Page 49 of One Night Stand After Another
Desire bloomed inside her, beautiful colors that tempted her to ask him more about what kind of stock he wanted, but she couldn’t. Her fear was real. It blocked her throat. Her father’s reliance on art had destroyed their family, and she wasn’t going to waste her business degree working retail, not even in the most beautiful shop she’d ever seen. No matter how much she wished it could, art could never give her the security she needed. Wanting wasn’t enough. She’d learned that before she ever picked up a crochet hook.
Even so, she was tempted to ask him for details. But then she remembered how she’d found her way here, and she’d be damned if she let Zane Brampton blow her off course. “Thank you, I’m flattered, but I can’t. I have a plan. My interview is tomorrow.”
He sighed. “Fiber Kingdom is a juggernaut, that’s for sure. Let me know if your plans change. I’m not getting any younger, and I’ve got a lot of art in this old head of mine. I’d love to get some classes going here. I’m bored.”
Bored? “Everything in your shop is so beautiful it makes my heart hurt.”
“And it doesn’t sell.” Jimmy shrugged. “Fine craftsmanship isn’t what people are buying these days. They want things like your sweater, not that it isn’t fine. It’s lovely. But it didn’t take three years to stitch, like that wedding dress out there. Customers leave empty-handed.”
Slowly, he got to his feet. “Want to give weaving a shot?”
Clara didn’t need to be asked twice. She slid onto the bench, and it felt right. For the first time since she’d scored the interview with Fiber Kingdom, she felt a pang of uncertainty. She brushed it aside, and grasped the shuttle.
“Let her fly, and tell me everything,” Jimmy encouraged.
So she did.
Chapter Sixteen
The location was fucking perfect.
Zane signed on one line after another until it was finally his. Theirs. The most exciting stop on their cross-country yarn adventure. He couldn’t wait to show it to her.
Clara hadn’t looked thrilled when he’d outed her blog to Jimmy Banan, but she’d forgive him after she saw this space. She needed creativity to be a bigger part of her life. She’d thanked him—twice—for taking her on this journey. She could not go back to crunching numbers, not even for the Fiber King. It wasn’t enough.
He texted Roman.
Zane:Can I get a reservation for two at seven tonight?
He hoped they’d be celebrating.
Roman:You bet.
Zane sent a thumbs-up emoji.
He was all-in on opening a business that would light Clara up the way each of the places they’d visited had. All that remained was forherto go all-in, too.
He explored the area on foot while waiting for Clara to text him, already working on a menu as he checked out the restaurants he passed. What did beachfront knitters and crocheters like to eat?Not finger food, he guessed.
His travel schedule was going to be brutal, but he felt energized by the prospect. He’d kept in touch with his restaurants daily. Business had not suffered in his absence, but the lack of problems to solve was killing him. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on a new property and work out the kinks.
It was well past lunch when Clara finally texted him.
Traffic was light, and he made it to her in record time. She was waiting on the street when he put on his blinker and pulled over, and she plugged her phone into the GPS as soon as she got into the car. The mapping program announced the address of a hotel very close to the new site. “Take me here, please.”
He carefully side-eyed her. Her lips were tight, her arms were crossed, and she stared straight out the windshield. Horns howled at him to move forward.
“How did it go with Jimmy Banan?” he asked, testing the water, as he reentered the stream of traffic.
“Great.”
A one-word answer.Uh-oh.He was definitely in trouble. Might as well meet it head-on.
“I guess I should have told you I’d found your blog.” He’d enjoyed having a peek inside her head, but now it felt more like snooping. “I’m sorry, Clara.”
“Are you? You seemed to enjoy blindsiding me. How did you find my blog, anyway?”
“I followed a link from the review you left for The Glen Inn. Clara, Jimmy Banan loved your work. I knew he would.”
