Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Grand Opening: A Novella: The Boutique Series, #1
    Grand Opening: A Novella: The Boutique Series, #1
    Grand Opening: A Novella: The Boutique Series, #1
    Ebook123 pages2 hours

    Grand Opening: A Novella: The Boutique Series, #1

    By Tonya Rice

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    After four years, Eden Harper's esteemed fashion boutique is getting a makeover, an overhaul actually. Not only is she excited, so are her dedicated customers, the city, her family, and her beloved Nelson Donnelly, son of one of Hollywood's golden era stars. While the work's being done, Eden discovers a major deficit in the renovation budget. The money had been stolen from her bank account. So, in addition to worrying about who stole it, concerns about paying for the work weighs her down more.

    When the opportunity for getting the money repaid arises, she's grateful, but she also discovers the additional costs for the boutique and her life with Nelson as she knows and loves that come with it are too much for her to bear. How much of that price is she willing to pay?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTonya Rice
    Release dateJun 10, 2019
    ISBN9781393292920
    Grand Opening: A Novella: The Boutique Series, #1
    Author

    Tonya Rice

    Tonya Rice writes contemporary and historical stories, focusing on family life. She's been a department store area manager, corporate proofreader, legal secretary, receptionist, and office manager - all of those delightful things that they told her she'd do with her English degree. She also was a participant in the very first year of the University of Virginia Young Writer’s Workshop and has known since those early days that all she'd ever really wanted to do was write and publish stories to make a darned (for my Rated G audience) good living at it like Jackie Collins. Now, God-willing, she's on her way!.   She is currently editing her new novel, set in the South, during the mid to late 20th century.   Tonya is a native of Richmond, Virginia. She received her BA from Hollins College and her MFA from National University. In addition to the blog, Front Porch, Sweet Tea, and a Pile of Books, she manages the classic film blog, Goosepimply All Over. Tonya also a member of She Writes and James River Writers.  She lives in Virginia with her family, which includes their cat with whom she shares her office and ultimately her desk.

    Related to Grand Opening

    Titles in the series (1)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    Suspense Romance For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Sounds Like FUN

      Jun 23, 2020

      Sounds Like FUN
      6 min read

    • Article

      A Gentle STIRRING

      Mar 13, 2024

      A Gentle STIRRING
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Duplex

      Jun 9, 2020

      I moved to Los Angeles to sing. When was this? August? June? I was twenty-nine, and those were shapeless months, when the days blended together and I refused to pull them apart. My landlord was unusually close to her adult son. His name was Jeffrey,

      21 min read

    • Article

      HEART Of The Community

      Aug 3, 2021

      HEART Of The Community
      12 min read

    • Article

      Just Passing

      Aug 17, 2020

      Zoe cracks the curtain in the bay window and watches as he bounces from one foot to another in the cold. Tap, tap, tap, he goes at the letterbox. But she shouldn’t even let him in. He’s trouble. He throws his arms out and shouts through the glass: “S

      5 min read

    • Article

      Desk Flowers

      May 6, 2021

      Desk Flowers
      11 min read

    • Article

      Feeling LUCKY

      Sep 15, 2021

      Feeling LUCKY
      9 min read

    • Article

      Housewarming

      Dec 1, 2022

      DENNIS MCFARLAND’S most recent novel is Nostalgia. His stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Best American Short Stories, and the Scholar, among other places. When Kevin arrived at the top floor and stepped into a long dark hallway, he couldn’t re

      21 min read

    • Article

      Lev’s Pawn Shop

      Dec 10, 2022

      In days gone by, it might have been said that Lev had had a vision, that he had been struck from his horse by the voice of God and seen the error of his ways. As it was, people said that he had gone a bit nutty in his old age, though it was unanimous

      11 min read

    • Article

      ABATH For All SEASONS

      Jul 4, 2019

      ABATH For All SEASONS
      7 min read

    • Article

      Long Weekend

      Mar 5, 2024

      Long Weekend
      2 min read

    • Article

      Reach

      Apr 10, 2021

      Jack Benson stands dissolved in an ocean of strangers, humans he couldn’t have known existed until forced to jostle with them for space and share odors. He recoils imperceptibly with each touch, eager not to offend or stand out any further. As a mass

      10 min read

    • Article

      Reach

      Dec 10, 2023

      Jack Benson stands dissolved in an ocean of strangers, humans he couldn’t have known existed until forced to jostle with them for space and shared odors. He recoils imperceptibly with each touch, eager not to offend or stand out any further. As a mas

      10 min read

    • Article

      Summer at BEACON BAY HEIGHTS

      Aug 30, 2023

      Summer at BEACON BAY HEIGHTS
      9 min read

    • Article

      Famous People

      Mar 1, 2022

      Famous People
      15 min read

    • Article

      Ineffectual Tribute to Len

      Mar 15, 2019

      After graduate school I hung around another year and drove a cab for Iowa City Yellow Cab. The cab was a boat, a Chevrolet Caprice wagon. I could have put a mattress in the back and lived in it. I didn’t hate the job. I’d sit in the Kroger parking lo

      24 min read

    • Article

      The DATING GAME

      Apr 2, 2024

      The DATING GAME
      8 min read

    • Article

      Beauty Is In The Eye

      Jul 7, 2020

      Beauty Is In The Eye
      5 min read

    • Article

      The DATING GAME

      Aug 3, 2022

      The DATING GAME
      8 min read

    • Article

      Karen’s CHOICE

      Jul 7, 2021

      Karen’s CHOICE
      6 min read

    • Article

      Hardly Never in Vegas: Fat Johnny Little and Salty Salt Sue make a break for the desert.

      Jun 18, 2015

      Salty Salt Sue met Fat Johnny Little at a card game so hot it burned a girl, the sultry Louisiana night dampening her clothes, making her tingle from the waist down. She sat next to Vinnie DeLuca, who bore a passing resemblance to Dillinger—his penci

      11 min read

    • Article

      The Wrong Shampoo

      Apr 10, 2022

      Brandy scoured the rows of bubble gum bright shampoo bottles. How much time had passed already? She looked to the front of the store but couldn’t see the checkout lines. She had only been to Jeff’s apartment once so far and didn’t remember what brand

      16 min read

    • Article

      Hardly Never in Vegas: Fat Johnny Little and Salty Salt Sue make a break for the desert.

      Aug 8, 2013

      Salty Salt Sue met Fat Johnny Little at a card game so hot it burned a girl, the sultry Louisiana night dampening her clothes, making her tingle from the waist down. She sat next to Vinnie DeLuca, who bore a passing resemblance to Dillinger—his penci

      11 min read

    • Article

      A Leap In THE DARK

      Feb 1, 2023

      A Leap In THE DARK
      6 min read

    • Article

      Tikkun Olam

      Jun 10, 2022

      The lawyer’s phone call was one she’d been expecting—dreading really—for the past two years. What surprised her was that Deshaun wanted to see her again. Why? “I have no idea,” the public defender said. “You’re the only one he asked for.” Roz debated

      25 min read

    • Article

      Joan Didion’s Magic Trick

      May 16, 2022

      Joan Didion’s Magic Trick
      28 min read

    • Article

      The Necklace

      Mar 8, 2021

      A fine silver chain, with a circlet of diamonds. More of a pendant, really. Lydia saw it in one of the glossy magazines left in the reception of the TV channel where they were waiting to pitch. She would never read one of those normally – never had t

      6 min read

    • Article

      Vagaries

      Mar 1, 2024

      Vagaries
      8 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Grand Opening

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Grand Opening - Tonya Rice

      Chapter 1

      THE UNEATEN SALAD NEXT to the lamp on her desk was almost four hours old. The large paper cup once full of a strong, bubbling Diet Pepsi was now holding water filled with chips of melting ice. Two-thirds of the paper stack on her desk that had taken her away from lunch with her sister had been reviewed, leaving Eden in search of a bottle of aspirin from her desk drawer. She needed more soda and there just wasn’t enough water in that flimsy cup to get those pills down her tightened throat.

      Maybe she would finally take Nelson up on his offer for a vacation. She hadn’t been on one since she opened the boutique three years earlier. A twice-a-year buying trip to New York City wasn’t exactly a pleasure trip. During those excursions, she’d never made it to the inside of a museum and her lunches at the ritzy restaurants with a few designers consisted of shop talk. The longing to sit near the orchestra at a Broadway show never failed to follow her, but there simply wasn’t any time. Even a morning run through Central Park managed to pass her by. Seemed like once she got off the plane at LaGuardia and headed to her meetings, she was immediately back in flight on the way back home to Richmond and her store.

      Eden leveled her eyes with the conch shell that Nelson had delivered to her from a colleague of his in The Bahamas. The gorgeous, large coral, pink, and beige shell that she kept on her desk remained her constant reminder of his invitation to such a dreamy tropical getaway. All she had to do was say, Let’s go. But, she hadn’t. She couldn’t. Even though she often longed to be wrapped up in his arms at all times - especially in a place such as exotic as there - too much work was always to be done.

      Hammering on the first floor marked tempo to her headache. A top designer boutique, full of the latest and most fashionable dresses, gowns, separates, jewelry, handbags, and shoes, and recognized with many awards for its exceptional personal shopping program and strong online presence, Josi’s Boutique in Short Pump on West Broad Street, just minutes from Richmond, was undergoing a major renovation. Now with more square footage since the deli next door had moved out, Eden Harper was finally getting that staircase in the middle of her store that she had always envisioned. An updated Gone With The Wind- type, with less ornate detail and a light beige carpet instead of the famous deep red. Considerably smaller than the Butlers’ mansion showcased in the film, it would still offer the Southern elegance and grandeur she desired for the local market and her boutique’s clientele. Such shops tended to no longer exist in the area and it was high time to bring it back. Eden was grateful to be the forerunner.

      When the renovation’s done, will you finally go away with me? Nelson’s recent question floated to the front of her mind, pulling her away from the fabric swatches for drapes that had been holding her attention for far too long. You can hire temporary employees to learn the ropes while you’re gone. Maxine will keep them on their toes. She’s your assistant manager, right?

      Yes, she is.

      Well, let her manage.

      Eden had laughed at his vast amount of certainty and imagination. ’Eden Harper on Vacation.’ Now that sounds like the name of a Broadway comedy. Speculative at that. She raised her hands and spread them wide over the air. Can’t you see the title in lights?

      Nelson scoffed. If you have to work, bring your laptop. I won’t mind... too much. He winked. It’ll give you the illusion of being here. Just think about it. We could go to a Broadway play first - anyone you want, then fly on over to Paris or Rome or wherever you want.

      She was nearly lost in the idea. It was such a nice dream, but that’s what retirement’s for, which she didn’t plan to do until she was fifty-five, some twenty years away.

      That ominous stack of papers under her nose called her attention once again. Her company’s most recent bank statement, the company ledger, several invoices and a few receipts. She glared once again at the mysterious figure in the withdrawal box on the statement and shook her head. $100,000. That’s a hefty amount of cash... just gone, unaccounted for. Where in the hell can it be? she asked. The words fell from her lips in a soft whisper.

      Not long after she returned to her office, Eden’s sister, Joya, called to make sure she was okay since the phone call Eden had taken left her at the restaurant alone. You were there only long enough to look at the salad and request a takeout bag.

      It’s just work, Baby Doll. You know how it always goes around here.

      I know, but it was a different look of worry on your face this time, Joya said.

      Eden knew Joya couldn’t see her shrug over the phone, but it demonstrated her thoughts about her sister’s words. Business, she told her. I promise I’ll see you tomorrow. Eden was also worried about her younger sister, who’d just moved back to Richmond after a few years away in Washington D.C. Everyone’s got an asshole in their past and she was still recovering from remnants of the shit left over from the one she had.

      After they hung up, Eden drew circles on the blotter pad covering up a portion of her desk. Doodling calmed her as the haunting words from that phone call replayed in her mind: Eden, we have a problem with the books. It was the start to the illusion of having already put in a twelve-hour workday. She was that tired.

      Right then, Shane Crosby walked into her office with two cups of coffee from the popular, nearby, local cafe. He handed one to her and sat across from her. I’m sorry I pulled you away from lunch with your sister. Shane was the owner of the independent auditing firm she’d hired. He’s been helping to keep the fiscal side of her business running smoothly since she opened.

      Thanks... it’s okay. It must be major since it couldn’t wait.

      It is, he said.

      Eden grabbed her jacket from the back of her desk chair and wrapped it around her shoulder. She wasn’t sure if the sudden chill was from the air conditioner cooling off the June circulation or the fear of hearing whatever Shane had to tell her. Are we over budget? She asked. Short? What? You know, Clyde Bayard’s been my chief accountant for years and we haven’t had any problems before. Those cold waves rippled under her skin.

      Well, we received the ledger from Clyde’s office yesterday. He handed the big, green leather-bound book over to her along with a copy of the financial statement from her bank provided by Clyde.

      Her face twisted up. Getting a hold of that ledger at that moment didn’t feel right.

      With the renovation project coming to a close - in this case, as you know, it’s a bit sooner than expected - it was time to make sure billing was on the level. We’ve got your signature authorizing us to do this any time during the construction.

      Of course, you have. Eden grimaced at his stupid need to remind her about an authorization she, of course, remembered giving.

      Shane had known Eden and Joya since high school and he had to remember that Eden’s work mode and fun mode seldom traveled together.  After a few moments and a clearing of his throat, he continued. I’m just glad we did. See, in light of that withdrawal I told you about, we needed it.

      She clutched her dropping stomach. The deep level of concern in his eyes and the tightening of his jaw that she knew meant something far more serious than she could figure out on her all paralyzed her. She felt both cold and hot at the same time. What do you mean?

      He didn’t respond right away. The blow was going to be strong. Nothing matches, Eden.

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1