Page 77 of Tempt
I giggled. “I’m going to bed, but I’ll check in on you tomorrow.”
He coughed. “Okay. Goodnight.”
“Night.” I ended the call and touched my phone to my chin.
It was definitely easier to be friends with him when he wasn’t right next to me. And that cold sounded awful.
But I still wished he was here.
* * *
“So how did it go?” Winnie asked. I had her on speaker as I headed north on I-75.
“It was fantastic!” I was bubbling over with excitement. “Her shop is so beautiful, and she’s such a cool person. I loved her.”
“That’s awesome! So did you decide?”
“Pretty much,” I said. “It makes my stomach all jittery to say it out loud, but after talking to her, I’m more convinced than ever that this is what I should do.”
Winnie squealed. “So what next?”
“Several things. I want to reach out to all the designers who are sending dresses and veils for the March show and tell them what I’m doing. Hopefully, they’ll all want to be stocked in my salon.”
“I’m sure they will!”
“I need to look for a space.”
“Frannie said she knows a commercial realtor, remember?”
“She’s my next call.” I took a deep breath. “And then I need to let Aunt Chloe know I’m leaving. Were you serious about taking over for me?”
“Yes, but I’ll need to give notice at Abelard, and I don’t want to do that until we know for sure Chloe would be on board with hiring me. She might have someone else in mind for the job.”
“Are you kidding? She’d never hire someone else if you wanted that position. You’re amazing at what you do, and you’re family.”
“Still, you approach her and let me know. She’s the boss.”
“I’ll talk to her right away,” I promised.
We hung up, and I placed the call to Frannie, who said she would contact the real estate agent right away. But first she wanted to hear all about how the visit to Bellissima Bridal had gone. I told her everything I’d just told Winnie, with even more exuberance.
“Oh Mills, that’s wonderful. I’m so excited for you.”
“Thanks. I really feel this in my bones—it’s the right move for me.”
“I think so too.”
“I’m nervous about talking to Chloe, though,” I admitted.
“Don’t be. Chloe will understand following your passion, believe me. Go see her tomorrow.”
“Gah, that makes me so nervous. You don’t think I should wait until I have some things in place first?”
“I think the sooner you tell her, the better, both for her sakeandyours—this is going to make it feel more real.”
“You’re right. I’m just scared.”
“Of course you are. But you’re brave too. And you’ve got all our support.”
