New Amsterdam: Tess Read Online Free PDF Page B

week’s appointments and meetings. “Tomorrow we’re hosting a booth at New Amsterdam Market. They requested we bring a selection of jams as opposed to honey – not sure what that’s about. Seth will man the booth until three, and then Lois will close it up and bring back any inventory.”
    “Jams? Okay, maybe there’s a theme or something.” With an intimidating glare, Thessaly asks, “You gonna push that jam, Seth?”
    Seth raises his eyebrows and replies, “I’m a jam pusher. Jam, jam, jam.” His hand taps invisible words as he says, “The Hive is my jam.”
    “Nice. Take tons of photos and post them as the day goes on. What else, Meg?”
    “Wednesday you have a sit-down with a wedding planner and her bride. She wants shabby chic things for her wedding on Shelter Island slated for Columbus Day Weekend.” Meg sarcastically uses air quotes as she reads her notes.
    “Awesome – remind me to wear overalls that day.”
    “And a straw hat. Okay, Thursday the shop is being photographed for a foodie blog and magazine – excellent exposure, but they’re also expecting country charm nestled in the Seaport. And then Friday, you have a meeting with that incredibly hot chef from Les Etoiles. I should probably go with you.”
    “Oh, please. My meetings with Pete are usually twenty minutes of me gawking like an idiot while he tries to chat about normal things.” Thessaly opens a document on her laptop and continues. “Anything I should know about from the weekend?”
    “Not only was it the Fourth, but that bee swarm scared everyone away. Very slow weekend,” Seth drones. “Oh, and the fireworks were just so-so.”
    Meg jabs Seth in the side and whispers, “Tell her about that guy.”
    “What guy?” Thessaly interrupts.
    “A mysterious voice called earlier asking for you specifically. He didn’t want to leave a message.” Seth waggles his eyebrows and grins.
    Thessaly shudders. “Sounds like a creeper.”
    “Not at all! His voice was sexy,” defends Meg, nudging Seth in the ribs.
    Taking the hint, Seth deadpans, “Um, yeah. Totally weird and sexy.”
    “Oh? Maybe he’ll call again,” Thessaly replies casually, remembering that Mason’s voice is deep and sexy.
    “Flies to honey,” Meg hums.
    “For real, Meg? My grandma tells better jokes.” Seth laughs as Meg shrugs her shoulders. “Okay, Tess, what are these new ideas we’ll be testing?”
    Slapping the counter in the rhythm of a drumroll, Thessaly chirps, “Finally! On to the exciting new additions.”
    Seth matches the pitch of her enthusiasm while asking, “Are we finally getting a Donkey Kong arcade? If we remove a few shelves in that corner it will definitely fit.”
    “Keep the dream alive, Seth.” Thessaly slurps her sugary coffee, leaving only the ice, and then leans toward her friends prepared to tell a secret. “Hear me out – so, I walked around downtown Asheville on Saturday afternoon after jumping in the fountains in Pack Square. It was eye-opening to say the least – almost every storefront was a quirky knockoff of the West Village. Ridiculous signs plastered in windows bragging about locally-grown sustainable artisan foods – those tag lines are sadly becoming the gourmet trend of the nineties.” Thessaly glances at the framed black and white photo of her family’s barn hanging on the wall behind the register and takes a deep breath. “Later that night, after too many shots of honey whiskey and two slices of red-velvet wedding cake, I had a Don Draper moment.”
    “You had sex with a waitress in an alley?” Seth asks flatly.
    Thessaly flicks the air in front of Seth’s face. “No, you dork. I sat on the back steps of the barn, swept away by the fresh air . . . intoxicated by the smell of wild honeysuckle . . . clouded by the flashes of the mountain fireworks. And then it hit me – if you don’t like what people are saying,” Thessaly says.
    “Change the conversation,” Meg and Seth finish in