by Mika Lane
The thought of Dan was the last straw. Her shoulders began shaking with heavy sobs. She clamped a hand over her mouth so Luke couldn’t hear her. When the bell on the front door jingled and the shop was silent, she called for her sister.
“Tab?”
Footsteps came running.
“Oh, sweetie,” Tabitha said, joining Gaia on the settee. She pulled her close.
“I…I…it’s just that…” The sobs mangled her words. “I miss…Dan. I…just…want him back.”
Tabitha stroked her hair, just as she had when they were kids. “I know you do. I’m sorry this set you off. What a shock.”
Tabitha hooked a finger under Gaia’s chin to look directly at her. With a small sigh, she pushed the hair out of her sister’s face and behind her ears, and handed her a fistful of tissues.
Gaia’s wrecked breathing began to smooth.
“I’m sorry, Tab. I honestly did not know he was the guy going after the building. If I’d known, I’d have told you right away.”
“I know that! It was a surprise for all of us. Did you see his face?”
“Yeah,” Gaia sniffed. “It was kind of funny. He looked like he was afraid of us. Like we might tear him limb from limb.” She giggled and wiped her eyes.
Tabitha laughed, too. In fact, she began shaking with laughter.
“Can you imagine,” she said, trying to catch her breath, “a big guy like that, afraid of the two of us? Watch out for the badass Moon sisters.”
Gaia nodded, unable to resist her sister’s hysterics. In a matter of moments, they were both laughing so hard they doubled over on the settee, holding each other to keep from falling off.
“Oh my god, that’s funny,” Tabitha wailed. “I hope no one comes in the shop while we’re a mess like this.”
That made Gaia laugh even harder. “Why not? Nothing wrong laughing your ass off.” She wiped her eyes again, but this time not from crying. “Oh my god I needed that.”
After a moment, she turned to her sister.“Tab, what are we gonna do?”
“Don’t worry. We’ll figure something out. We always do.
Chapter 10
Tabitha was sitting in the dark living room when Gaia got home from work the next day.
“What are you doing with no lights on?” Gaia asked, as she shut the front door.
Tabitha blinked, her eyes adjusting to the lights her sister flicked on. “Oh, hi. I was sitting here thinking, and I guess I didn’t notice the sun had gone down. How was work?”
“It was good. Hey, are you okay?”
“I think the reality of the whole episode of yesterday is really sinking in. I mean, I’m sure Luke won’t accept my offer on the building, and I’m sure we’ll have to move. Or even close Kiki’s.” She shook her head.
She was right. If he didn’t cooperate, there was not a darn thing they could do. His words “this is just business” played over and over. What a shitty excuse for treating people any way he liked. The infuriating helplessness gave Gaia a knot in her stomach.
She plopped down next to her sister. “Tab, what are the chances of finding another space—a good one?”
“I called a broker today, just in case. She said there isn’t much available. What that means is that what is available is going to be very expensive.”
Gaia wrapped an arm around her sister. “What about Craigslist? Any thing in there?”
“Nah. It’s the same as what the brokers have. I’m so fucked.”
“Hey, want a drink?” Gaia jumped up from the sofa and headed to the bar cart.
Tabitha nodded. “Yeah, I do. I’ll take some bourbon.”
“Ooh, big sis goin’ for the hard stuff.” She grabbed some oversized ice cubes from the freezer and dropped them into two rocks glasses.
“Looks like you’re joining me.”
“Sure. Why not?” Gaia answered, bringing both drinks back to the sofa.
“I will say, that guy Luke was pretty damn handsome.”
Gaia took a sip of the heavy liquor. “Ugh. This stuff really burns going down. I don’t know how people drink it all the time. Anyway, yeah, he’s hot. Too bad he turned out to be a jerk.”
Tabitha rubbed her temple with her free hand. “Well, wait a minute. What are the chances that we can work things out to make everybody happy?”
“What do you mean? He sounded pretty resolute.”
“He did sound like he’d made up his mind. But…he was just talking on the fly. Before he made his ‘business decision’,” Tabitha said, using air quotes, “he didn’t know it was us—well, I mean you—who were part of the business.”
“Yeah…” Gaia agreed.
Tabitha shook her head in disbelief. “How the hell did he have no idea the shop you talk about all the time was the lingerie boutique on Maiden Lane?”
Gaia shrugged. “I’m not sure. I mean, we never got to the details of the business. It’s so funny. When I first saw him I was sure he was stopping by to say hi. But then it dawned on me he had no idea we’d be there, because he had no idea it was your place.”
“Okay.” Tabitha drummed her fingers on the arm of the sofa, thinking. “Then, maybe all is not lost. I mean, c’mon.”
“Big Sis, are you asking what I think you’re asking?” But she knew what her sister was asking. And there was no way she’d say no.
“Just talk to him, Gaia. Please? I’m sure he’s a reasonable guy.” The hopeful look on her face was irresistible. And yet…
“I don’t know. I mean, he probably never wants to talk to me again, with the way I popped off at him.”
“From what you’ve told me, this guy has it bad for you. He’ll listen.”
Gaia set her bourbon on the coffee table. “I don’t think I can finish this stuff. I’m getting some vino. That’s more my speed.”
She headed over to the wine rack, her sister close on her heels.
“Gaia. You listening to me?” Tabitha asked.
“Hmmm, what am I in the mood for…?” Gaia mumbled as she pulled out one bottle after the other.
Tabitha took a bottle from her sister, who just kept looking.
“Hey, here’s the one that client gave me last year for Christmas.” She turned the bottle to show off the label.
“Gaia, are you listening to me? Because it doesn’t seem like it.” Tabitha put her hand on Gaia’s arm.
She shrugged. “I don’t know, Tab. Don’t push me. I mean, he probably hates me. I was a total bitch to him. I don’t know if I want to face him.”
“Do it for me. Please,” Tabitha begged.
She pulled from her grasp. “All right. All right. I’ll see what I can do. But don’t be surprised if he tells me ‘it’s just business’ and sends me on my way. He’s not the person I thought he was.”
Tabitha did her little happy dance. “I knew you would help me. I knew you would.”
Gaia pushed the wine opener into cork. “Yeah, well, if you’re smart, you won’t stop looking for new space.”
The screen on Gaia’s ringing phone said Luke. Again. But she wasn’t ready to talk to him. Not just yet, even though she’d promised Tabitha.
The heavy front door of Devi’s Bliss creaked open and Jewel sauntered in.
“What are you doing behind the desk again?” she asked Gaia.
“Devi needed some back up. I think she’s at another doctor’s appointment. And what are you looking so happy about?”
It was true. Jewel was practically floating. “I wrote two more chapters yesterday.”
“Oh, do tell.”
“Well, it’s pretty steamy stuff—”
The front door blew open again.
“Ladies, ladies, ladies,” Devi said as she rushed behind the desk and nudged Gaia out of the way.“Don’t we have work to do?”
Jewel bit her lip to keep from laughing. “Devi, I just got here.”
“It’s true, she did.” Gaia nodded.
“All right, that’s fine. But now, it’s time for work.”
> Out of respect, the girls kept their amusement with Devi’s grumpiness to themselves.
“We’re on it, boss,” Jewel said.
She followed Gaia to the staff room. They opened their lockers and started dressing.
“Enough about my sexy story. What about your cute guy?” Jewel asked.
Gaia turned to her friend. “Have I got a story.” She shared the debacle of Luke’s visit to Kiki’s.
Jewel’s mouth hung open. “Holy shit. What are the chances? Wow.” She shook her head in disbelief.
“I know, right? It’s just insane. Here my sister is, running an adorable and successful little lingerie shop, and the douche who may be responsible for her closing is the very guy I’ve been dating. Where in the world does that happen?”
Jewel laughed. “Apparently in your world, my friend. And just when you thought you’d met a keeper—” She stopped short.
Gaia closed her eyes and rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah. I know.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be insensitive.” Jewel studied her friend.
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m not ready for a relationship anyway. So it’s all good.”
But was it? Really?
“All right, girlie. I have a client. Catch ya on the flipside.” She popped a quick kiss on Gaia’s cheek and trotted off.
With fifteen minutes to spare, Gaia fell into a cushy chair to check Facebook. Just as she opened the app, her phone lit up with a call.
Luke.
Oh what the hell. She swiped the call open. “Hello.”
“Gaia,” he said.
“Hi, Luke. How’ve you been?” She sat up straight to focus. Tabitha was counting on her.
“All right. You?”
“I’m great. I’ve got a client in about ten minutes.”
There was a pause. “I’m sorry about what went down the other day. I wanted to talk to you about that,” Luke said.
Swallow that pride. “I’m sorry, too. My sister and I are very protective of each other, and I wasn’t very nice.”
Gulp.
“Do you think we could get together and talk?”she continued. Blood roared in her ears and she squeezed her eyes shut.
“Yes. Let’s do that. You free tonight?” Luke asked.
She stood up and walked over to the vanity mirror. “That’ll work. Do you know Left Bank? It’s up the street from Devi’s.”
“Yup. Meet there, say eight o’clock?”
“See you then.” As Gaia swiped her phone closed, she continued staring at her reflection. She finger combed her thick red hair and wove it into a loose braid in preparation for her upcoming client.
She was only going as a favor to Tabitha.
Right?
The sun was still high when Gaia parked in front of Left Bank. Besides being convenient, it was adorable with its massive murals, replicas of the art of infamous nineteenth century painter Toulouse-Lautrec. She grabbed a seat at the corner of the bar and ordered a glass of prosecco. A taste of moules frites, would have to wait until later. She didn’t want to breathe all over Luke with the intense amount of garlic the mussels dish was sautéed with.
A flash of light caught her eye, and she turned as the heavy wooden door of the restaurant opened long enough to permit a blast of sunlight
Luke strode in, all dark eyes and mussed hair. God, he made even a T-shirt and jeans insanely hot.
As he approached, her heart raced. It had been only a few days, but she’d nearly forgotten the spell he cast on her. He reached the bar, placing his hand over hers. The shock of his hot skin zapped her hard. How could she stay mad at him?
Did she even want to?
“Hey,” he said softly, placing a light kiss on her cheek. He waved over the bartender and ordered a Stella Artois for himself and another glass of bubbly for her.
“Thanks for meeting me,” she said with one hand firmly planted on the bar. If she steadied herself, he might not see her shaking.
“’Course. Great little place. I’ve been by it before but never been in.”
Enough small talk.
She dove right in. “I’m sorry I went off at you. It was wrong.”
“You don’t need to apologize. We were all thrown for a loop.” He looked down at his beer and shook his head lightly. “Unbelievable, huh?”
“You can say that again.”
She looked around the bar. Time to go for it. “What do you say to coming up with a solution that will work for everyone?”
“That would be nice. What did you have in mind?”
She knew perfectly well what she wanted. But she had to move slowly.
Straightening in her chair, she tilted her head and smiled. It was hard to concentrate. Damn that adorable beard scruff.
“Well. Tabitha and I were thinking.” She folded her hands in front of her, all business-like. “How can we ensure you get the office space you need while we remain in the street level retail space?”
He bit his lip. “I’m not sure you can. We’ve already got the permits to build out the space. Architects and engineers have drawn plans and been paid.”
Gaia’s face fell.
Shit. This wasn’t going to be easy.
“Okay. I get that,” she admitted. “You’ve already put money into the renovation.”
“Yes, we have. A lot of money. But it’s not just that.” He finished his beer and waved the bartender over for another.
He turned back to face her. “The tricky thing is that it’s not just up to me. The building was purchased as a partnership. There are several investors.”
“Yeah, but you know them, right? Can you talk to them?”
Luke ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t think it will do much good. I’m so sorry, Gaia.”
She felt a lump rising in her throat. Tabitha had worked so hard to build Kiki’s. What was she going to tell her?
“So, my sister’s Letter of Intent to buy the building was for nothing?”
“I’m afraid so. Look, I’ll help you find new space. I have a great broker.”
She felt as helpless as the bubbles floating in her glass. “I’m sorry to hear that, Luke. I had hoped something could be worked out.”
“It’s not that easy. I wish it were.”
The anger rose in her throat. Screw him. He could help if he wanted to. She slid from her barstool and grabbed her bag.
“Well, then. This conversation is over.” She started to walk away.
Luke grabbed her hand.“Gaia, like I said, I’m sorry—”
She shook free. “Yeah. I heard.” She headed for the front door, and before she passed through it, she took one last look over her shoulder. Luke had his hand on his beer bottle and was slowly shaking his head.
See ya, asshole.
The next day, the big Mercedes navigated through the horrendous San Francisco traffic as if it were a tiny Fiat.
A commercial real estate broker named Kelly was determined to show Gaia and Tabitha all the potential spaces she could, before meeting her next client.
In the front seat, Tabitha gripped the armrests, petrified by the woman’s driving. Gaia, amused by the woman’s constant rambling, was mostly just along for the ride.
Kelly’s cheery voice shrilled, “You know, there’s the Marina, so happening and youthful—”
Yeah, if you wanted to hang out with drunken college kids…
“Then there’s South of Market, which we know is getting hot, hot, hot—”
SOMA’s great for restaurants, but there was no retail there…
“And then there’s Hayes Valley, very hip and happening—”
She was right about that, if you didn’t mind the spillover of crack addicts from the Tenderloin…
Ugh. Tabitha had been looking non-stop for new spaces and was getting more despondent by the day. Nothing was quite right. Nothing was as perfect as where Kiki’s currently was.
The chatty broker steered them back in the direction of Maiden Lane, their search thankfully
coming to a close for the day. She pulled over to the side of the street, put the car in park, and turned toward Tabitha.
“I do have one more property up my sleeve. I wasn’t sure it would work for you, but since we’re down to the wire, I figure why not?” She couldn’t have looked more cheerful had she been selling Girl Scout cookies.
Tabitha had her hand on the door handle, most likely as eager as Gaia to get out of the car.
“Really? Where is it?” Tabitha asked.
“It’s right here on Maiden Lane.”
Tabitha’s mouth dropped open. “There’s something here on Maiden Lane, and you are only just now telling me?”
The broker looked like someone had slapped her. She quickly recovered, pressing her lips into a thin line before sharing her news with Tabitha.“It is here on Maiden Lane. Just a few doors down from where you are now.”
“Okay. What’s the hitch? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Because…the rent is about four times what you are paying now.”
“You. Are. Kidding. Four times higher?” Tabitha looked back over the seat.
Time to get out of this car.
Gaia opened her door. “C’mon Tab. We have a lot to think about.”
Tabitha pushed her door open, too.
“Wait. Do you want to look at the space?” Kelly asked after her. “The one here on Maiden Lane?”
Tabitha leaned back in the car. “Can we let you know, Kelly?”
“Well, sure—”
Her voice was cut off by the slamming door. Gaia watched the broker shrug and drive off into the traffic.
Tabitha opened the store.
“What do you think?” Gaia asked.
“I don’t know. I just don’t know. I’m running to the bank. Watch over things?”
“Yeah, ’course.”
While Tabitha was out, Gaia set to work, changing out the displays in the window to push away her preoccupation with Luke. Her sister liked to put expensive nighties and gowns on bold display. The items in the front window invariably would be snapped up by someone looking for a gift.
But if the rent were four times higher than what Tabitha was already paying? Gaia did a quick calculation. They would have to sell more lingerie than the store could even hold. A rent that high might be feasible for a nice restaurant selling alcohol or even a designer store, but not a shop like Kiki’s.
