Embraceable You (Irish Hearts Series)

by Mary Tate Engels

  Harry leaned against her leg and purred. When Siena reached down to pet him, tears fell onto the cat’s sleek back. He jumped away from the unwanted moisture. Sally sat in the corner, quietly watching. That damned cat was a hard sell, like so many in this town, including the mayor.

  The ringing phone broke into her upside down world. Dana’s voice was exuberant.

  "Bon jour, ma chérie!"

  "Dana. Where? Oh, must be New Orleans."

  "N'owlins, ma jolie."

  "Ah, I hear you're learning French." Siena tried to include some enthusiasm in her voice. Traveling cross-country was, after all, part of Dana’s dream.

  "Just a few important words, ma belle. This place is fabulous!" Dana’s voice rang with happiness. "Best food. Most fun people. Like stepping into another country. And the best part – "

  Siena took a sip of her wine and listened as Dana chatted.

  "I was able to share all this with Chaz and Aunt Addie. I only wish you could be here, too. You would love it!"

  "I'm sure." Siena hiccupped, imagining that urn with Aunt Addie's ashes in New Orleans. "Glad you're all enjoying it."

  "Aunt Addie's spirit is here with us, chérie. She always wanted to travel far and wide."

  "Better late than never, I guess." Siena muffled a groan. She wanted to cry out loud, to lie down in bed and beat the pillows and scream about the unfairness of life. Undoubtedly she had absolutely the weirdest mother in the world. And by her own brazen, bizarre actions, she’d lost the man of her dreams. She was as weird as her own mother.

  "How was your grand opening, honey? Did you get my, uh - "

  "Yes, thanks for the cactus. It’s quite unique, for a shop in Maine. Got a lot of attention. The opening was wild. Chaotic. Cars lined up for a mile in both directions and even a few fender benders." Very successful, sales-wise.

  "Just what I was hoping! Congratulations honey, I knew you’d make it big someday. We checked out your website and just absolutely love it. LOVE it! Love that lace! It's so beautiful and sexy."

  "I don’t know if you could say I’ve made it in a town the size of Haven't Point. I’m afraid things are about to take a turn south. And maybe me along with it."

  "Why? What’s wrong?"

  It was the timing, or maybe the wine. But Siena opened up and spilled everything to her mother. That's what mothers were for, right?

  "Oh Dana, just because the opening was successful doesn’t mean that the Town Council will accept me and my shop. And then there’s Zach. Who knows what he’s thinking? The Town Council meeting’s Monday night to decide whether to license the shop and . . . I don’t know what’s going to happen. If they don’t approve The Amazing Lace Lingerie Salon, I’m out of here. I just can’t hang around where I’m not wanted. I won’t go back to selling lighthouses and lobsters. I’ll just close the shop and sell out. And Zach and I are over."

  Dana was quiet for a moment. "Now you listen to me, ma chérie. I don't often give advice, mainly because I'm still learning about life. But I believe that you must not give your negative thoughts a voice, Siena. You are special and smart. And you know a lot more about marketing than anybody in that whole town. Even the mayor. Remember, it's the grit in the oyster that makes the pearl. And you get out there and make a pearl out of your business, and your life. You can do it."

  "Dana, you really don’t understand all I'm going through. But thanks for the pep talk."

  "I understand more than you think, honey. I know that you get what you really want, and sometimes what you really need. You just put those positive thoughts into words and your needs will come to you. Think of the lowly cactus and self-preservation."

  Siena was tired of all that positive crap from Dana. "Did it work for you? Did you get your happiness by just wishing for it?"

  "I am very happy right now. It’s all good."

  "I’m glad one of us is."

  "Siena, don’t you worry about a thing. I’m going to be thinking positively that the council and Zach will see the value in keeping you and your shop around. But if not, then it wasn’t meant for you to stay in Haven's Point. And you will be happier somewhere else."

  "You put in those positive thoughts, Dana. Maybe they'll work some kind of magic while everyone's asleep."

  "Actually honey, you don't need Haven's Point. You're shop is already virtual. You don't need a brick and mortar shop anywhere. Look at me and my traveling blog."

  "Thanks … mom… "

  "And I love you, honey."

  Siena hung up with tears in her eyes. What Dana didn’t understand was that she owed money on the shop's renovation. It wasn’t as easy as walking away. What the hell was she going to do about that debt to Claire? And all the people who depended on her? Yes, she probably could sell the products online, but… leaving everyone at Haven's Point would be an awful way to go. And Dana didn't understand that she… loved Zach all over again.

  She fingered her wine glass. She definitely was not ready to give it all up. She had come too far to back down now. Monday night she’d take her strongest case to the Town Council, with or without Zach’s support.

  She wiped her tears and took another sip of wine. She would not let a man – or a town full of men - tear her to pieces. Nor would she let this Town Council destroy her business, her livelihood. Her Amazing Lace team.

  For some reason – who knew why cats did anything – Sally chose this moment to come over and wind around her leg. Siena reached down and palmed her thick fur. "I guess this means I finally fit into your world. I’ve made finally made it . . . just when I might be losing everything. Including you."

  Sally responded with a soft me-ow.

  "Oh don't worry. If I leave this place, I'll take you and Harry with me. You're part of my life, now."

  Claire's tiger

  I'm afraid we're up to our arse in trouble. We've stepped over the line. All of us. We've created something, along with Siena, that has backfired in the worse way. We have a tiger by the tail and can't let go. But honestly, I don't want to let go. I want to hang on forever! This has been the most fun I've ever had. And the most satisfying.

  I don't know if anything can be salvaged here. Worse of all, I don't know if poor Siena can keep her new shop. She is trying to be strong, and we all are. I'm sure she would just like to walk away from this crazy place. And I can't blame her. But she's not the walking away type. She's got inner power, that girl has.

  It's quite astounding to think that we have customers all over the world. The Amazing Lace Lingerie Salon already has thousands of customers who have ordered our magical, Amazing Lace, thanks to Zoey and George and … well, we're all to blame. Or to thank. We all touted this amazing lace as having special powers, granting your heart's desire and all that. But we never dreamed so many would believe it! And buy it.

  All we can do is stand behind Siena and support her. And that we'll do. But still, I'm afraid all our efforts are lost – WE are lost! Can the amazing lace help us now?

  I just have to think about this. What can we do to turn this mess around? Maybe Zoey has some thoughts on the matter. Or better yet, George. He's the one with bright ideas for fighting aliens from the sea. Well, we've got ourselves a Moby Dick.

  Maybe I'll pay Mr. George Rowan, famous horror fiction writer, a visit. Maybe I'll take him a batch of Addie's jalapeño chocolate chip cookies. Maybe I'll give him a Heart's Desire pillow and maybe some little bit of magic will happen.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  On Monday night, Siena walked into the Town Council meeting prepared for a showdown. She was ready with Aunt Addie's old ledger, a printout of recent sales, and the mammo-van petition signatures.

  She expected a small group of men around a mahogany table, like before, eager to debate her fate. She thought the first few rows might have a few scattered, curious citizens. She didn’t expect a large auditorium with every seat filled to capacity.

  Siena spotted Claire who motioned her over. "What about this crowd? My dear, you brought ou
t the whole town." She gave Siena a quick hug.

  "This is strange," Siena said. "Last time, I met with the men in charge, it was just me and them. Looks like everybody in town is here tonight."

  Claire's eyes glowed. "This is remarkable, to have so many people attend. As you know, they usually have their council meetings at nine in the morning when it's more difficult for the general public to attend."

  "Oh yes, I know all about that." Siena rolled her eyes.

  "But extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures. I have a good feeling, Siena, that this is all going to work out fine. They're all here for you." Claire gave her a knowing look and squeezed her hand. "Incidentally, I love my new bra, dear. It’s so comfy. Did you say it takes years off anyone who wears it?" She pulled herself up and stuck out her chest.

  Siena released a nervous giggle. "You are one of the youngest here."

  "Oh, young at heart, maybe."

  "You're the best way. Thanks for everything, Claire." She felt that at least Claire would be her friend and stand behind her through this. To the bitter end.

  Zach stood at the podium and spoke into the microphone. "The special meeting of the Haven’s Point Town Council will come to order."

  Siena thought Zach was showing the strain of the events, and she felt badly for him. His hair was rumpled and reminded her of his youthful, spiky hairstyle. A worried frown creased his brow. He avoided eye contact with her.

  She watched him closely, heart in her throat. What had gone so very wrong with them? Siena felt as if she were in a movie with the action swirling around her, pulling her along, completely out of control. Maybe he was right. She was a train wreck, hopelessly lost, heading nowhere fast.

  Walter Fairchild sat on the front row that was lined with his cronies, the ‘town fathers,’ as Zach had called them. They held the town’s purse strings and squeezed them tightly, doling out money when the opportunity pleased them. Siena thought it was high time for a change in the 'old boy' system, but nobody else, including Zach, was willing to challenge that system.

  With astounding agility for a man of his age, Walt bounded out of his seat. At the podium, he raised a fist as he spoke. "Everybody knows why we’re here tonight. I don’t see that we need to delay this and waste any more time on the matter. I make a motion that we close that smut-shop, Amazing Lace Lingerie -whatever."

  A little gasp ruffled through the crowd. Siena was mortified. Smut-shop?

  Zach held up both hands to quiet the crowd. "Please have a seat, Walt. We haven’t even discussed the matter. We have to give Siena uh, Ms. Summerfield an opportunity to state her case. Then we'll discuss it."

  "Do you know what those women were wearing Saturday? Almost nothing, that’s what!"

  A young female voice came from the rear of the room. "Awww, Granpa Walt, I was one of those women in the style show and I was wearing plenty." All eyes turned to see Monique standing and responding to her grandfather. "Besides, how would you know if you weren't looky-looking?"

  "You’re out of line, young lady." Granpa Walt was not amused with his beautiful granddaughter. He pointed a finger at his son, Rich. "Control your daughter. Teach her some manners."

  At which point everyone laughed.

  "I was there, too, Walt." The crowd leaned forward as Claire stood up to the elder Fairchild. "Yes, I modeled a lovely lacy bra. And I can assure you I was covered adequately. Enough, at least, for the female customers who were in the room. But what about all those men who tried to peek in the door? Were you standing out there on the corner, looking in?"

  The crowd murmured a laugh.

  A male voice chimed in from the end of the row. "Enough discussion. I second – "

  Zach interrupted. "Now wait a minute, gentlemen. And ladies. Thank you for your input. We need some additional discussion on this matter. Specifically what’s wrong with the shop? What laws does it violate? And we need to hear from the shop’s owner. She has a unique and somewhat different perspective. And a vested interest in the shop."

  "I’ll bet she does!" Someone yelled, and everyone laughed.

  "I am talking about a business perspective," Zach responded, not amused.

  As Siena watched the proceedings, she couldn’t decide if Zach was the good guy, trying to protect her from the raging crowd. Or was he the villain, steering the crowd toward its inevitable conclusion? Besides, even if he wanted to help her, what could he possibly do if they decided against her? It was the democratic way.

  Someone shouted, "It’s a moral outrage to put the female body on display as this young woman has done. And to create such havoc in our streets."

  Claire stood again and shook her finger at the speaker. "My body wasn’t on display. But my bra was." She paused and continued with both fists on her hips, puffing out her recently uplifted chest. "Do you dare to say that our God-given human bodies are moral outrages? I always considered mine a temple."

  A snicker rippled through the crowd.

  "Thanks, Claire," Zach said. "But we aren’t going there. We’re here to see if Siena Summerfield’s new and improved shop, Amazing Lace Lingerie Salon is good for the business community of Haven’s Point. And if she deserves a business license to continue."

  "Business? This is about more than business," Walt’s son, Rich chimed in.

  Siena watched Zach dealing with the powers-that-be in town. She realized that he had a fine line to walk here. These folks were his bosses. He was their public servant. They had agreed on a reasonable plan for success, long before she arrived. On the other hand, he had to accommodate his constituents, the citizens of Haven's Point. And where did she fit into his scheme of things? How could he possibly be expected to support her when the whole town was opposed?

  "I’ve reviewed the city ordinances," Zach said, "And there’s nothing specifically against a lingerie business."

  "Nothing against naked bodies marching around, showing more than they should?" Walt sputtered from his front row seat. "She fueled the fire, you know, by having that display of . . . lace and . . . everything."

  "We’ll have to draft a new law to that effect if that’s the route you want to go," Zach confirmed. "If that’s what you’re thinking, then it will impact other businesses, too, like the Buff Body Shoppe. Many of them don’t wear a full suit of clothes fit for the streets."

  "Well, what are we waiting for? It’s high time we did something to protect the moral base of this town."

  Someone shouted from the far side of the room. "No! It’s taken years to get a gym for us. We don’t want it closed. And we don't want some stupid ruling about clothes because of someone else’s problems with the human body!"

  Zach called for a report from the Chamber of Commerce. "Jones, are you the spokesman for tonight? How’s business in general?"

  "Until yesterday, status quo. Marginal line profits." Jones read some numbers from a handful of papers. "But as a result of advertisements and the attraction of the shop in question’s Grand Opening Modeling Show," he bowed to Siena with a sly grin, "many other businesses claim they had an upswing in sales Saturday. I think she also has a website and… Facebook page. That helped draw attention, too."

  "Facebook?" Rich Fairchild stood. "We're turning our businesses over to social media? How much of an upswing did we have? I'm sure it’s impossible to know so soon. And what's on the website? Bras?"

  "Bottom line is, we all, uh, Haven's Point made more money all the way around, sir."

  Siena came here tonight knowing she could either give up easily or die fighting. For her, there was no choice. Some things were just worth the fight. And this was one of them. Zach motioned for her to join him at the podium.

  She squared her shoulders and stepped to the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to have a say in this. My business meets an unfilled market niche in Haven’s Point. Just because I’m not selling fishing tackle or lobster pots doesn’t mean that my products aren’t necessary and good for the community. Bras have an ancient history in the
clothing and well being of women. In case you haven’t noticed, bras are here to stay. These lacy garments we provide are the most beautiful and the best comfort we can provide."

  "We don’t want your underwear on display!" a man shouted.

  "I’m not selling underwear." Siena smiled sweetly. "Our lingerie is a product that all women use. Better yet, we provide a market for the antique lace made right here in Haven’s Point. Our orders enable a dying clothing mill in South Carolina that otherwise might be closed to stay in business. They’re taking my designs and our locally made lace and producing a product. That’s really cool, don’t you think?"

  "Yes! Bravo!" Claire shouted and started the applause that spread throughout the crowd.

  "Comments? Questions?" Zach pointing to someone in the sea of waving hands.

  "Can’t you figure out another way to make money with that little shop?"

  "We did considerable market research. This is a niche that is unique around here, and commonly found in larger cities. Since this is a free country, Amazing Lace Lingerie Salon is my choice of businesses," Siena said stubbornly. "Isn’t choice a traditional freedom in this country? And in this town?"

  "What’s wrong with lighthouses? They’re our coastal symbol. And lobsters are our staple," another man said.

  Siena answered confidently. "There’s no market competition for an item when everyone in town sells it. I can prove," Siena opened the ledger, "that my Aunt Addie has not shown a profit in more than four years selling miniature lighthouses. I don’t know how she stayed in business this long. Saturday’s sales exceed last year’s income, in just one day. Now, is it fair to force someone to keep selling lobsters and lighthouses when there’s greater potential to sell something else? Something people want. And need."

  "So you want to throw out everything that’s made us what we are today? What about our traditions?"

  "Not at all," Siena said. "For instance, I want to bring back the mermaids. Maybe they will enhance our town and bring it good luck. You’ll see if you just give them a chance."