“But would there really be that much demand for wedding dresses in a small town? I wouldn’t know where to begin.”
“I’ll be your first customer. Cam has been bugging me to set a date. Well, okay, next September after baseball season is over. I want to get married here at Wine and Diner, I think. There’s a beautiful courtyard and gazebo. Cam and I met here, so it would be perfect. Granted, Cricket Creek is small, but we’re within a few hours of Nashville, Tennessee; Lexington, Kentucky; and Cincinnati, Ohio. And those are just a few of the urban areas close enough to drive from. Weddings are big business these days. That’s why Dad and Nicolina thought of Wedding Row. But you can think small and then grow. Hey, I rhymed.”
Addison chuckled. “You are very persuasive. You know that? I bet you’re good at your job.”
“Well, I used to plan lots of charity balls back in Chicago. I had more skills than I gave myself credit for. . . . Wait. . . .” Mia paused and then gasped. “You could plan weddings too!”
“Well, I do have experience in planning a wedding,” Addison said with dark humor. “Make that plural.” She held up two fingers.
“I could help in the baseball off-season. Actually, with Cam gone so much I could find time to help you even now. We could have the boutique stocked and ready to open inside a month, maybe sooner. Dad wants to add a hotel and convention center down by the stadium, so that could eventually bring in out-of-town guests. The marina is going to expand too. This little town is continuing to grow by leaps and bounds. I even heard that they are expanding Whisper’s Edge, the retirement community down by the riverfront. The owner, Tristan McMillan, teamed up with his mother, who just moved here and opened up a real estate office on the corner of Wedding Row, and it’s doing well. As a matter of fact, Maggie McMillan is in charge of leasing the remaining space left in Wedding Row, so we’ll get the key from her later. See? No one wants to leave Cricket Creek once they come here,” Mia said before happily sliding a spoonful of soup into her mouth.
“Oh, Mia, I don’t know. I mean, I don’t have a place to live. . . .”
“Well, there are a couple of choices. You could lease a condo high-rise where I live. Dad checked and there is one available. But there are really cool lofts above the shops in Wedding Row. Nicolina used to live above her jewelry shop before she and Dad built their own house. She still uses it as an office. Maggie McMillan lives above her real estate agency as well. The lofts have a big open floor plan and view of the river, hardwood flooring, exposed brick walls, and beamed ceilings. The appliances are stainless steel and the countertops are granite.”
“Your dad always did do things top-notch.”
“They’re pretty sweet.”
Addison thought of having her own place, her own business. No cameras following her around. “Mia, my head is spinning.”
“So you’re giving it some thought?”
“Yes,” Addison said and Mia’s face lit up. “I’ll take a look.”
“Shut the front door!”
Addison tossed her head back and laughed. “Of course, I’d like to see the loft too.”
“Yes!” Mia smacked her hands down on the table so hard that the ice jingled in the glasses. “This is awesome!”
“I know I’m just looking, but even so, I’ve never done something this spontaneous. I feel as if I’m jumping without a net. My heart is pounding so hard right now!”
“Doesn’t it feel great?” With another laugh Mia stood up and danced in a circle with her nose up in the air.
“What in the world are you doing?”
“The Snoopy happy dance! Come on, get up and do it with me!”
“Mia! We’re in public!” Addison reminded her cousin with a laugh.
“Oh, believe me, I’ve created much more commotion in this restaurant than a mere dance.”
Sunny came over to check on them. “Hey, I know the chicken salad is good, but dang, girl.”
“No, I just found out that my sweet cousin Addison is going to move here.”
“Potentially,” Addison reminded her.
“Oh, you will,” Mia said firmly.
Sunny sat the pitcher of tea down on the table. “Well, now, Mia. That does call for celebration,” Sunny said, and started doing the dance with Mia. Sunny added finger-poking moves toward the ceiling. “Join us, Addison!”
“You guys are seriously crazy.” Addison looked around, but no one seemed to act as if dancing in a diner was out of the ordinary. With a grin she slid from the booth and started doing the happy dance with them.
“What are y’all drinkin’?” asked an elderly woman a couple of booths over. “Sunny, I’ll have whatever they’re havin’.”
“Just tea, Violet,” Mia answered with a laugh. “We’re just high on life.”
“You go, girl,” Violet answered, and raised her water glass.
Laughing, they sat down and Sunny refilled their glasses.
“That’s Violet, who owns Violet’s Vintage Clothing down the street,” Mia explained. “A totally sweet lady. I shop there all the time and she helps me run Heels for Meals, a charity we started for needy people in the area. Sunny, our waitress, helps out too, along with a few other ladies in town. I’ll have you on board too.”
“Wow,” Addison said, “it sure seems like you’re living a nice, fulfilling life here in Cricket Creek. I have to tell you I’m surprised that you and Uncle Mitch ended up in a small town in Kentucky. I remember being in awe of that huge house you used to live in.”
“I know.” Mia grinned. “Last week I never could have guessed that you’d be sitting across from me at Wine and Diner. Life is full of surprises, so get ready, girlfriend.” She did a little snap of her fingers and a head bop, making Addison laugh.
“Yeah, I guess Dad was right. I needed a change of atmosphere.”
Mia raised her glass. “Here’s to fresh starts.”
Addison touched her glass to Mia’s. “Well.” Addison grinned back at her cousin. “And there is one other perk of running a bridal boutique.”
“And what’s that?”
“I’ve sworn off men and marriage. Any guy coming into the shop will be someone’s fiancé.” She held up her left hand. “That should keep a ring off my finger.”
“Maybe in the shop.” Mia crumbled some crackers into her soup. “But I wouldn’t be so sure. There are a lot of cute guys here in Cricket Creek. Not only baseball players, and, oh, those country boys in their Wrangler jeans can be pretty darned sexy. . . .” She paused and raised her eyebrows.
“What?” Addison thought about her image of potbellies in overalls.
Mia nodded toward the front door. “Don’t look now, but one just walked in. Hmm, haven’t seen him around here before.”
“Mia . . .” Addison warned in a low voice. “I’ve sworn off men. Remember?”
“He might just change your mind. Don’t be obvious, but look!”
“No way. I’m not looking.”
“Oh yeah. He’s heading to the stools at the counter, close enough so you can see him. Check him out,” Mia urged in a stage whisper. “Yeah, baby . . .”
“I’m not interested,” Addison insisted. She scooped up a bit of soup but turned her head to look nonetheless. The spoon paused halfway to her mouth. Oh my . . .
He was tall with brown hair kissed by the sun and just shy of needing a trim. A white cotton T-shirt tucked into jeans showcased his broad shoulders and bulging biceps. He walked slowly while looking down at his phone, and Addison wanted to but just couldn’t look away. Sexy stubble shadowed a firm jaw and when he licked his bottom lip while reading, Addison felt as if she needed to fan her face. Both Aiden and Garret were handsome men, but this guy had a rugged edge instead of glossy perfection and damn if she didn’t find it sexy as hell.