future.”
“You’re kidding. Not much of a future.” Cole kicked the weak porch frame. “Are you sure you’re not just being sentimental about Tammy? About being a kid?”
“No, yeah, maybe. But so what? I’ve seen a lot in the last six years, Cole, and if running this wedding shop is my destiny, what God has for me, I’d be honored. Consider myself lucky.”
“Lucky? When you could go to grad school. Be one of those ‘amazing Morgans’ who conquer their corner of the world.”
Haley stamped her foot. “This is my corner of the world. And I’m going to conquer it.”
His laugh carried the sound of pity. “Good luck. But I’m telling you it’s going to be demolished.”
His words fell between them as Haley batted them to the porch floor. Tears swelled in her eyes. “Why not for Tammy, Cole?” Her confession was low and true. “Why not for me and our childhood dream?” She turned to him. “I miss her.”
“Me too.” He paused, clearing his throat.
Haley cupped her hands around her face and peered through the window again. “How do you think I should go about getting this place?”
“You’re serious?” Cole tipped his head in wonder. “There’s a For Sale sign. Call the Realtor. Keith Niven. You remember him? He was in your brother Will’s class. He’ll have ideas.”
“Good ones?”
“Haley, can I be a friend? Don’t get your heart set on this place. I get the sentiment, and it being a new year and all, it gets us to thinking, but Akron has deep pockets and the city wants the cash. The town council is all about the new shopping mall and renovating the old mill into lofts.”
“Then why haven’t they torn this place down already?”
“Because a brigade of old women who bought their wedding dresses from the shop forty, fifty, sixty years ago shows up at every town council meeting to plead for the old shop and the town council caves. But I don’t think they will again. Akron is offering a lot of money. More than it’s worth. The town can’t afford to hold on to the building.”
“How did they get it in the first place?”
“Back taxes. Figure that into your dream too.”
“You’re not scaring me. Cole, this place is Heart’s Bend’s legend. Half the families in this town have some connection to the wedding shop.”
“That’d be a lot of people, Haley. We have more and more newbies and fewer and fewer oldies.” He tapped his foot against a loose porch board, stooping, checking the underside, then tapping it back into place with his boot heel. “Heart’s Bend needs to move on, out of the past and into the future. This place is an eyesore.”
“I’m all for progress, but that doesn’t mean we completely leave our history behind. Heart’s Bend had a premier wedding shop for, what, ninety years? It’s part of our DNA. Not to mention it’s a fifty-billion-dollar business, Cole. I’ve done some research.”
“Haley, this corner just doesn’t work for business. It’s been a bookstore, a record store, a computer repair center. Nothing works. Drummond Branson tried to get it turned into a visitor center, but the town council said they had enough civic buildings to maintain. They want someone to take this place off their hands.”
“A visitor center? A book and record store? A computer place? No, no, no. Cole, of course those places won’t work. This place is for weddings. Built to be a wedding shop. If ever a building had a calling, it’s this one. Nothing will succeed in this place unless it’s for weddings.” Her voice rose in the darkness, butted against the cold, and fired up her passion and resolve.
Cole surrendered, taking a step back. “A building with a calling?”
“I wrote a paper on Miss Cora in sixth grade. Her great-aunt Jane commissioned a Nashville architect to design the wedding shop. That’s what this place is. Nothing else will do.”
“You’re passionate about this, aren’t you?”
Haley peered into the window again. “More
“You’re kidding. Not much of a future.” Cole kicked the weak porch frame. “Are you sure you’re not just being sentimental about Tammy? About being a kid?”
“No, yeah, maybe. But so what? I’ve seen a lot in the last six years, Cole, and if running this wedding shop is my destiny, what God has for me, I’d be honored. Consider myself lucky.”
“Lucky? When you could go to grad school. Be one of those ‘amazing Morgans’ who conquer their corner of the world.”
Haley stamped her foot. “This is my corner of the world. And I’m going to conquer it.”
His laugh carried the sound of pity. “Good luck. But I’m telling you it’s going to be demolished.”
His words fell between them as Haley batted them to the porch floor. Tears swelled in her eyes. “Why not for Tammy, Cole?” Her confession was low and true. “Why not for me and our childhood dream?” She turned to him. “I miss her.”
“Me too.” He paused, clearing his throat.
Haley cupped her hands around her face and peered through the window again. “How do you think I should go about getting this place?”
“You’re serious?” Cole tipped his head in wonder. “There’s a For Sale sign. Call the Realtor. Keith Niven. You remember him? He was in your brother Will’s class. He’ll have ideas.”
“Good ones?”
“Haley, can I be a friend? Don’t get your heart set on this place. I get the sentiment, and it being a new year and all, it gets us to thinking, but Akron has deep pockets and the city wants the cash. The town council is all about the new shopping mall and renovating the old mill into lofts.”
“Then why haven’t they torn this place down already?”
“Because a brigade of old women who bought their wedding dresses from the shop forty, fifty, sixty years ago shows up at every town council meeting to plead for the old shop and the town council caves. But I don’t think they will again. Akron is offering a lot of money. More than it’s worth. The town can’t afford to hold on to the building.”
“How did they get it in the first place?”
“Back taxes. Figure that into your dream too.”
“You’re not scaring me. Cole, this place is Heart’s Bend’s legend. Half the families in this town have some connection to the wedding shop.”
“That’d be a lot of people, Haley. We have more and more newbies and fewer and fewer oldies.” He tapped his foot against a loose porch board, stooping, checking the underside, then tapping it back into place with his boot heel. “Heart’s Bend needs to move on, out of the past and into the future. This place is an eyesore.”
“I’m all for progress, but that doesn’t mean we completely leave our history behind. Heart’s Bend had a premier wedding shop for, what, ninety years? It’s part of our DNA. Not to mention it’s a fifty-billion-dollar business, Cole. I’ve done some research.”
“Haley, this corner just doesn’t work for business. It’s been a bookstore, a record store, a computer repair center. Nothing works. Drummond Branson tried to get it turned into a visitor center, but the town council said they had enough civic buildings to maintain. They want someone to take this place off their hands.”
“A visitor center? A book and record store? A computer place? No, no, no. Cole, of course those places won’t work. This place is for weddings. Built to be a wedding shop. If ever a building had a calling, it’s this one. Nothing will succeed in this place unless it’s for weddings.” Her voice rose in the darkness, butted against the cold, and fired up her passion and resolve.
Cole surrendered, taking a step back. “A building with a calling?”
“I wrote a paper on Miss Cora in sixth grade. Her great-aunt Jane commissioned a Nashville architect to design the wedding shop. That’s what this place is. Nothing else will do.”
“You’re passionate about this, aren’t you?”
Haley peered into the window again. “More
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