Julia saw the way Amy touched Zak’s elbow. The familiar feeling of rejection washed over her. How many dances had she watched the two of them together? The lavender wreath still hung on the door amid all the chaos of the remodel. She focused on it and the purple flowers and wished she had the faith of little Mia. To trust as a child trusted—somewhere along the line, she’d lost Mia’s blind faith ability, and she mourned its loss as she stared at the wreath. A true, trusting faith seemed like it only belonged to others.
As Zak and Amy noticed her, she turned and ran back toward town. How many times did she have to batter her head against the same wall? Zak Grant didn’t love her. He never would, and it was time she lived in reality, not her dream world.
Julia’s phone rang in that instant, and she silenced it as quickly as possible. “Hello,” she answered breathily.
“Julia, is that you? It’s Devlin.”
She walked around the building to the parking lot behind Sweet Surrender, but the chaos of Smitten’s parade could still be heard. “It’s me. It’s the Fourth of July, so it’s a bit loud here. A lot of celebrating going on, you understand.”
“It’s the Fourth here too, but Manhattan never sleeps, as you know. I’m here at the spa working. We’ve got a big wedding party coming in tonight.”
“Does this call mean you accept my apology? I wouldn’t have brought you out here if I’d known what I do now.”
“I have a business proposition for you.”
“For me?” Her legs felt weak. “Is it in New York?”
“Naturally. I think we both understand where I stand on Smitten at the moment.”
She said nothing about Mrs. Shapiro or the truth according to Zak. She gazed at the warm celebration going on up the street.
She felt torn between two worlds, not really belonging to either.
“It seems your sleuth boyfriend has outed me. I don’t own the spa, I just manage it for Mrs. Shapiro. Not that there’s anything wrong with decent work, but I did allow you to believe the place was mine. I allowed everyone to believe that.
It was better for everyone involved.”
“Yes, I heard that. Though your success can hardly be doubted, Devlin. You’ve made that spa all that it is. I never questioned that. Or your sincerity.”
“Mrs. Shapiro used her husband’s money to invest in the business, and because she’s seen such a great return on it, she wants to open another one. On the West Side. As you know, there are a lot of younger patrons on the West Side, and she’d like to tap into that with a younger, hipper spa created for them.”
“Wow, that’s a great idea!” But something in her stomach didn’t feel the elation her voice carried.
“She wants you to head it up. Just like I head up the spa here in the Upper East Side. As far as anyone knows, it’s your business. You run it, you’re the face behind all its success.
How do you feel about that?”
“I feel . . . I feel completely dumbstruck and honored.”
“That’s what I told her you’d say. So when do you think you can get back here?”
“It’s not that easy, Devlin. Zak has started building the spa, and—”
“Did you ask him to do that?”
“Well, I—he did it to get me started. My friends—”
“Your friends are trying to make something of a nothing town on little more than a wing and a prayer. What I’m offering you . . . what Mrs. Shapiro is offering you, is what you said you wanted. Your own high-end spa. You’ll be equipped with everything I have here, and you’ll cater to a younger audience.
It couldn’t be more perfect for you, Julia. It’s everything that I trained you for.”
“But why didn’t you tell me before you came to Smitten?”
“I didn’t know Mrs. Shapiro wanted to open another spa. I was going to back you with my own money in Smitten, regardless of what your boyfriend thought. I believe in you and your abilities, but I don’t know anything about how small towns work.
I understand the island of Manhattan. I know this is a surefire hit. Would you trade that for what is, at best, a long shot?”
She walked back to the brick sidewalk of Main Street and focused on the green clock and the oversize wreath of faith hanging from beneath the clock’s face. Was faith leaving logic behind and trusting? Or was that nothing more than stupidity? Didn’t God say to be as wise as serpents? That meant using what information you’d been given, not just blindly going forth on a feeling.
“Give me a day to think about it, Devlin. It’s a huge change, and I have to make sure my mother is well enough to be left on her own now.”
“Your mother’s a big girl. She can find the help she needs. She wouldn’t want to hold her daughter back. I’ll give you a day, no more. Mrs. Shapiro is ready to go on this, and don’t think I can’t find a replacement for you. But you know I want you, Julia. It’s not your responsibility to save that town.
You have to think about yourself! What will you do with your future if that town dies again?”
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Think about what I said.”
“How could I think about anything else?” She snapped her phone shut.
Amy’s heels clicked along the brick sidewalk toward her. Julia knew it was too late to retreat, so she steeled herself for another uncomfortable conversation. Amy stared at her, shook her head, and kept walking. Julia walked slowly toward the grill.
As she walked up the ramp, she took the small wreath from the door and held it.
Zak came to the door and looked at her through the wooden screen door. “I didn’t ask Amy here.”
She nodded, careful to avoid his penetrating deep hazel gaze. “I know.”
Zak opened the door out for her to come in. She glanced about the room, and her spa took form in her mind. She could hear the trickling water from the corner fountain, smell the calming lavender and sensuous sandalwood. For a brief moment she envisioned the spa completely done, and even pictured Zoe, Natalie’s cousin, answering calls at the front desk.
“Julia, are you all right?”
“Everything here in Smitten is uncertain. Will Sawyer’s wedding bring tourists in droves? Will you be able to reopen the mill and run the grill? Will everyone’s renovations— Carson’s at the lodge and yours at the grill—pay off? New York is a sure thing for me, Zak.”
He nodded.
“I know the market. I’d have Mrs. Shapiro’s financial backing and Devlin’s expertise whenever I got into trouble.
All I have here is blind faith with a dash of hope.” She stared at him from across the room. And you, Zak.
Zak’s barrel chest made the room feel smaller. Intimate.
“That’s all you have here in Smitten? What about your best friends? What about your family?” He stood next to her in the late morning sunlight, and without thought she reached for his cheek, covered by three days’ worth of stubble.
She snapped her hand away. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s one of the quirks of my business. I’m interested in the texture of a person’s skin, and my curiosity gets the best of me sometimes.
You understand.” She swallowed hard at his proximity, willing him to say what she needed to hear. Give me a reason to stay, Zak.
“What about me?”
She twisted away from his prying eyes. “If there was anything in my life that was uncertain, it’s always been you, Zak Grant. I’ll pay you back for the work you’ve done, if that’s what you mean.” Her voice trembled. “I’d better get home.
I’m going to bring my supplies to the lake before the fireworks and offer free skin consultations.”
“Why? I mean, if you’re not staying, why offer the people of Smitten anything?”
She searched for an answer. “Maybe you’re right. I have to be able to support myself, Zak, and while I love Smitten, I can’t pin my future on a long shot.” She walked toward the door and turned back around. “Let me know what I owe you for all of this. They’re still looking for a home for the new lingerie shop. Maybe you could rent this space to them.”
As she reached the door, she squeezed Mia’s wreath again.
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
“I’m sorry, Zak.”
Once outside, she felt sick to her stomach. She loved Zak Grant. There was no denying it, and she didn’t love him like a big brother or a childhood friend. She loved him, and all it would have taken was one small word from him and she would have stayed. Her faith would have been restored in Smitten.
She didn’t want his building. She didn’t want his construction expertise. She wanted him. But to stay there and work alongside him every day? To watch him flirt with patrons and waitresses? That was a future she couldn’t handle. No matter how much faith she mustered up inside of herself.
“Good-bye, Zak.”