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We get out of the car, and I follow him into the barnlike structure.

“Hey, Bonnie,” Jacob calls out to the elderly woman behind the counter.

“Well, hey there, Jacob. What brings you in today—oh. Who’s your friend?”

Bonnie is eighty if she’s a day. Her eyes move up and down behind her thick, plastic-framed glasses. Her hair is dyed a pale pink, and she’s wearing bright-red lipstick.

“This is Archer.” Jacob leans his elbows on the counter. “He’s helping us out for a few days.”

“Weeks,” I say.

“Maybe one week.”

“Maybe two,” I counter.

Her gaze volleys back and forth between us before landing on me with something beyond a grandmotherly smile. “So nice to have a new face in town, and such a handsome one at that.” She moves around the counter and approaches me with her hand extended. She shakes my hand for a few seconds, and instead of letting go, she continues to clutch my palm in one hand while patting the top with her other.

“Mom, stop harassing the customers.” A middle-aged man emerges from the back.

“Oh, hush, Elliot.” She turns back to me. “That’s my son. He’s such a buzzkill.” Her tone is sweet as can be, a smile plastered to her lips.

“Hey, Jake.” Elliot ignores his mother. “Can I help you?”

“I need to get some six-inch deck boards.”

“Only six inches?” Bonnie turns away, releasing my hand.

“Ma,” Elliot groans.

I move away, escaping while I can under the pretense of searching for something down the aisles, perusing their inventory in case there’s anything else I need to get for the cabins while I’m here.

It’s a fairly well-stocked hardware store. They have paint, nuts and bolts, car maintenance items, plumbing, housewares, office supplies . . . My gaze snags on a desk set covered in daisies.

Flower-edged Post-it notes and a notepad, binder clips with daisies painted on them, a business card holder, pens, and a penholder. I snag it before I think too much about it and head back up to the front desk.

Bonnie has disappeared somewhere along with Elliot, and a young woman is ringing Jacob up for the deck boards. Pink floods her face as she fiddles with the register.

Jacob’s back is to me, his hands shoved into his pockets, the line of his shoulders tense.

I stop next to him and put the desk set on the counter. “This, too, please.” I pull out my wallet to pay for the lot.

“I thought you moved away,” Jacob says to the woman behind the counter.

She’s pretty. Dark hair, heart-shaped face, probably around Jacob’s age.

“I’m in town visiting for a couple days.” She smiles weakly and pushes more buttons on the register. It bleats, a harsh, discordant noise.

She winces and then takes a breath, her gaze flickering over me for a second before returning to Jacob.

“I’m glad we ran into each other though.” She swallows, and her throat bobs with the movement. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you about . . . well, everything.” She uses a hand to brush a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Do you want to go get a drink or some coffee or something? I’m leaving town soon, but I’m free tonight. We could go get ribs at Veronica’s? I know it’s your favorite.” She grabs the desk set from in front of me and scans it.

Jacob rubs the back of his neck with one hand. “I can’t. I have—” He looks over at me, and his face clears. “My friend here. Archer.” He slaps me on the back with more force than I expect, making me jump. “He, uh… We’re really busy today.”

Poor woman. Her mouth goes tight.

I smile at her and then glance over at Jacob. “It’s fine if you want to—”

“No, no, no. It’s not fine. We have things. Remember.” His eyes lock with mine. Beseeching.


Tags: Mary Frame Romance