That was something else she was going to have to do – find a gym that offered Zumba in Atlanta.
By the time she got home later, she was exhausted. She’d stopped at the supermarket and picked up some groceries so she could make herself something to eat, and while she chopped up vegetables for her salad, she called Spencer again.
Voicemail.
“He works too damn hard,” she murmured, adding slices of grilled chicken to her salad. With nothing left to do, Penny opted to eat her salad while watching TV. Hopefully by the time she was done, Spencer would be done working and she’d at least get to talk to him one more time before going to sleep.
There wasn’t much on that she wanted to watch and she ended up settling on reruns of one of her favorite sitcoms. It was mindless TV and as she ate and half-watched the show, she looked around her living room and began to figure out how she was going to start packing everything up, what she was going to take with her to Atlanta and what she was going to get rid of. Spencer’s place was really…unappealing. Not that she’d say that to him. It was just a little too modern and…bare. Not her style at all. But since she was moving in there, she needed to bring things that would work with what he had.
And that wasn’t much.
Hopefully it wouldn’t be long before she could bring up the topic of moving to a place they both chose.
Maybe.
His job was in downtown Atlanta and so was his condo. The commute was short and she wondered if he would be open to moving outside the city and into a place that wasn’t so…urban. Maybe they could even find a house of their own with a yard. That had her thinking about some of the neighborhoods around Raleigh in which she always envisioned herself living. Her condo was in North Raleigh and it wasn’t nearly as built up as all of the areas she’d seen near Atlanta. They were going to have to talk about that and figure out an eventual compromise.
Add that to the list…
It was a little after nine when her phone rang and she smiled when she saw his picture on the screen.
“Hey, you,” she said. “I was getting worried.”
“How come?”
“My calls kept going to voicemail. Then I felt bad because clearly I kept you from a lot of work this weekend if it meant you were on the phone so much as soon as I left.”
He laughed softly. “It wasn’t so bad. It was a call that I knew I would have to take and I thought I’d be done sooner but…”
“It’s okay,” she said, relaxing on the sofa and enjoying the sound of his voice. “Is it wrong that I miss you already?”
“Not at all. I miss you too. How was your flight?”
They talked for an hour and by that time, Penny was exhausted and ready for bed. She kept her phone with her and put it on speaker as she got undressed and went through her whole routine. It was silly but…it was comforting to listen to Spencer talk to her as she did it. When she slid under the blankets, she took the phone off of speaker and kept it close to her ear as she got ready to wish him a good night.
“What’s your day like tomorrow?” he asked softly, soothingly.
“I’m working until six and then I might go to Zumba again. I’m not sure.”
“Again, huh? That’s a lot of Zumba-ing,” he said and then laughed. “Is that how you would describe it?”
She was laughing with him as she said, “You know, I don’t know if I’ve ever heard it put quite that way, but sure. Why not?”
“It’s still a lot, Penny.”
“I’ve got nothing else to do after work. Coming home here alone is just…weird now. It never bothered me before we started dating but now when I come home and it’s all quiet, it’s a little unnerving. So I figured I’d find something to pass the time.” She yawned. “Although I should start packing. I know this place isn’t very big, but I’ve utilized every square inch. No doubt it will take a lot of time to start sorting through everything.”
He made a non-committal sound.
“I kind of dread going through some of the boxes that I have in storage,” she went on. “Some of those things I put in storage to avoid dealing with them after I moved out of my parents’ house. Eventually they’re going to have to be dealt with.” Another yawn. “Either way, I guess that’s something to do to pass the time.”
“You could go out with a friend or visit your family,” he suggested. “You’re already on your feet for over eight hours a day so you don’t need to add a workout or packing to that.”
It was sweet of him to be concerned, but unnecessary, which is what she told him.
“I just worry about you, that’s all,” he said, his voice getting even softer and it had her relaxing even more and snuggling down under her blankets. “Get some sleep and I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Call me when you get home, okay?”
“Mmm-hmm…”
“Love you, beautiful girl.”
“Mmm…love you too.”
Tuesday was a little more chaotic than usual and Penny ended up splitting her time between the bridal shop and the tuxedo shop. At this rate, she’d be as at ease with groomsmen as she was with the bride and bridal parties. After spending two hours assisting Martin with a large party of groomsmen, she walked back into the bridal shop and went straight to Hailey’s office.
“Okay, I need a minute,” she said with a huff as she walked in.
And immediately came up short when she noticed all four of her bosses – and Mrs. J – sitting there.
“Oh…sorry. I didn’t realize you were having a meeting,” she said nervously as she took a few steps back towards the door.
“No, it’s okay, Penny,” Hailey said with a smile. “We were actually waiting for you.”
That was…odd. “Um…is everything all right? Was I gone too long? Because really, Martin needs someone to teach him about scheduling and staffing because I don’t think he gets that this isn’t a one-man operation. Or that I don’t work for him.”
“We’re working on that,” Angie said. “We’re going to be finding him additional staff and bringing in someone to assist him with a refresher course on small business management. Hopefully this will be the last time you – or any of us – have to run down and help him.”
“Oh…well…that’s good. Great,” she said and felt like everyone was still just staring at her. “So…you wanted to see me?”
“We did,” Hailey said. “Why don’t you have a seat?”
Looking over her shoulder towards the sales floor, she was just about to ask who was watching it when Mrs. J spoke.
“Melanie is out there holding down the fort, so to speak, and we don’t have any appointments from now until closing. If anyone comes in, she knows to come and get one of us.”
Glancing down at her watch, she saw it was only a little after four and they were going to be open until six so…it was clear they were going to keep her back here for a while. When she finally took her seat, she let out a slow breath and tried to calm her nervous heartbeat.
“First of all, breathe,” Hailey said with a sympathetic smile. “You look like you’re about to have a panic attack.”
“I think I am,” she admitted. “I had no idea you were calling a meeting today.”
Mrs. James reached over and patted her knee. “It was a spur of the moment decision.”
That did nothing to calm her anxiety. Were they gathering here to try to talk to her about when she was leaving? About transitioning her out so they could train somebody new? Oh, God…she wasn’t ready for that! She knew she needed to be, but now that it was happening it made her heart hurt. These women were her friends and she’d been with them for almost two years! That was a long time and…and the thought of not seeing them every day was almost like how it felt knowing she wouldn’t be seeing her family every week or…or…
And now she was having a panic attack.
“Oh Lord, do we have a paper bag around she can breathe into?” Angie asked as she stood up.
“No…it’s okay,” Penny said, hand over her h
eart, as she took a steadying breath and forced herself to calm down. “I’m fine. Sorry.”
It took a minute before it looked like anyone believed her, but Angie sat back down and offered her a cup of tea and motioned to the tray of cookies and muffins.
Becca smiled. “You should try the chocolate chip banana muffins. They’re addictive.”
“I don’t know,” Angie said, studying the tray of goodies. “Those brownies look pretty decadent.”
“Can someone make me a plate of fruit?” Ella asked, snuggling her son close. “And maybe hand me a bottle of water?”
It took a few minutes for everyone to take what they wanted and get comfortable again. It wasn’t until Penny had taken a sip of her tea and a bite of her muffin that Hailey started to speak.
“We were waiting for you because we have some updates on the complex and wanted your input.”
“Um…my input? Why? You know that I’m…you know…” Ugh. She couldn’t even bring herself to say it because she knew she’d get worked up all over again. “I don’t think I should get to voice anything where this is concerned.”
“Oh, shut up,” Angie said. “You’ve been with us for so long and you know almost as much about what we’re trying to do here as the rest of us. We trust your opinion.”
“It’s true,” Becca said. “Even when you were only modeling in the shows, you had a grasp on what needed to be done and were always helping out and offering suggestions that we ended up using.”
“And you’ve put time in with each of the businesses so really…I think you – almost more than any of us – is entitled to an opinion,” Ella added.
Well damn. That just made her heart squeeze even more.
Don’t cry…don’t cry…don’t cry…
“So…what kind of updates are you looking at?” she asked, forcing herself to at least try and sound like she wasn’t ready to fall apart at the thought of not being here to see any of it.
“You know we built this space with the idea that we were going to expand,” Mrs. James began. “Like a mall, there are several more store spaces that need to be filled. Besides what we have here already – the gowns, the tuxes, the coffee shop, florist and photographer – we just met with a lovely young woman who does wedding and event invitations and party favors.”
Unable to help herself, Penny smiled and thought about how much fun that shop would be to work in. Why couldn’t that place have been here already? It sounded like the kind of place she wouldn’t have minded helping out in. “That sounds wonderful! And she’d be able to do probably so much more, right? Calligraphy, bridal party swag, seating charts and cards, wedding programs…wow. That’s going to be a great addition!”
The five women around her all smiled.
“She came to us with her ideas and we thought it would be a perfect fit,” Hailey said. “But that’s not all…”
O-kay…
“I’ve gotten a lot of inquiries from brides looking for caterers for their showers and parties,” Becca began. “And while I can certainly provide them with some names and even do some small stuff if they only want desserts, but we thought it might be nice to expand my shop to include a café that served sandwiches, salads and that kind of fare and then be able to offer more to people looking for casual catering.”
“Oh, wow! Now that is exciting!” Penny cried. “You’ll have to move your location though, right? I know you have that double space further toward the back – which would mess with your prime spot where you are now – but if people came in and were lured by the yummy smells coming from the café, they’d be more apt to walk through the mall and see everything that we have to offer so…really…it’s a win-win situation.”
More smiles.
“That’s the plan,” Hailey said, “and we’ve met with someone who will handle more of the food and catering part of the business who will partner with Becca – almost like they’re renting the space from her even though they’re sharing it.”
“I’m not a caterer,” Becca added. “I can bake just fine and do the small stuff, but cooking for the masses is too overwhelming.”
“It’s good to know your strengths,” Ella said as she cradled baby Devin in her arms.
“We’ve had a few other inquiries as well,” Mrs. James chimed in. “Not all of them were the right fit – a DJ, a limousine company, tent rentals…” She smiled even as she shook her head. “Those are all under the umbrella of things you would need for a wedding, but there’s no need for them to have a storefront here. We already have them at our bridal fairs where they have tables for people to get information, but they’re not a good fit for what we’re trying to build here.”
Penny nodded.
“As we’ve grown, there’s been a lot of interest from local businesses who want to get in and rent space from us,” Hailey explained, “but we’re trying to be smart about our choices and make sure that everyone here fits with our business plan and ideals.”
“We probably should have done a better job with Martin,” Angie murmured and there was a collective “Amen to that.”
“What are you going to do with the spot Becca’s vacating?” Penny asked. “It would be a shame to leave that space vacant so close to the front entrance. You don’t want people seeing that when they first walk in…” She stopped and gasped – her hand instantly flying up to cover her mouth. “Sorry. That was rude of me. I’m sure you already have a plan.”
Luckily, no one was offended. If anything, they all laughed.
“We thought of that too,” Hailey explained. “Of course, while we are dismantling the café and moving the equipment over, there isn’t a whole lot we can do to hide the construction. We’ll do as much as we can overnight to keep the dust and noise to a minimum.”
“Of course,” Penny agreed.
“There will be barriers in place so clients and potential clients won’t have to look at the construction mess,” Mrs. James said. “Sort of like when you go to an amusement park and they have ten-foot walls blocking off an area so you can’t see what they’re building. We’ll have those up with the Enchanted logo and a promise of more wedding magic coming soon or something to that effect.”
Taking another bite of her muffin, Penny looked at Hailey.
“We have a couple of options for the space, but there’s one that we’re leaning toward,” Hailey went on as she reached behind her desk. “We have the plans all drawn up, but we wanted your input.”
With a shrug, Penny placed her plate and cup down on the coffee table and reached for the poster board Hailey was holding out to her. Once she set it right, she scanned it. It was a mechanical drawing of the space without a lot of obvious ways of telling what the spot was going to be used for.
All of the plumbing was staying in place…there looked like there were going to be some stations for sitting as well as a waiting area…
She looked up at the girls in confusion. “I don’t get it. This doesn’t say what you’re making and some of these details are written in such a small font that I can’t read it.”
“Oh…I must have given you the wrong one,” Hailey said with a small chuckle. “There’s so many things going on, it’s a wonder I can keep track of them all. I feel like such a scatterbrain.”
Which was odd of her to say because Hailey was one of the most meticulously organized people Penny had ever met.
Glancing back at the drawing, she began to see it for what it was…a salon. Someone else was going to come in here and take her spot. Her dream.
Tears instantly began to blur her vision and she did her best to keep her gaze averted as she wiped at her eyes.
Dammit.
Dammit, dammit, dammit!
Without looking up, she took the new poster board from Hailey’s hand. Clearing her throat, she looked at it and it was exactly as she had envisioned her salon being – everything from the placement of the stations to the light fixtures, the color scheme, the…
She looked up at Hailey. “So you’re goi
ng with a salon?” she forced herself to say.
All Hailey did was nod.
“Who’s the occupant going to be? Obviously you’ve met with them if you have the plans here.” That looked suspiciously a lot like the ones she had shared with them. “I mean, you must have someone selected if you already have the plans drawn up.”
And dammit, she hated the tremor in her voice.
Maybe these women weren’t her friends after all because this was just…it was mean. It was one thing to ask her opinion on the other additions to the business, but to make her sit here and talk about someone else having her spot, her business, her dream…that was too much. How could she have misjudged them so badly? And how was she supposed to sit here and calmly have this conversation when all she wanted to do was storm out?
This definitely made leaving a whole lot easier…
“You know we wanted you to have the salon for your glam squad,” Hailey said, seemingly oblivious to Penny’s despair. “And we would have gladly funded it for you.”
She held up a hand to stop her. “I know you did and I appreciate that. This was something I felt very strongly about. I needed it to be mine – something that I owned on my own.”
“We know,” Mrs. James said, “and we respect that.”
“However,” Hailey went on, “you really brought to our attention how much having an on-site salon would improve what we’ve already created here. Besides having someone on staff – so to speak – to help with the fashion shows, it would also be a perk for brides to be able to come in and try on gowns and have someone available to discuss hair and makeup with them so there are no last-minute surprises.”
“Remember Donna Kyle? The bride who ordered the massively – overly – beaded gown and then chose to wear her long hair down?” Angie asked. “Remember how she came in and complained because no one told her how her hair was going to constantly snag on all of the beading?”
Glam Squad & Groomsmen Page 14
