Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
She held the bag just out of reach. “Do you go to school with him?”
“I do.”
“Is that where you met?”
Nodding, I frowned slightly at all the questions. “It was.”
She pursed her lips…and the friendly girl who had helped me earlier was replaced by one who seemed a bit upset by my presence. “We dated, you know.”
Clearing my throat, I shook my head. “No, I didn’t know.”
She let out a humorless laugh. “Of course he wouldn’t bother telling you. He broke up with me.”
“I’m…sorry to hear that.”
Grace shrugged.
Ladd walked up then and smiled at Grace. “Hey, Grace. How’re you doing?”
Her frown instantly turned to a charming smile. “Hi, Ladd. I’m doing good. How about you?”
Was it my imagination, or did she just push her chest out?
“I can’t complain. I see you’ve met Vivianne. Viv, this is Grace Miller.”
“We’ve met,” Grace clapped back as she flicked me a brief dirty look. My brows shot up.
Clearing my throat, I attempted to act casual. “Well, thanks again, Grace. I really appreciate your help.”
She practically rolled her eyes at me when she replied, “It’s my job.”
Once we were outside, Ladd laughed. “What did you do to piss off Grace?”
I stopped and gaped at him. “Are you serious? She was nice as pie to me until she found out I was your girlfriend.”
His brows drew down. “Why would that matter?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you dated her, then dumped her?”
Ladd’s head reared back. “Dated her? I never dated her.”
It was my turn to be confused. “But she said you guys dated and that you broke up.”
Ladd stared at me, clearly stunned. “I never dated her. Not even a double date, where we were both with other people. I knew she liked me in high school, but we never went out.”
I let out a startled laugh. “Oh my gosh, you have a stalker, Ladd Wilde!”
He tilted his head and gave me an exasperated look. “I do not.”
“You do! She literally told me you guys dated and you broke up with her.”
“Maybe in her make-believe world, but it’s not true. I don’t think I even flirted with her.”
“Oh, so you were a flirt with others though, huh?”
Drawing in a deep breath, he exhaled. “Note to self: don’t ever go into Main Street Gifts.”
I giggled and glanced over my shoulder, only to find Grace watching us through the window. I whipped my head back forward and made the same vow.
Ladd seemed to have a pep in his step, so I assumed the meeting with the realtor went well.
He held the door for me as we stepped into a small department store farther down on Main Street. The place was filled with winter clothing, and there was even one section that had a small supply of skiing clothes.
“So, do you want to tell me why you’re so happy?”
He stopped walking and faced me. “I was hoping I could hold it in until we got back to the ranch, but—I can’t.”
I could feel his excitement seeping into me, and I laughed. “Tell me!”
“Viv, it’s happening. The store is happening.”
My heart felt like it jumped in my chest. “You have a place?”
He was so excited, he was practically vibrating. “I have a place and I have a partner. We’re going to open up the store together.”
Trying not to let out a scream of excitement, I grabbed his hand and dragged him back outside. Once we were on the sidewalk, I glanced around. It wasn’t very crowded, most likely because it was Christmas Eve. We walked over to a nearby bench and sat down, and I took his hands in mine.
“Tell me everything!”
He laughed and shook his head. “I can’t even believe it myself. So, there’s a guy who owns the old grain mill down the street at Main and Pine. Remember I told you about the Larsons? His name’s Mitch Larson. They rebuilt the mill in another location so they could expand, and he has the entire original building up for sale.”
I bounced in my seat and let out an excited squeal. “Are you going to buy it?”
He shook his head. “It’s better than that, Viv. Mitch is going to invest as a partner. We’ll do everything fifty-fifty. He’s going to put up the capital to get the building remodeled, and what I’ve saved will go toward buying half the building. Viv, this means once I show him my business plan and get all the finer details worked out, we’ll be starting the whole process. He thinks we could be open by this time next year!”
I let out the scream I’d been holding in as I jumped up. Ladd followed me. I jumped into his arms. “Ladd! This is amazing! Congratulations!”
He spun me around as people walked by, smiling at us.
When my feet finally hit the ground, I tried to catch my breath. “Everything is happening so much faster than you planned!”