Page 82 of The One You Want

“Um, probably about fifty.” I couldn’t help feeling a little uncertain as I said it, which was dumb. None of my market customers had a problem with my prices. In fact, lots of people had been trying to convince me to raise them for a whilenow.

“Really?” Tessa asked, sounding surprised, and I bit back the automatic urge to lowball the price. But then she said, “I would have thought way more than that,” and I grinned. She reached for her purse. “Do you takechecks?”

“I can’t sell you that,” I told her, laughing. “This is stock for the nextmarket.”

She pouted. “Can I order one like it? I’m obsessed with thiscolor.”

“Ooh, yes, Jenny, do you take orders?” Iris asked, holding up a dried flower pendant. “My grandmother would lovethis.”

A giddy little laugh rose up in my chest. They liked my stuff. And not in a friends-trying-to-be-polite way, either. They were genuinelyimpressed.

“Okay, I have to say,” Libby said, picking up a box full of resin pendants. “I was a little skeptical when you said you wanted to make this a business.” She shot me an apologetic look. “Just because I know how difficult it is to make a living as an artist.” She held up the box of pendants. “But Jenny, these are good. Reallygood.”

“You think?” I asked, warmth spreading throughme.

“I do,” she said, voice firm and completely serious. “I would absolutely sell these at mystore.”

“Really?” I squeakedout.

“Really. And I’m sure I’m not the only one. In fact, I know a few shop owners on the mainland who would be happy to have these pieces. I can give you somenames”

“Wow. That would beawesome.”

Jill had pulled out a compact mirror, twisting her head around to try and see the pearl inlaid comb she’d arranged in her hair. “Do you have any experience teaching?” sheasked.

I shot a wide-eyed look at Margaret, who laughed. “Uh, no,” I toldJill.

“The community college runs a continuing education program,” she said, still playing around with the comb. “They do a bunch of enrichment programs for the community—cooking and computer skills, stuff like that. I bet they’d love to run a jewelry makingclass.”

“Are youserious?”

“Absolutely. I know the guy who runs the program, I’ll tell him aboutyou.”

Cora grinned, nudging Jill’s arm. “When you say youknowhim, you mean in the biblical sense,right?”

Jill smirked. “Duh.” Then she turned to me and her face grew serious. “I really think they’d hire you for this, Jenny. And that could provide some income while you set up your business,right?”

I thought about what Grant had said, about having different revenue streams. “Definitely,” I told her. It was a little scary to think about talking to a stranger about my work, but I finally felt like I was ready to be a little brave when it came to this stuff. “Please give him mynumber.”

“You should talk to my mom, too,” Iris cut in. “I’m sure she’d have a bunch of tips for you on commissions and selling on Etsy and stuff like that.” Jasmine Holder, Iris’s mother had been making a living as an artist here on Lilac Bay for the past fifteen or so years. “I can set up a lunch or drinks or whatever for you if youwant.”

“Wow,” I murmured. “That would be…wow. Thanks,Iris.”

“Who do we know who knows web design?” Libby asked Margaret. “She’ll definitely need a strong onlinepresence.”

As the two of them brainstormed ideas for a website, I looked around at the Libbies, all crowded into my craft room and the hallway. They were still passing around my jewelry, buzzing to each other about the pieces, so many of them offering to help me, and a lump filled mythroat.

“You guys…thank you,” I murmured. “This is…” I trailed off, unable to find the words to express what it meant to me, to have their support and encouragement like this. “Thank you,” I finallymanaged.

Margaret slipped an arm around my shoulders. “It’s like I told you that first night,” she said. “There’s strength in sisterhood. If you want to do this, we’re here tohelp.”

“So long as you put us at the top of your list for new orders,” Tessa said. “Because I wasn’t joking about wanting one of thesebracelets.”

A few of them insisted I write down their orders right there, and then Libby called out that we’d left her tasting room a mess and she sure as hell wasn’t going to clean it up herself, so we all better get back over there before it got too much later. As the group shuffled out of my apartment, Libby stopped by the doorway to look back over the emptying room. “You should invite friends over more often,” she said, winking at me. “Your place looks good with some life init.”

I locked up and followed the chattering women back downstairs, finding Riley hanging back to wait for me out on the stoop. She was chewing on her lip, a sure sign that something was bothering her but she didn’t seem inclined to talk as we made our way back across the green, the sounds of the Libbies’ loud laughter and Sherry’s off key singing echoing around the desertedsquare.

“Jenny,” Riley finally blurted when we got back to the shop, grabbing my arm before I could follow the others inside. “I feel like I owe you anapology.”