Razzle Dazzle might just make it after all. When lunchtime approached, she did a mental tally of what they’d taken in and was pleased.
Most of the special-order decorations had been picked up by the customers who placed such orders each year, so she didn’t really count these as new sales, but nonetheless, they were sales. And now every single sale mattered.
Lauren was refolding several tree skirts when the door opened, bringing another burst of cold air inside. She looked over her shoulder, and a smile came to her face. When she saw that it was none other than Brent Ludmore, out of uniform and carrying a brown bag from Ruby’s, her heart lurched. And not in the way Brent probably intended. He wasn’t going to give up easily, she’d give him that.
“Hey, Lauren, thought you could use a bit of lunch,” he said, holding up the brown bag.
She was hungry, so she shot him a genuine smile. “Perfect timing, too. I was about to see what I could rustle up from the fridge.”
Brent was a true hunk, in the traditional sense. Six-foot-two, a perfect two hundred pounds of solid muscle, dark brown eyes, and ink-black hair that he wore short, given his position as Fallen Springs’ sheriff. Lauren wished she felt something other than brotherly friendship toward him, but sadly, she still remembered him as he’d been in preschool and elementary classes, then high school. They were tight. They were close. But what they weren’t and never would be was a couple. Much as Brent tried, it just wasn’t there for her. She truly cared for him, always would, but not in the way he wanted.
He came up behind her, and she caught a whiff of his aftershave. Woodsy, manly. She liked his scent, as it was very comforting. Something like a favorite blanket, something you could always rely on. She’d never voice those thoughts to Brent, but it was what she felt. Comfortable, reliable, no need to be anything but herself around him.
“Hey, I’m a mind reader,” he said.
“We’re a bit slow now. Let me lock the door and put up my ‘out to lunch’ sign. Hang on,” Lauren said, walking to the door, locking it, then hanging her sign. While this wasn’t going to entice new customers, most of those who shopped here frequently knew she’d be back in a flash. “Follow me,” she directed, heading to the office.
In the office, she cleared her desk. Brent opened the bag, and delicious smells wafted throughout the room. “Yum, whatever it is,” Lauren said as she took paper plates and plasticware from the shelf that held her supplies.
“Today’s special. Roast chicken, with potatoes, carrots, and those danged yeast rolls Ruby makes to entice people to kiss their diets good-bye.” He winked at her. “She’s trying to fatten up the entire town, and Louise encourages it. Threw in a couple extra rolls for you, she said to tell you.”
She laughed. “Louise and Ruby always give me extra food. I’m small by genetics, and she just doesn’t get it, but I do love those rolls.”
Brent doled out the luscious food, and Lauren was truly grateful. “You’re a prince for this,” she said between bites.
“Didn’t see you at church this morning. Saw your mom, and she told me you were open today,” he said, letting his words hang in the aromatic air.
“No, I thought I’d give the Black Friday weekend my full attention. Sales haven’t been what I’d like this year.”
Brent stopped eating and took her hand. “You’re going to be okay, right? I mean the store. This place is an institution in Fallen Springs.”
She shook her head. “I hope so. Brick-and-mortar stores are becoming a thing of the past. I’ve asked Dad to consider going online, but you know how he’s totally against change.”
“That surprises me. Your dad’s been a great influence on so many around town; even Ruby’s has an online menu now. Grubhub deliveries, too. Why do you think he’s so against it?” Brent asked.
“He tells me his father, and grandfather, et cetera, et cetera, ran this place quite successfully without the help of some Internet that he can’t even see, and there is no reason he’s going to change his mind.”
“Have you told him you all might need the extra sales to keep the doors open?” Brent asked.
“No, and I haven’t told Mom either, but I suspect she knows since she sees the bank statements every month.” She wasn’t going to tell Brent that she was planning to subsidize