Page 25 of Love’s Harvest (Lilace Lake #3)
Sarah awoke the next morning and reached for Aaron. He’d stayed long enough to make sure she was tucked into bed properly, according to him. Thinking of what that had meant, she smiled to herself.
She rolled over and checked the clock and wished she didn’t have to go to work at the store.
But the day after Christmas was usually a profitable business day for them with people willing to spend Christmas money on a few extras.
She’d put Wyatt and April to work retagging items for their annual January sale.
Upstairs, she’d be starting to put together data for year-end reports.
“Mommy, Mia won’t let me play with her doll,” cried Emily storming into her bedroom.
“You have a doll of your own to play with,” said Sarah, holding out her arm and pulling Emily in for a snuggle. “We’re all tired from the excitement of Christmas. Just relax and enjoy the day with Lucy.”
“Maybe Lucy will read to us. She makes sounds like all the animals,” said Emily.
Mia came into the room. “Okay, Emily, you can play with my doll.” She climbed up into bed and snuggled on the other side of Sarah.
Lying there, surrounded by her children, Sarah thought back to last night with Aaron. She wished he’d been able to spend the entire night, but it wasn’t time to do that yet.
After giving the girls breakfast, Sarah got ready for work. She and Dani were going to set up things so that a year-end inventory could be done right after the New Year. In the meantime, Sarah was going to try to clear out as many holiday items on sale as she could.
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When she got to the store, there were a few people waiting at the door for the after-Christmas sale. Sarah had already posted on a sign on the door stating that Christmas Items would be 40 percent off.
She parked out back, went through the store turning on lights, and then walked to the front door and opened it. She knew most of the faces and admired how some people in town used the post-Christmas sales to build their holiday décor at home.
Dani arrived with coffee for them both. While Dani oversaw the cash register downstairs, Sarah climbed the stairs to her office.
She looked over the sales lists from before Christmas and had an idea of what had sold.
The rest of the Christmas items would be assembled in one location with a sign 40 % off, and Dani and the other staff people would be encouraged to try and sell those items.
April and Wyatt arrived within minutes of one another, and Sarah set them to work moving things around and remarking price tags.
Throughout the day, working on financials, checking to see how sales were going, stepping in to help at the cash register, Sarah realized how important it was for Dani to be part of the operation.
When the store closed at six o’clock, Sarah asked Dani to stay. She pulled a bottle of white wine out of the refrigerator in the staff kitchen and said, “Let’s sit and talk for a minute, if you have the time.”
As they sipped the wine, Sarah laid out her idea for a partnership role for Dani and then sat back.
“Tell me what you think. My parents are open to having you own part of the store and, heaven knows, we need you. We have reliable staff and can hire more, if necessary, but with the kind of store it is, we need to have owners on hand to check on daily reconciliations, inventory needs, and oversight of the store and its displays.”
“Brad and I have discussed it,” said Dani. “Our concern is that we need to have time together. The store is open seven days a week, but I’d certainly need days off. Brad is busy with his construction business and works late whenever the weather permits. But I need flexibility to be with him.”
“Exactly,” said Sarah. “I need someone who is flexible not only for me, but so they have time off when she needs it.”
“You know we’re trying for a baby,” said Dani, her eyes becoming shiny with held back tears.
“Yes, I know. And when that time comes, we’ll adjust our schedules. I trust you, Dani, and respect your knowledge of the business. That’s why this is important to me.”
“And if I get a big consulting job?” said Dani.
“That, too, is something we’ll deal with. I just don’t want the responsibility of the store alone. In the summer months, Mom and Dad will be around to help, but we’d still be in charge of the store for the sake of consistency.”
“Okay, I love the idea of going in with you on the store,” said Dani, lifting her glass of wine and clicking it against Sarah’s.
“Thank you so much for thinking of me. There’s only so much work I can do at The Meadows helping clients design their new houses.
Besides, I wanted to pull away a bit in order to have something of my own going on. ”
“I would think that would be important for any relationship,” said Sarah.
“Absolutely,” said Dani. “I love Brad like crazy, but I need some space in order to make my life with him even better.”
Sarah tucked that piece of information in her mind. She knew how important space for oneself was. When Jesse was feeling low, he’d stayed at home bringing everyone down.
They hugged, and Sarah left the store feeling better about the future. As she’d told Dani, if necessary, they’d hire more people.
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The next few days were busy taking care of sales and making notes of missing inventories in the smaller sections of the store. After the New Year, she and Dani, Wyatt, and April, would close the store on a Sunday to complete the inventory.
The girls were a bit restless away from preschool. Sarah’s appreciation for Lucy and Millie grew. Taking care of the girls was a nice break for the older women and a valuable help to her.
When her mother suggested Sarah take an extra day away with Aaron at the cabin for New Year’s Eve, Sarah jumped at the chance to tell Aaron. He was delighted.
Sarah dropped everything and hurried to Poppy’s store to buy a glittery dark green sweater she’d seen earlier, hoping it was still there. It would be a perfect addition to the casual slacks and jeans she usually wore.
Poppy was helping a customer when Sarah walked into the store. She raced over to the table where she’d seen the sweater. It was gone.
Poppy looked up at her. “Are you looking for the green sweater you liked?”
“Yes, but it’s not here,” said Sarah.
“I saved it for you. I had a feeling you might want it when I heard you were going to Aaron’s cabin for New Year’s Eve,” said Poppy.
Sarah laughed. Living in a small town was both delightful and a little frightening when everyone knew your business.
The customer left, and Sarah looked over other sale items. “How is the renovation of your old house was going?”
“Better than I thought,” said Poppy. “Blake has taken out a few walls already, but he tells me that’s just the beginning. I’m thrilled about it. The house has been in the family for years.”
“And how are things going with you and Blake?” Sarah asked, aware she was playing into the small town gossip circle.
A pretty pink blush covered Poppy’s cheeks. “Very well. We’ve clicked from the beginning, and it’s getting better and better. I think it was a matter of timing for both of us. And now we’re ready to build a healthy, lasting relationship.”
“Oh, Poppy! That’s wonderful,” said Sarah, giving her a big hug. It sounded as if they, too, were building a love to harvest. It was a concept she loved.
Sarah left the store, raced home to put her things away, and returned to the hardware store, excited for her holiday retreat.