A Lowcountry Bride by Preslaysa Williams

After making the appointment to meet with the potential buyer, Derek had grown even more accustomed to the idea of relinquishing the boutique.

Derek needed to focus on Jamila anyway. Derek had already lost time with her earlier when he was on deployments. He wanted the rest of her time at home to be spent having good memories of her father. Selling the boutique would give Derek the space to make that happen.

At least that’s what he kept telling himself over and over and over. Was all his convincing just a way of second-guessing himself?

No. He wasn’t second-guessing himself. He wasn’t doubting. This was the best thing to do.

He clasped his hands, and then he walked to the front entrance and flipped the window sign from closed to open. That’s when Derek’s heart skipped. Just outside the door, the realtor he’d spoken to was walking down the street with a well-dressed woman alongside him. That must be Marjorie Wilkinson.

He was going to do this. Period.

“Morning.” Derek opened the front door for the folks and welcomed them inside.

“I want to introduce you to Marjorie Wilkinson,” the realtor said. “She’s been eyeing this place for a while.”

“I know.” Derek shook her hand.

“Always a Bride has gotten a lot of buzz of late.” Marjorie smiled, taking off her sunglasses and tucking them into her eyeglass case. “I was looking into this store way before then, but the extra publicity didn’t hurt my decision. Especially for a little boutique like this one.”

“Little boutique”? That was a sideways comment. Always a Bride wasn’t little to Derek. This place was his legacy. Derek ignored the comment and chose to focus on the sale instead.

Marjorie walked around the store and inspected it closely. “Hmm . . . this blue color. It’s so blah.”

Blah? Maya had picked out that blue color herself, and after some back and forth with Jamila, she’d eventually approved of it too. “What do you mean?” he asked, his voice defensive.

“Blue is depressing. We want something lighter and fresher for the customers.”

Funny. Maya had exactly the opposite to say about the color, and her theory proved out perfectly. The store had a steady increase in sales, and he was able to get caught up on the boutique’s mortgage. He was even able to purchase more costly stock. Maya helped him do all of that.

Why was he thinking of Maya of all people? She hadn’t contacted him since she landed in LaGuardia Airport. Whenever he tried calling her, the phone just went to voice mail. Her job must’ve been keeping her busy—too busy for him. He pushed thoughts of Maya out of his head and crossed his arms. Derek bit back a retort, concerned that if he said something, he’d ruin the potential deal.

Marjorie walked around the store, still inspecting, and Derek followed, ready to answer her questions.

“This place is in a prime location,” Derek said. “A lot of tourists come here daily.”

Marjorie gave a half-smile. “I’m sure.”

They kept walking the periphery of the store.

“So very dusty.”

Dusty? He just had the place professionally cleaned last week. “I hire a commercial cleaning service to maintain the place.”

“Oh,” she said without a second glance. “How nice.”

Derek stopped following Marjorie around the store. She could make her own decision about whether to buy the place. He wasn’t going to try to appease her, especially since she was being so picky and rude.

Marjorie stopped in front of the plaque that said always a bride. est. 1984. It was placed right underneath the letter from his grandmother. “What’s this?”

He smiled. “The plaque that my mother had placed here when she opened the store.”

“Oh. That’s quaint.” She bit her bottom lip, and then she glanced up at the letter, reading it carefully. “A nice memory to have. This place carries a lot of personal importance.”

Maybe she wasn’t so bad after all. “It does.”

“I’m interested in buying the property,” she continued. “Of course, if I do, I will change things up.” She gestured to the plaque and the letter. “Your plaque and that letter would have to be taken with you after the deal is done. I’m converting it to a bookstore.”

Discomfort edged through him. “Oh really?”

“Yes.”

Derek expected change if the store sold, but now that he was actually being confronted with this change . . . it didn’t feel right. “My mother was very pivotal to this area.”

“Oh yes, I’m sure,” she said, but her focus was on the floor. “This carpet will most definitely have to go.”

Thinking about selling Always a Bride and actually selling it were two different things. Could he really stand to see it all gone? In his heart of hearts, he couldn’t. He’d already put too much into this. Perhaps there was a way for him to continue with the success of the boutique on his own. Sacrificing his mother’s memory wasn’t an option. Maya had already helped him bring the boutique up to speed. He finally knew what he was doing with the business. All he needed to do was trust his business instincts from here on out. “I changed my mind. I don’t think selling will be a good option.”

The realtor widened his eyes. “What did you say?”

“You heard me. I don’t think this will be a good option. I’m not ready to see my mother’s legacy completely erased.” Derek went over to the counter and perused the email communication that he’d been making. “I’m sorry you wasted time coming down here today, but I’ll have to pass.”

They looked at him, apparently stunned. “Are you sure?” the realtor asked.

“Positive.”

“Well, I’ll be. This is just a mess,” Marjorie said.

Not for me.

The two of them left, and Derek was back at square one—no, he wasn’t back at square one. He’d done a good job with this place, and now he would maintain the place—alone.

A bittersweet feeling arose inside of him. He still missed Maya, but he wouldn’t focus on that now. She had made her decision, and now he had made his.

Derek crossed his arms and looked at the store with a renewed sense of confidence and determination. Before, he’d held doubts about being able to manage Always a Bride on his own. He’d relied on Ginger, and then he’d relied on Maya to help him make a turnaround. This time, Derek would rely on himself, and for the first time, he believed that he could.

This would work. More than work. Always a Bride would continue to succeed.