Hope admired the space. “This room has great light. And we’re fortunate to not have competition nearby.”
“That’s for sure,” I said, slowly swiveling my chair in a circle. “Sandwiched between an ice cream shop and a bakery—we couldn’t ask for a better location.” When my chair came to a stop, I stared absently out the window. “I just don’t want it to look like one of those snooty boutiques. We need window displays that’ll attract everyone, no matter their age or social class. Some of our friends will follow us, but I want to pull in the older crowd too—especially with all your high-end jewelry.”
We both briefly turned to look at the glass jewelry counter by the register.
Hope tapped her finger against her chin. “Should we separate the merchandise by age group to make it easier for them to find what they want?”
“Let’s mix it up first and see how that goes. I’m afraid if we put the teens here and the adults there, it’ll segregate our customers and make the inventory appear limited. I get orders from grown women for my sneakers.”
“You’re right.” Hope stood up and hooked her thumbs behind the straps of her overalls. She had thick eyebrows and never plucked them, which made her eyes look wild and beautiful, but she never played up her features with makeup. When she frowned, a tiny vertical crease appeared between her eyebrows. “Maybe we can dress the mannequins by age to show that we cater to both.”
“That’s a good idea.” I twirled my violet hair around one finger and caught a whiff of the cleaning products still on my hands. “I’m so glad we did this on our own.”
Hope lifted her can of soda and gracefully strolled forward. She had a regal way about her that was natural and effortless. “Well, my father was certainly willing to help,” she said with disdain. “You have no idea how close he was to buying this store for us—without our permission. He was insistent on us keeping the money we’d saved as a safety net.”
“In case we fail?” I laughed and straddled the armless chair. When I noticed a loose thread hanging from my cutoff jean shorts, I yanked it off. “Our families mean well, but I don’t want to be in their debt. If they had bought this place, it wouldn’t feel like ours. They’d want to access our financial records and might even influence our decisions since they’d have a stake in the business. No, thanks. Where’s our sense of accomplishment and independence? I’d rather fail on my own than succeed with someone else’s money.”
Hope chuckled and stood before me. “Is Wheeler still going to help?”
My uncle was a whiz when it came to financial advice—it was his calling in life. “That’s a given. I trust him, and he’s the one who combed through all that paperwork when we bought this place from the higher authority. If it weren’t for him, we’d be situated two blocks over, by the antiques store.”
“What was wrong with that place? It was bigger.”
“Watching my aunt run her shop taught me how important foot traffic is, and the Vampires who hang around that street aren’t exactly our target demographic. They’re from the Old World and wouldn’t be caught dead in my sneakers. We’re better off near families—especially Shifters who like supporting one of their own.” I pointed left and right. “Ice cream shop. Bakery. Boom, boom.”
Hope smiled, her brown eyes sparkling. She tucked her hands in her pockets and worried her lip. “I’m scared.”
So was I. In fact, I was terrified. I had nightmares of no one showing up on opening day. What if Hope makes a killing with her jewelry and no one wants anything to do with my clothing line? I would have no choice but to relinquish my half of the store so she could sell more merchandise. I’d considered that scenario as a real possibility, and as much as it would hurt, I had no problem giving it all to Hope. Better to support someone else’s dream than to drag them down chasing your own. Egos don’t pay the bills.
I glanced at the walls. “They did a good job with the paint.”
She snickered at the cream-colored walls. “You have energetic brothers who are eager to please their sister. Did you see them racing each other?”
Rolling my eyes, I stood up. “That’s why I had to yell at them to stop. I thought we’d end up with paint on the floors and the ceiling. Hendrix and Lennon are grown men. They should know better than to egg each other on.”
“Grown men,” she murmured. “You’re older than them and still a baby yourself.”
“Baby?” I strutted toward the counter, my chin held high. “I’m a twenty-five-year-old businesswoman.”
She breezed by me. “Who rides around town on a red scooter. Why don’t you get the grown-up kind that comes with an engine and doors?”
I rested my arms on the counter. “It’s good exercise.”
As she rounded the counter, she arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure that’s the only reason? You have a lot of tails wagging every time you go flying by that bar on the corner. A lot of wolves have their eye on you for a mate.”
“I don’t think mating is what they have in mind, unless you mean in the bedroom. Guys don’t get serious with girls like me. It’s you they’re lined up for.”
She rested her chin in the palm of her hand. “Only because my father’s one of the most powerful Packmasters in the territory and my mother is an influential figure in the community. She’s the kind of woman every man wants to mate, but I am not my mother.”
I understood where Hope was coming from. “Think about how I feel. My dad’s a famous rock star, and my mom’s gorgeous, outgoing, funny, and amazing.”
“And you’re not?”
I shrugged. “Well, I have my moments. But you know how it is. They’re always comparing us to our parents and holding us to those standards, for good or for bad. Folks automatically assume I’m either a great musician or a drug addict.”
Hope shook her head. “People should let go of the past. That’s not the man your father is today.”
“You’re preaching to the choir. But I get all the good and the bad comparisons. I just want people to know me as that talented lady who owns the shop on Starlight Road.”
Hope lifted her can. “I’ll drink to that.”
When the front door opened, we both turned to look. A man breezed through the doorway, his attention fixed on an electronic device. “Is either of you Hope Church or Melody Cole?”
Hope crossed the empty room to greet him. “I’m Ms. Church.”
He scanned a small package on his device and handed it over. “Have a nice day.”
After he tipped his cap and left the shop, I skipped toward her. “Our first mail! Who’s it from?”
“It doesn’t say.”
As she tore away the brown paper, I handed her a miniature blade from my key chain to slice open the tape. Hope cradled the package in her left arm and let the bubble wrap fall to the floor. She pulled out a hand-carved wolf and turned it around.
I reached into the box to retrieve a folded piece of paper and read it aloud.
Dear Sister,
Congratulations on your store. I wish I could be there to celebrate your grand opening, but no worries. We’ll see each other soon. I’m sending a wolf totem as a protector, so keep him by the register. Call me if you need anything, and tell Freckles to break a leg.