Page 48 of Charm

Veronica says something that gets lost behind the car door as I slam it shut.

I pat my stomach through the thin material of my T-shirt. I’ll grab a slice of pizza and a large coffee on my way home, so I can be full of food and caffeine as I clear my email and text messages.

I turn in a circle, taking in this block of the city I love. The architecture never disappoints, the residents always surprise me, and you never know what tomorrow will bring.

In my case, I’m hoping it will bring a call from Greer Irwin. She’s somewhere in this city right now, and that in itself is enough to put a smile on my face.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Greer

“So,this man you met for a drink last night, what’s he like?” Martha asks as she piles scrambled eggs onto the plate in front of me.

I glance over my shoulder to be sure that Olive isn’t within earshot. “He wants to buy Sweet Indulgence.”

“He what?” she asks, dropping the spatula in her hand on the large wooden table we always gather around for meals.

I found the table at an estate sale shortly after I bought this townhouse. I wanted a piece of furniture that had history attached to it because the home does as well.

The previous owners left me a scrapbook filled with images and notes of their time in the house. It’s a treasure I keep close by because I open it whenever I need a reminder of how amazing their life was.

They raised three children within the walls of my home, and eventually their six grandchildren would come here for sleepovers and Sunday dinners. None of the images in the scrapbook reveal who they are, but there’s a sense of family ineach picture, including food on the table, muddy shoes strewn about in the foyer, and holiday decorations hanging from every corner.

I can only hope that Olive will leave here one day with a heart filled with wonderful memories, too.

“Krista has been talking to a company about selling the business,” I fill Martha in. “She’s moving to Los Angeles with Howie after their wedding. She wants the funds from the sale to help her settle in there.”

Martha sits next to me, grabbing my hands to cradle them in hers. “Greer, oh my. How are you feeling about that?”

“Numb,” I answer honestly. “I don’t want to hold Krista back, but I always thought the company’s future was with us.”

“You can buy her out,” she suggests. “We can pitch in. Bruce has some retirement savings. I have that inheritance from my mom.”

I shake my head. “Absolutely not.”

Since Krista and I agreed a long time ago that we’d only sell the business together, that’s not an option. Even if it were, I wouldn’t allow Bruce and Martha to invest more in me than they already have. They gave up the lives they had in Montana to move here to help me raise Olive. Bruce handles all of the home repairs and maintenance of the small garden in the back. Martha declared herself the cook when I asked if they wanted to live with us. That’s only a fraction of what she does for me. She’s become a second mom to me, and I love her for that.

I love her and Bruce for everything they’ve brought into my life and my daughter’s life.

“Maybe this man will only buy Krista’s half?” She grins. “That could work, Greer.”

“That can’t work,” I say with a sigh. “It’s not possible for a number of reasons, but even if it were, I can’t be business partners with that man.”

She eyes me suspiciously. “Something tells me you’re holding back a piece of the puzzle.”

I know I can tell Martha anything. She’s made that crystal clear to me over the years. I may have married her son once upon a time, but since Aaron and I divorced, she has proven that she’s still part of my family.

“I met him before I realized he wanted to buy Sweet Indulgence.”

Her eyes widen. “You met him or youmethim?”

I bark out a laugh because the second ‘met’ that left her lips was accompanied by a lot of eyelash batting on her part. Martha is asking if I hooked up with Holden.

“The second one,” I whisper. “I met him when I was in East Hampton.”

Her hand jumps to cover her mouth. “I knew there was a fellow involved in that trip. You were glowing when you got back, Greer. Glowing. I am so happy for you.”

I hate to burst her bubble of happiness, but I have to. “It was just a weekend fling. We agreed not to meet up again. We didn’t even know each other’s real names.”