midnight oil getting the shop ready.”
“Yeah.” And I’d probably be working even longer hours once it opened. At least until I could afford to hire someone to do some shifts.
“When’s the big day?”
“Soon.” I cradled my cup of coffee rather than squirm. When would I open and take the plunge?
“If you need help—”
I shook my head. I’d refused a few times already. My friends already had enough going on. “I’m pretty much ready to go. I just needed to put up some flyers and figure out a name.”
“You still haven’t chosen one?”
“Nothing that fits, yet.”
“It should be clever or quirky. The kind of name that grabs people’s attention. What about Naomi’s Treasures? Or Old but Cool?”
My nose wrinkled. “Not quite what I was going for.”
“Whatever you choose I’m sure it will be great. I am so jealous of you starting your own business. You’re on your way, Naomi.”
On my way.
For some reason I began humming a tune from my teen years, Mötley Crüe’s “Home Sweet Home.” It seemed apt. I was on my way and I’d found my home.
My place.
My tribe.
My destiny.
The breakfast filled the hollow spot in my belly, and despite my hunger when I sat down, I actually didn’t eat all the bacon. Rather than waste it, I tucked it into a napkin for later. Cold bacon made an epic snack.
Orville wouldn’t let me pay, so I left a super large tip before heading out again. I stopped in front of my shop and stared at the blank sign. Within half an hour, I’d borrowed a ladder from Mr. Peterson, who insisted I keep it as long as I needed. I also bought some stencils and gold leaf paint.
By the time I was done—with a few scary moments as the ladder wobbled—I had my store name. I stood back and admired it.
On My Way. An eclectic collection of treasures. I finally had a shop name, meaning it was time to stop procrastinating. The shop was now open, meaning I had to place some ads and print out some flyers.
I spent the afternoon working with a pad of paper, coming up with short and snappy blurbs to place in the classifieds. I also returned to the hardware store, bought some bristle board, and used the last of my gold paint to write, Open. I hung the sign in the window.
That very afternoon, to my delight and surprise, I had my first paying customer. A woman driving by had seen the tea set in the window. She bought it with cash without even quibbling about the price. The colored bills in my palm weren’t much. Not even a fraction of what I’d put into the shop, but they were priceless to me. Maybe I could make this work.
Around sixish, the bells on the door rang and Darryl walked in.
I couldn’t stop a stupidly wide smile. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself,” he said, sauntering to the counter. “Congrats on opening.”
“Thanks.” I almost ducked my head. Why be bashful?
“Sorry I took off last night and wasn’t around this morning. I had to go take care of something.”
“Oh, is everything okay?”
“Just some problems back home.”
“I thought this was your home.”
“Mine, yes. But not that of my extended family.”
Way to feel dumb. I could have slapped myself for not thinking of it. “Were you able to help?”
His jaw tightened. “Yes and no. It’s an ongoing situation.”
“I saw you hired someone.” I hope it didn’t come out sounding bitter or jealous. He’d offered me the job first. I’d turned it down.
“My cousin.”
Once more, I couldn’t stop the smile. “That was nice of her to help out.”
“Nice? Ha. She’s making me pay for it, don’t you kid yourself.”
“Speaking of paying, do we know what’s wrong with my car?”
“Nothing.”
“You fixed it? Awesome. How much do I owe you?”
“Nothing. Because there is nothing wrong with it.” He shrugged. “It’s in excellent shape considering its age.”
“Then why didn’t it start for me?”
“Who knows? Could be the carburetor was flooded or the gearshift wasn’t fully in park. Whatever the case, I didn’t find a thing wrong.”
“That’s great. Thanks. But I really should give you something for taking the time to check it out.”
“Have dinner with me.”
“What? Now? But the shop…”
“Do you expect a rush of more clients tonight?”
Not really. Night had fallen outside, and I knew for a fact even the hardware store closed at six… “Give me a second to lock up.”
It took me but a moment to secure the doors and check my face and hair. I pinched my cheeks and