twice and flipped the wooden antique sign on the window from “Sorry, Try Again Tomorrow,” to “Come On In and Stay Awhile.”
The first couple of hours were a little slow, with only a handful of customers. She sold a few ornaments, a handmade wall mirror, and a pair of earrings. She used the downtime to make a few more pieces of jewelry. Getting her hands on her tools was a huge stress reliever, and the process of making something beautiful never got old.
Around noon the door opened and she gently laid down her soldering iron before turning. Instantly she grinned as Callie from the bakery strolled in. “Hey! I’m so glad you made it down.”
“Me, too! Oh my gosh, it’s gorgeous in here. I want my whole apartment to look like this!” Callie said, her arms wide to encompass the entirety of the shop. Another woman entered behind her. She looked a little older than Callie, and very pretty in an understated yet polished way. She was completely put together and effortless-looking, her blonde hair in a sleek ponytail, her skirt perfectly pressed, her skin flawless. She was the kind of woman you could easily hate, but when she gave Brooke a sincere smile, those thoughts vanished.
“Hi, I’m Anne. I apologize for not coming in sooner. I’ve been meaning to because this is just my kind of shop.” Anne put her hand out to Brooke. Even her voice was soothing and kind, and she reminded Brooke of a mother on a 1950s TV show who could pull out a tray of homemade cookies any second.
“Thank you so much. I take it you live here in Preston?”
“I do. I moved here with my daughter a few years ago.”
“She lives over on Sunset Lane in the cutest little bungalow,” Callie interrupted. “You’d love it. She has the best decorating style.”
Anne shushed Callie with a wave of her hand, embarrassed at the praise, and Brooke instantly envied the easy friendship the two women shared. On the outside they seemed complete opposites: one carefree, loud, and expressive; the other poised, controlled, and classic. But they were obviously close friends, and their personalities appeared to complement each other.
Suddenly Callie’s mouth dropped open and she turned to Anne, her eyes wide. “You should feature Brooke, Anne. She makes this jewelry, you know.” Callie turned to Brooke. “Do you have an online shop? I mean it wouldn’t really do any good unless you were capable of selling online. Gosh, I should have thought of this the other day.”
Brooke was confused, but before she could answer, Anne spoke. “I was actually already thinking the same exact thing. I heard you give classes here. You should do an online tutorial for the site—our readers would love that. We could even put up some photos of the shop for those who are local.”
“I do have an online shop. It’s not super successful, but I have some loyal customers.” And then suddenly all the dots connected in Brooke’s mind. Anne’s face, her style, and the comments Callie just made. Brooke couldn’t believe it. “Wait a minute. Are you the
My Perfect Little Life
Anne? And you’re Callie that posts baking recipes?”
Anne gave her a shy smile. “I am. Sorry. I figured Callie already told you.”
“I totally should have,” Callie said before turning to Brooke. “Do you read the blog?”
“Yeah. I mean, I do when I have time. Honestly, I haven’t done much of anything these past six months unless it involves this business. But about a year ago I read one of your columns in the
Star
. You suggested a cute little shop down in the West Bottoms and now Janie, one of their artists, sells here on commission. I knew you were local somehow but I had no idea it was Preston. Wow. It’s so nice to meet you. Your blog is one of my favorites.”
Anne blushed a little. Her lifestyle blog,
My Perfect Little Life
, was wildly popular. It was only a few years old, but it had become an internet sensation fairly quickly. Brooke knew from reading it when she had
The first couple of hours were a little slow, with only a handful of customers. She sold a few ornaments, a handmade wall mirror, and a pair of earrings. She used the downtime to make a few more pieces of jewelry. Getting her hands on her tools was a huge stress reliever, and the process of making something beautiful never got old.
Around noon the door opened and she gently laid down her soldering iron before turning. Instantly she grinned as Callie from the bakery strolled in. “Hey! I’m so glad you made it down.”
“Me, too! Oh my gosh, it’s gorgeous in here. I want my whole apartment to look like this!” Callie said, her arms wide to encompass the entirety of the shop. Another woman entered behind her. She looked a little older than Callie, and very pretty in an understated yet polished way. She was completely put together and effortless-looking, her blonde hair in a sleek ponytail, her skirt perfectly pressed, her skin flawless. She was the kind of woman you could easily hate, but when she gave Brooke a sincere smile, those thoughts vanished.
“Hi, I’m Anne. I apologize for not coming in sooner. I’ve been meaning to because this is just my kind of shop.” Anne put her hand out to Brooke. Even her voice was soothing and kind, and she reminded Brooke of a mother on a 1950s TV show who could pull out a tray of homemade cookies any second.
“Thank you so much. I take it you live here in Preston?”
“I do. I moved here with my daughter a few years ago.”
“She lives over on Sunset Lane in the cutest little bungalow,” Callie interrupted. “You’d love it. She has the best decorating style.”
Anne shushed Callie with a wave of her hand, embarrassed at the praise, and Brooke instantly envied the easy friendship the two women shared. On the outside they seemed complete opposites: one carefree, loud, and expressive; the other poised, controlled, and classic. But they were obviously close friends, and their personalities appeared to complement each other.
Suddenly Callie’s mouth dropped open and she turned to Anne, her eyes wide. “You should feature Brooke, Anne. She makes this jewelry, you know.” Callie turned to Brooke. “Do you have an online shop? I mean it wouldn’t really do any good unless you were capable of selling online. Gosh, I should have thought of this the other day.”
Brooke was confused, but before she could answer, Anne spoke. “I was actually already thinking the same exact thing. I heard you give classes here. You should do an online tutorial for the site—our readers would love that. We could even put up some photos of the shop for those who are local.”
“I do have an online shop. It’s not super successful, but I have some loyal customers.” And then suddenly all the dots connected in Brooke’s mind. Anne’s face, her style, and the comments Callie just made. Brooke couldn’t believe it. “Wait a minute. Are you the
My Perfect Little Life
Anne? And you’re Callie that posts baking recipes?”
Anne gave her a shy smile. “I am. Sorry. I figured Callie already told you.”
“I totally should have,” Callie said before turning to Brooke. “Do you read the blog?”
“Yeah. I mean, I do when I have time. Honestly, I haven’t done much of anything these past six months unless it involves this business. But about a year ago I read one of your columns in the
Star
. You suggested a cute little shop down in the West Bottoms and now Janie, one of their artists, sells here on commission. I knew you were local somehow but I had no idea it was Preston. Wow. It’s so nice to meet you. Your blog is one of my favorites.”
Anne blushed a little. Her lifestyle blog,
My Perfect Little Life
, was wildly popular. It was only a few years old, but it had become an internet sensation fairly quickly. Brooke knew from reading it when she had
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