couldn’t be happier.”
“I’m going to have my wife call you the next time I make her mad,” he told her with a chuckle. “You can explain to her that she’s lucky to have me so I don’t have to sleep on the sofa.”
“Give her my number.”
She handed him the check for the final payment and was honestly too happy to even mind the decrease in the company’s bank account.
When Walter left, she practically danced around the trailers. There were three. Three! She had an empire and right this second, it felt magnificent.
It took her about two hours to load the smaller of the trailers. When she was done, she ran her hands up and down the outside of the trailer, then sighed happily and locked it up. Wynn would secure the gate to the parking area before she left so the trailers would be perfectly safe. That evening, Silver would probably drive by to double-check on everything, but only because she was excited and not because it was necessary.
She returned to her retail space and sat on one of the sofas. After the disastrous bachelorette party, she honestly wasn’t sure what to do next. She hadn’t booked anything—she just couldn’t face the prospect of another hideous party. Not that she didn’t like the local police force, but she would much rather go months and months without having to call them to shut things down.
She got out her laptop and opened her spreadsheet program. She entered in the cost of the remodel, how much she paid in rent each month and the average profit she and Drew had come up with, based on the assumption there was no physical damage to the space. The numbers were exactly what they had been before. It only took a handful of parties a month to make a tidy profit. Using her retail space for the parties made financial sense.
She and Drew had already talked about the three trailers. Georgiana would take one, they’d promoted another bartender to take the small one and she would handle the third. Drew would be available to help deal with any issues.
But that was a short-term solution and she knew it. With three trailers, she needed three full-time employees—one for each trailer. The rest of the staff could be part-time. She should be managing things, not pouring drinks. Drew couldn’t be expected to keep every weekend night open in case he was needed. She should be booking events, handling ordering and prepping the trailers for each reception or party. And if she was doing all that, did she really want to also be throwing bachelorette parties?
Her lease with Violet allowed her to sublet the space. She already had the trailers and her supplies stored at Wynn’s business. When her friend had expanded to the current location, she’d had more room than she needed. Silver’s rent check had made the move possible. Silver knew there were several small offices in the back that weren’t used. Why not rent one of those for a nominal sum and lease out this space to someone who would use it? Financially she would come out the same and she could focus on the part of the business she really liked.
While the idea made sense, she had to face the uncomfortable reality of having a business partner. The decision wasn’t hers to make alone. Not that she was worried about what Drew would say, but there was someone else involved. Still, she had her three trailers and that was definitely worth having to talk things over with Drew.
* * *
SILVER’S CONFIDENT MOOD lasted until one-thirty on Saturday afternoon.
“We can’t do this,” she said, trying not to sound as panicked as she felt. “Don’t take this wrong, but you’re not ready. Worse, I’m not ready.”
Drew and Georgiana exchanged a look. Georgiana spoke first.
“It’s going to be fine. I’m handing the big Alice in Wonderland wedding at Weddings Out of the Box. You know if I get into trouble there, I can ask Renee for help. She probably has three extra people stored in a closet somewhere that she’ll whip out to deal with the crisis.”
Silver nodded slowly. “She is frighteningly organized. You’re right. It will be fine.” She looked at Drew. “But you don’t know what you’re doing. You’re a novice. Who’s going to make sure everything goes all right?” She pressed a hand to her writhing stomach. “We shouldn’t have booked three weddings right away. What if the small trailer hadn’t been ready on time? What if this is a disaster?”
She thought she might be stressing a little too much and that Drew might be offended by her obvious lack of faith in him, but instead of getting upset, he chuckled.
“I think I like you this way.”
“What way?”
“Off balance. You’re always so confident.”
Was that how he saw her because honestly, she didn’t feel confident about anything.
Cade sank onto the floor mat and opened his water. “Let me get this straight. You’re friends with her son and that’s bad?”
Drew and Jasper sat down. Jasper shrugged. “She didn’t want me involved with Hunter at all. She’d made that clear from the start. I guess I always knew this was going to happen.”
“You okay?” Drew asked. He knew how bad he felt now that Autumn was gone. For Jasper, it had to be worse. He’d lost Hunter and Wynn.
“I will be. I knew the relationship wasn’t going to last. It couldn’t. Not with Wynn’s ideas about Hunter. She didn’t want more than we had.”
“Did you?” Cade asked.
Jasper thought for a moment. “No. Sometimes I think about being in a real relationship, but that’s not going to happen. It can’t. I saw too much in Afghanistan. Things got broken and they can’t be fixed.”
Drew didn’t know enough about Jasper’s background to agree or disagree with what he’d said, but he couldn’t help thinking that the human spirit was amazingly resilient. Jasper had changed since he’d first moved to Happily Inc. He was less reclusive, he had friends, he’d been seeing Wynn.
“I’m sorry,” Cade said.
“Me, too,” Drew told him.
“Thanks, but I’m okay.”
Drew looked at the battered boxing bag and wondered if that was true. He had a feeling even if it wasn’t, it would be, with time.
Cade looked at Drew. “My mom’s being weirder than usual. I think she has something planned at the bank. About the chairmanship. Consider this a heads-up.”
“Thanks, but I can handle whatever Libby has going on.”
He was more concerned about Silver. Specifically his mother approaching Silver. Things were good right now—he didn’t want anyone messing with what he and Silver had. He wanted...
He realized he wasn’t sure what he wanted—not completely—but he did know he’d already lost so much with her. No way he was going to lose any more.
* * *
THE SMALLER OF the trailers had been delivered and it was perfection on wheels. Silver went over every inch of it, loving how Walter had executed all their ideas. If she could have wrapped her arms around the remodeled trailer and hugged it, she would have. She settled on hugging Walter.
“You’re the best,” she said. “Thank you. The craftsmanship is amazing. I couldn’t be happier.”
“I’m going to have my wife call you the next time I make her mad,” he told her with a chuckle. “You can explain to her that she’s lucky to have me so I don’t have to sleep on the sofa.”
“Give her my number.”
She handed him the check for the final payment and was honestly too happy to even mind the decrease in the company’s bank account.
When Walter left, she practically danced around the trailers. There were three. Three! She had an empire and right this second, it felt magnificent.
It took her about two hours to load the smaller of the trailers. When she was done, she ran her hands up and down the outside of the trailer, then sighed happily and locked it up. Wynn would secure the gate to the parking area before she left so the trailers would be perfectly safe. That evening, Silver would probably drive by to double-check on everything, but only because she was excited and not because it was necessary.
She returned to her retail space and sat on one of the sofas. After the disastrous bachelorette party, she honestly wasn’t sure what to do next. She hadn’t booked anything—she just couldn’t face the prospect of another hideous party. Not that she didn’t like the local police force, but she would much rather go months and months without having to call them to shut things down.
She got out her laptop and opened her spreadsheet program. She entered in the cost of the remodel, how much she paid in rent each month and the average profit she and Drew had come up with, based on the assumption there was no physical damage to the space. The numbers were exactly what they had been before. It only took a handful of parties a month to make a tidy profit. Using her retail space for the parties made financial sense.
She and Drew had already talked about the three trailers. Georgiana would take one, they’d promoted another bartender to take the small one and she would handle the third. Drew would be available to help deal with any issues.
But that was a short-term solution and she knew it. With three trailers, she needed three full-time employees—one for each trailer. The rest of the staff could be part-time. She should be managing things, not pouring drinks. Drew couldn’t be expected to keep every weekend night open in case he was needed. She should be booking events, handling ordering and prepping the trailers for each reception or party. And if she was doing all that, did she really want to also be throwing bachelorette parties?
Her lease with Violet allowed her to sublet the space. She already had the trailers and her supplies stored at Wynn’s business. When her friend had expanded to the current location, she’d had more room than she needed. Silver’s rent check had made the move possible. Silver knew there were several small offices in the back that weren’t used. Why not rent one of those for a nominal sum and lease out this space to someone who would use it? Financially she would come out the same and she could focus on the part of the business she really liked.
While the idea made sense, she had to face the uncomfortable reality of having a business partner. The decision wasn’t hers to make alone. Not that she was worried about what Drew would say, but there was someone else involved. Still, she had her three trailers and that was definitely worth having to talk things over with Drew.
* * *
SILVER’S CONFIDENT MOOD lasted until one-thirty on Saturday afternoon.
“We can’t do this,” she said, trying not to sound as panicked as she felt. “Don’t take this wrong, but you’re not ready. Worse, I’m not ready.”
Drew and Georgiana exchanged a look. Georgiana spoke first.
“It’s going to be fine. I’m handing the big Alice in Wonderland wedding at Weddings Out of the Box. You know if I get into trouble there, I can ask Renee for help. She probably has three extra people stored in a closet somewhere that she’ll whip out to deal with the crisis.”
Silver nodded slowly. “She is frighteningly organized. You’re right. It will be fine.” She looked at Drew. “But you don’t know what you’re doing. You’re a novice. Who’s going to make sure everything goes all right?” She pressed a hand to her writhing stomach. “We shouldn’t have booked three weddings right away. What if the small trailer hadn’t been ready on time? What if this is a disaster?”
She thought she might be stressing a little too much and that Drew might be offended by her obvious lack of faith in him, but instead of getting upset, he chuckled.
“I think I like you this way.”
“What way?”
“Off balance. You’re always so confident.”
Was that how he saw her because honestly, she didn’t feel confident about anything.
