Love & Hope: Mother's Day (Holidays In Hallbrook Book 5)

by Elsie Davis

  “There is that.” Ryan nodded.

  “Well, I think it’s an excellent idea and choice. It’s an incredible venture, well-thought-out, and extremely strategic. I’m looking forward to the grand opening next week and seeing how this plays out in the months to come. I can’t see it turning out as anything other than a success. Specializing in a small piece of the retail online retail market is genius. There’s only so much the big players can handle without losing the needed support and tech help that comes with the products.”

  “I’m glad you approve,” Ryan said dryly. Considering the success will largely affect your paycheck.”

  “There is that,” she teased, mocking Ryan’s earlier comment.

  Charles chuckled. “She sounded like a walking advertising agency trying to drum up investors or sales.” He shot her a wink, letting her know he was teasing. Had he also picked up on the idea Ryan didn’t seem to like him chummy with her? And if so, why?

  “Ha-ha. It’s not a canned pitch. It’s the truth. And the truth comes easily,” Grace added. “Where’s the next location?”

  “I don’t have any…yet. I need to do more research than picking a friend’s place that happens to be close to the warehouse. The next one needs to be based on customer and sales concentrations. We won’t open but a handful more for brand recognition and ease of possible added shipping centers.”

  “Then pick a resort destination and send me to do the research.” She grinned.

  “You’d like that. I think you’ve got your hands full as it is. I’ll figure something out in due time.” Ryan smiled, turning to inspect the ski shop.

  Grace remembered the place well and was impressed with the changes made to the ski shop. Now doubled in size, the cafeteria bar had been pushed to a new wing addition, a beautiful glass wall allowing people to eat and drink to their heart’s content, all while staying warm inside and watching the action on the slopes. The huge fireplace in a corner furnished with several sofa groupings would also be a drawcard. The relaxed atmosphere begged a person to stop and chat over a drink, or perhaps read a book. And of course, plenty of time to shop.

  “I love this. You’ve done an amazing job. I haven’t been here in a couple of years, but this is incredible.”

  “Thanks, but I can’t take credit for the idea. That all goes back to this guy.” He nodded toward Ryan. “He’s the visionary for the place.”

  “Wow. I’m impressed.” Grace smiled at Ryan, meaning every word.

  “Thanks. I’m motivated by the investors I have to answer to.” He brushed off her compliment as though he were uncomfortable with any focus or accolades thrown his way. It made her wonder more about his past and what had soured him on any chance of family and happiness. The man had a kind heart, and it would be wasted if all it ever focused on was the next business deal.

  “Don’t let him fool you. He’s always been a genius when it comes to this stuff. That’s what happens when you keep your head buried in the books all the time instead of partying with the rest of us normal college pukes.” Charles chuckled, shaking his head as if studying had been a waste of time when there were more important things to do like having fun. Good thing the guy opened a place designed to provide non-stop entertainment. And hopefully not just for the winter season anymore.

  “What can I say? Work motivates me.”

  “Much to the dismay of half the female college population.” Charles snorted.

  “I think you took care of my fair share.” Ryan grinned and shook his head. “Enough about my private life.”

  Grace wondered why an attractive, smart man, with apparently no shortage of women offering to partner with him, wouldn’t have already been caught by the matrimonial ring. Was it one more thing that came back to the sister he wouldn’t talk about? And if so, when would Ryan let go of the past and be able to embrace a happy future? Something she knew without a doubt he deserved.

  “The place looks great, Charles. Here are the signs.” Ryan handed them each a stack. “Maybe we can start matching these up and hanging them in front of the products where they belong,” he suggested.

  Grace shuffled through the ones he’d given her. They were boring, standard price-point signs. A description followed by a small starburst with a price inside—something every computer program had—including the free ones. Nothing eye-catching or creative or unique about them at all. She glanced around the place, trying to picture it on opening day. Everyone would be searching for the next big grand-opening special they couldn’t live without.

  “I have a suggestion,” Grace spoke up, not blown away by what she was seeing.

  The two men stopped hanging signs to look up at her. “What’s that? You’re the marketing genius, and we bow down to you,” Ryan teased, crossing the room to join her.

  “I’ll have to remember that in the future.” She laughed. “I think these signs are too monotonous. Sorry,” she added, trying to take the sting off her comment.

  Ryan grimaced, taking a deep breath, but remained silent.

  “I’m not saying whoever did this did a bad job. It’s just not a great job. I think it can be better.” They were terrible, but it wouldn’t do any good to point out the obvious, especially if it turned out Ryan made them. She’d learned early on that constructive criticism yielded far better results than open dislike.

  “What do you suggest?” Charles asked, clearly trying to temper the situation.

  “I think they need more color and more snap. The description doesn’t have to be on the card, just the item name. All this extra verbiage can go away, leaving room for bigger, more attention-getting designs with offsetting colors to attract the eye.” It wasn’t a big switch, but the results could be fantastic. Price signs the same size and design had proved to be a failure when it came to attracting a customer to stop and look.

  “There’s no time to do that at this point,” Ryan said, dismissing her suggestion.

  “What if I get it done and bring them back by Monday morning first thing?” It was a crazy offer, given that she had to deal with Grace, but she couldn’t let this opportunity to make things right pass by. Besides, it would go a long way to making amends with Ryan considering her first-day disasters.

  “Did you forget we’ve got Spring Fling Saturday?”

  “Spring Fling?” She knew the festival was Saturday in Lancaster, but not what it had to do with her.

  “I emailed you about it. We have a booth, and you’re expected to help by talking to people about the company and sharing our vision. Please tell me you saw the email?” He frowned.

  “I must have missed that one somehow. I was planning on taking Holly to the festival.” This put a kink in her plans. Especially if she continued to insist on remaking the signs. She’d make it all work. Somehow.

  “You’ll have lots of free weekends with your daughter, but Spring Fling is only one day a year, and the kick-off to our grand opening Monday. That only happens once.”

  Not true, but Ryan didn’t know that. “Fine. But be forewarned, I’m bringing Holly. It is technically my day off.” She grinned. “And I’ll still take care of the signs. The printer can handle the order, and I’ll personally deliver them.”

  “Forewarning duly noted. And as to the signs, if you’re up to it, who am I to say no? What should we do with these?” Ryan asked, holding some of the signs up.

  “Throw them in the trash. No offense.” So much for diplomacy, but Grace was determined for him to agree.

  “None taken. It’s not like I spent a ton of time designing them, as you can tell.” Ouch.

  “You did these? I’m sorry.” Her face grew heated, realizing she’d put her big size nine foot in her mouth.

  “Don’t worry about it. If you want to replace the signs, knock yourself out. Just make the ads and flyers your priority. Those are the real outreach to a potential customer base that can make or break this launch.” Ryan locked gazes with her, his expression unreadable.

  “I’m already halfway through
revamping the first set of ads. Relax.”

  They spent the next few hours putting out the rest of the inventory since they didn’t have to work on the signage. Grace used the time to rearrange some of the racks and displays, focusing on color splashes and groupings. The project had become way more involved than they’d originally planned, but with the efforts of the two men, they managed to get through it. Neither one of them questioned her when she asked to move some displays repeatedly, they just did as she asked and bit back any response.

  Grace stepped back to look at the overall effect, pleased with what she saw. “This is so much better. Don’t you agree?”

  The two men came to stand next to her.

  “It is, there’s no doubt about it. I’m glad I brought you along today and that we had no distractions,” Ryan said, his well-meaning words a clear message.

  There might not have been a baby distraction, but to say there’d been no distractions wasn’t even close to the truth. She’d spent the afternoon watching Ryan at work and bumping shoulders with him on occasion. It was a distraction she couldn’t afford, but one that was hard to ignore. There was something about him that drew her close, and clearly, based on the number of times she caught him gazing at her with an odd expression on his face, he was finding it hard to ignore as well.

  Chapter Seven

  It had been an interesting day, one that left Ryan with mixed emotions. Working side-by-side with Grace in such a relaxed environment, he couldn’t stop himself from watching her. Her light laughter, her creative touches, her insights, all proof of the amazing woman she was. Entirely unlike the scatterbrained mother he’d met at the bakery and at the office yesterday. Two completely different people.

  He respected and admired her talents, but a part of him couldn’t help but acknowledge that down-home fresh and wholesomeness that kept calling him. The love she gave her daughter and exuded in her daily life, even during rough times, was something he found himself drawn toward. In the past, trouble only meant run. What was it about her that drew him like a moth to a flame?

  They drove toward Hallbrook, most of the conversation centered on the ski shop and the grand opening. They were both clearly avoiding personal conversation. The issues that had arisen earlier this morning were still very much in the forefront and standing like a wall between them.

  “Are you all set tomorrow with your sister to babysit?” It was a stretch, but he was trying to ease the awkward silence that had fallen in the car.

  “Yes. Faith got the lecture about honoring commitments and responsibility. Trust me, it’s a lesson my sister needs to learn.”

  “Wasn’t your sister watching Holly before you came to work for me?” He turned to look at her, a little perplexed by her sister’s change of heart.

  “No. I wasn’t working. Before that, Holly had other care when it was needed.” Grace shrugged, choosing her words with care so as not to lie any more than she already had.

  “Why isn’t Faith going to college? Does she have any idea what she wants to do with her life?”

  Grace looked at him and shook her head. “Nope. She says she’s tired of school. Tired of doing things she doesn’t want to do. She thinks it’s time to have fun. I think it’s an affliction of the next generation because my younger cousin has the same problem.”

  “That’s not good. What interests and hobbies does your sister have? Maybe it’s a question of pointing her in the right direction.” He was grasping at straws, trying to come up with some proverbial words of wisdom.

  “Trust me, I’ve tried to help her find that direction,” Grace said, shaking her head. The tone of her indicated he’d hit a sensitive nerve.

  “I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just that maybe since the last time you two talked, your sister is more ready to listen. Life has a way of changing one’s perspective.” So much for not getting overly personal in their conversation.

  “Spoken from a guy who won’t talk about his sister, and it’s been what, ten or fifteen years, and you’re still not talking.”

  Ouch. Unfortunately, Grace was right. “Twenty-two years to be exact. And, yes, some things don’t need talking about.”

  “Well, hopefully, it doesn’t take my sister twenty-two years to figure her life out.” Her barb was like a sucker punch to the gut.

  “Now that, is something we can agree on,” Ryan said, adding a certain finality to his voice and hoping Grace would take the hint.

  “Tell me about your sister, please. It’s clearly bothering you, and maybe all you need is to just talk about it. Were you two close before you were separated?” Her voice was soft and sweet, compelling him to confide in her.

  Ryan glanced her way and shook his head. Maybe telling Grace would put an end to her interest. The fact he was even considering sharing with her should have been a warning sign of major proportions. But what if she was right, and he’d been holding on too tightly?

  “I told you we were in a foster home. I used to imagine I never heard from her because her family wouldn’t let her get in touch with me. After she would have turned eighteen and I still didn’t hear anything, I finally had to accept she didn’t want to see me. Her silence was by choice. I stopped giving her the power to hurt me and I let go. As far as I’m concerned, I no longer have a sister.” He shrugged, trying to push past the pain talking about the past had brought to the surface. Grace had a way of getting him to break his silence, but there wasn’t anything she could do to fix the issue. The past was broken like a china vase smashed into hundreds of pieces.

  “You may think it stopped hurting you, but your answers say something different. Maybe there’s a reason or information you don’t know, and your wrong. Why not give her a chance to explain? Maybe she’s just as afraid of reaching out to you, as you are to her?”

  Ryan didn’t want Grace to be right. She wasn’t telling him anything he hadn’t thought to himself over the years. “Who said I’m afraid to reach out to her?”

  “Are you?” Grace’s question was direct and to the point, the intensity of her gaze burning into the side of his head.

  “No. I choose not to, there’s a difference.” And he had the choice, his sister had seen to that. Finally.

  “Have you even tried to locate her?” Grace persisted.

  “I don’t need to. I know how to get in touch with Bella,” Ryan said, shrugging his shoulders. Knowing didn’t change a thing.

  Grace reached out and touched his arm. Something she seemed to make a habit of considering this was the third time today. Yes, he was counting.

  “You do?” she asked, her voice low and urgent. “Since when?”

  “Yes. For the past twelve months, I’ve been getting an email forwarded through the foster care agency. Bella’s been trying to find me and wants to talk. I think the time for conversation has long gone. No reason to dredge up the past.” Saying it out loud didn’t sound nearly as convincing as it did in his head.

  “Maybe she regrets what she did and is trying to make amends. Maybe she had no control over the situation. How could you not want to talk to her, even if it’s just for closure? You say it’s in the past, and it’s not bothering you, but clearly, it is. Your actions speak louder than your words.”

  He glanced down at her hand that had a firm grip on his arm, demanding his attention. “When did you get a psychology degree?”

  “I don’t need a degree to see the hurt and the pain in your face. And it doesn’t take an expert to tell someone to face their issues head on. One way or the other, you both deserve closure.”

  “I can’t. It’s a nice thought. But I don’t have a sister, so there’s no one I need to talk to.” Grace didn’t understand the years of longing while he’d waited for Bella. The pain of losing his parents and his sister and being all alone, and never really fitting in. A conversation couldn’t ease the heartache and hurt and loneliness he’d experienced as a young boy. Nothing could. Ryan had spent his life focused on his career, financial stability, and avoiding rel
ationships and family at all cost. It was a matter of self-preservation and something she would never understand.

  “Ryan—”

  “Let it go, Grace.” The sight of her driveway was a welcome one, signaling the end of the conversation. He pulled into the driveway and shut off the car. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do. There’s just so much anger and hurt. It’s not easy to shove it all aside and open the wounds you spent years closing.”

  “Okay. I’m sorry. Would you like to come inside? I can offer you a glass of wine or coffee, and I promise no more personal conversation. It’s been a good day, and maybe it would be nice for you to meet Holly on her own home turf. And you can tell me why you don’t think I should go out with your friend.” Grace grinned, her efforts to ease them past the awkward moment sweet and much appreciated.

  Ryan was tempted. At least he had been until she mentioned the baby. “Thanks for the offer, but it’s probably not a good idea. We’ve got a big day tomorrow at the office, and I’ve got a lot to do in preparation. As for Charles, he’s a lady’s man. Not the settling-down type, and with Holly, not exactly the kind of guy you need in your life. Just my two cents.” He shrugged.

  He hated the look of disappointment on Grace’s face, but it couldn’t be helped. Going in for a glass of wine would be personal of a different kind. He was all too aware of the mutual attraction they felt, but that’s where it had to stop. He was her boss, and it was a line he wouldn’t cross.

  * * *

  Grace had offered Faith her second bedroom when she’d arrived home last night, thinking it might be easier if she stayed at the house during the week. Her sister had declined and left quickly, a date with her friends in town calling her name. Faith hadn’t said much about her day with Holly, other than that there had been no problems. Cut and dried and nothing short of what Grace had expected. There hadn’t been any desperate calls throughout the day for help, and Grace had shown restraint in not checking up on Holly, for no other reason than to prove to Faith she trusted her.