All too soon the booth was upright and the moment had passed. Allison did her best to act normal, though her gaze seemed to follow Sam wherever he went.
Viv brought the banner over. “Let’s see how this thing is gonna look.”
“Good idea.” Allison needed a distraction from watching Sam anyway. Anything would do. “I’ll hold this end and you hold the other.” She stretched to hold the banner up in its spot over the booth. Except she wasn’t tall enough to really hold it in the right place. Neither was Viv, so the banner just sagged in the middle.
Sam came over. “Here, let me.” He took the end of the banner from Allison and she stepped back, careful not to touch him. “Rory, you’re tall. Take Ms. Duncan’s end and let’s really see how this is going to look.”
Rory did as instructed, and soon the banner was stretched out in its proper place. It read, Reading and Writing is Fun in bright yellow block lettering. The Happy Endings loaded-bookshelf logo, printed in full color, graced the middle of the banner under the writing.
“Oh, my,” Allison breathed. “It’s perfect.” Seeing her own bookstore’s logo never failed to make her feel so proud she could just burst, and so very fortunate to have the opportunity that the SOS Committee had given her. It was moments like these that reminded her she had to make the store work. She just had to.
“It does look great,” Sam said.
“Yeah, fantastic,” Rory said.
The other kids echoed his sentiment.
“Vivian, excellent job on the banner.” Sam found Allison’s gaze with his own. “And you, Ms. True, have made this whole thing come together.” He turned to the teens. “Kids, I hope you appreciate what these ladies have done for you. They’re both going above and beyond here, and you’re lucky to have them take the time to make this all happen.”
Allison preened inside under his praise. Suddenly, sacrificing to make Happy Endings succeed didn’t seem so much like work anymore. She was doing good here and people were noticing. Including Sam. And thanks to him and the teens here tonight, and Viv, too, all Allison’s hard work was now even more worthwhile.
That was a gift she would never take for granted or waste.
*
Sam loaded the last of the tools into his SUV and slammed the liftgate, looking up toward the dark, cloudy sky. The weather had turned while they’d been working on the booth, and a light drizzle fell and a stiff breeze blew the falling leaves around his feet. Autumn was well on its way to Bygones.
“That was a really fun evening,” Allison said from where she stood by the side of the SUV, illuminated only by the muted light shining through the church’s stained-glass windows. The kids had already taken off, as had Viv, who’d left a bit earlier to go home and feed her pets. Only he and Allison had remained to clean up the last vestiges of their work party.
“Yes, it was,” he replied. “I always enjoy spending time with kids.” Being around Allison, he realized, was an unexpected bonus.
“Obviously, since you’re a teacher. That takes a special breed, as far as I’m concerned.”
“But maybe not here for long.” His job was in real jeopardy. Just the thought of leaving Bygones and Bygones High School filled him with an aching sense of loss.
Just then, the wind kicked up and sent more leaves swirling. He looked skyward again. “Looks like maybe a storm’s coming.”
“I guess I’d better get going, then,” Allison said, zipping up the black coat she wore. “I still have some work to do with the inventory-control software at the store.”
He frowned. “It’s almost ten o’clock.”
“I know.” She grabbed her hair and corralled it in one hand. “But the software’s been giving me problems. Even though Josh Smith, who’s been helping all the businesses with computer setup, came by today and helped me get back on track, I still have a lot of data entry to do by Monday.”
He looked at her. “You work really hard, don’t you?”
“I have to. It’s only me and Viv, and ultimately I’m the one in charge of making Happy Endings a viable business.”
Admiration sifted through him. “Well, why don’t you let me drive you to the store?” She’d driven over with Viv and had told him earlier that she planned on walking home. Guess she’d had a change in plans and was now going to the store. Whatever the case, he didn’t want her walking even a few blocks in this weather. She’d be soaking wet before long.
As if to punctuate that thought, the wind gusted and the fine drizzle turned to actual rain.
Allison huddled down into her coat as she looked up. The end of the bright red scarf she wore danced. “All right. I’ll take you up on that offer, now that the weather has really turned.”
“Great.” He moved sideways and opened the front passenger door for her and gestured inside. “My chariot awaits, Ms. True.”
With a sweet smile she got in. “Why, thank you ever so much, Mr. Franklin.”
“My pleasure,” he said truthfully.
He closed her door, went around and climbed into the driver’s seat. In no time he had the vehicle started up, the windshield wipers on and the heater going. No sense in being chilly, even for the short trip to Happy Endings.
Within a few moments, they were on their way down Granary Road toward Main Street. The town was quiet.
Allison turned in her seat and looked inquiringly at him. “It has to be really upsetting to think about losing your job.”
His hand tightened on the steering wheel. “Yeah, it is. Sure, I can teach anywhere, but Bygones is my hometown and holds a special place in my heart. I don’t want to leave, but supporting my family is the priority.”
“Especially since your dad and Lori are here.”
“Yeah, there’s that, too. I’d hate to have to take my kids away from their grandpa, aunt and cousins.”
“Well, if it helps at all, I’m doing everything I can to make sure Happy Endings does well, and I know all the other shop owners are, too. We all want the SOS plan to work.”
“I know,” he said, rolling to a stop at the intersection of Granary and Main. “And I’m trying to stay positive, but facts are facts, and I can’t stick my head in the sand about my job. I’ve actually put out a few applications to other school districts that have openings for math teachers.” He turned left onto a deserted Main Street. “I had an online video interview last week with one of them.”
“Oh, wow.” She unwound her scarf from her neck and put it on the seat beside her. “You’re really covering your bases, then, aren’t you?”
He slowed down as Happy Endings came up on his left, noting as he drove by that the lights were still on at Sweet Dreams Bakery. Guess Allison wasn’t the only SOS shop owner burning the midnight oil. “I have to. I have kids to support. I need to be prepared in case the SOS plan goes south.” He slanted a quick glance around, and then made a quick U-turn so he was headed the other way. “Not that I’m assuming it will, but it’s all still up in the air.”
“It’s a solid plan with sound backing,” she said firmly, lifting her chin. “It will work. All of us SOS shop owners are going to make sure of it.”
He smiled at her determination, and then pulled up to the curb right in front of the store, which sat between Love in Bloom florist and the Fixer-Upper hardware store. “I believe you, if everyone puts in the kinds of hours you do.” He put the truck in park and regarded Allison. “Does anyone know yet who the anonymous benefactor is?”
“No, his or her identity is still a mystery.”
“I personally would be much more confident of the plan if I knew who was behind it.”
“I would, too, but I’m choosing to have faith in the plan anyway.” She looked right at him. “Sometimes faith is all we have.”
“I used to think that,” he replied. Back before Teresa had filleted his heart.
“But you don’t anymore?” Allison asked softly, her small hands folded over her purse on her lap.
A throb started under his breastbone
. “Not really. Divorce has a way of doing that to a person.”
Allison paused. “She really hurt you, didn’t she?”
The sound of the rain on the roof of the truck, along with the thunk thunk of the windshield wipers was the only sound for a few long moments. “Yeah.”
“What happened, if you don’t mind my asking?”
He tightened his jaw. No harm in sharing, though he rarely talked about what had gone on with him and Teresa. “The marriage had been on the rocks for a while—she hated living in Bygones, and we’d been clashing over her wanting to move—so I knew we were in trouble. She didn’t adjust well to motherhood, either. But for her to…cheat. Well, that was a low blow.”
“The lowest.” Allison paused. “You deserved better.”
Her words of support eased the ache in his chest a bit. “I probably would have dealt with what she did better if not for the kids. She put herself before them, and that made her betrayal that much harder.” He stretched his neck to ease some of the tension building there. “She’s always wanted to play with the kids and do all the fun stuff, but she’s never been into the down-and-dirty hard work of parenthood.”
“I can’t imagine what you’ve been through.” Allison leaned closer ever so slightly and touched his hand. In the small confines of the vehicle, the scent of fresh peaches washed over him.
He swallowed and looked down at her hand on his; he wanted to take it in his and hold on. But that wouldn’t be smart. “She’s threatening to go for sole custody if I don’t stay out of any kind of romantic relationship, believe it or not.”
Allison quickly removed her hand. “You’re kidding.”
“I wish I was, but her threats are no joke.”
“I, uh, didn’t mean to imply they were.” She paused, as if she was thinking over her response very carefully. “Do you think she has any ground to stand on?”
He lifted one shoulder. “My lawyer has advised me not to risk it, and I’m listening. Nothing is more important than my kids.”
“Of course not,” Allison hastily said. “You’re a good dad, Sam. The best. Your children are very fortunate to have you.” She looked away. “Not everyone is that blessed.”
He studied her delicate profile, illuminated by just the dashboard lights, noting what looked like a slight stiffness in her jaw. “You sound like you speak from experience.”
“I kind of do, actually,” she said in a very small voice.
Her tone had his curiosity surging. “How so?”
She took a deep breath. “My parents were workaholics.” She hesitated, then sighed. “My dad ran the farm and my mom handled the business end. Each day at sunup, they both left for the office in an outbuilding on the property. They came home after sundown, fell into bed and repeated the same thing the next day. Seven days a week.”
He scratched his head, trying to make sense of what she was saying. “Running a farm the size of theirs had to be a lot of work….”
“Well, sure. But it went further than that,” she said, an edge growing in her voice. “We had a babysitter when we were small, but once I was ten and my sisters came along, I learned early on how to get myself out the door to school in the morning without help. I learned to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches about that same time. I came home, the babysitter left and I was pretty much in charge. When I was old enough, I made dinner and made sure everyone’s homework was done. We were alone, just the three of us, almost all the time, and I was expected to be a live-in babysitter when I wasn’t at school as soon as I was legally allowed to be left alone with my sisters.”
He sensed more. He held out his hand—how could he not?—to offer a lifeline; this was obviously difficult for her to talk about. “Go on.”
She took hold, and he felt her small, soft hand shaking in his grasp as she closed her eyes briefly, seemingly working up her courage to speak.
“It’s okay. You can tell me,” he said in the softest voice he had. He steeled himself for whatever she had to say, though his comfort wasn’t more important than hers. He’d listen no matter what she told him.
She hit him with an anguish-filled gaze. “They weren’t, um…demonstrative people. They never gave hugs, never came to my school events, not even my graduation. I never once heard either of them say they loved me. They called me as soon as they heard I was coming back to tell me that I was making a big mistake by taking on the store and that they thought I’d fail.”
His breath stole away in a rush. All he could do was sit there, unable to imagine what she’d been through. Yes, his mom had left without a care for him and Lori, but Dad had always been there to dole out lots of hugs, unconditional love and tender care. No one had cheered louder at Sam’s basketball games. No one had been prouder when Sam, and then two years later, Lori, had walked across the stage in the high school auditorium to accept their diplomas.
He saw Allison’s shoulders sag, and he wanted to reach out and hold her. But he shouldn’t. Couldn’t. Not with things the way they stood, and who knew when his issues with Teresa would be resolved. But he knew how Allison felt, knew how a parent’s love withheld could strike a wound so deep it never really healed.
So instead, he vocalized the empathy welling in him. “I know what it’s like to be emotionally deserted by a parent.”
She froze, and then her face softened. She turned toward him even more. “You do, don’t you?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” He looked out and saw the rain coming down and leaves clogging the gutter next to the curb. “My mom loved me and Lori so little she had no problem with just leaving and never coming back.”
Allison sat quietly for a moment. “Well, we have a lot in common, then, don’t we?”
“Yes, we do.” They shared a bond, and always had, except he hadn’t realized that until now. Something eased inside him.
“Sam?” she said, hesitation evident in her tone.
“Yes?”
“I…understand why you have to be careful with…a romantic relationship, and I respect that. Your kids are the priority and always will be, and that’s as it should be. I just hope that your situation with Teresa won’t affect my relationship with the twins. I really like spending time with them, and I don’t want to lose that.”
Her worry about her bond with Nicky and Rosie had a warm spot radiating from his chest outward. No surprise she would be concerned about the twins. That, it seemed, was the way she rolled. “I would never keep them from knowing you.”
“Oh, good,” she said, her shoulders sagging. “I’d be so sad if I couldn’t see them ever again.”
He tapped a finger on the steering wheel, thinking about what had been left unsaid. “So, maybe I’m being presumptuous, but I want us to be on the same page. You seeing Nicky and Rosie is all we can let happen, right?”
“Oh, right,” she replied right away, nodding. “And, really, that’s best all around. I have to focus on Happy Endings and you have to focus on what’s best for the kids. That doesn’t leave room for much else, does it?”
“No, it doesn’t,” he replied, determined not to sound disappointed. Reality couldn’t be ignored, not with so much at stake. He then added, “I respect you too much not to speak the truth.”
“I agree,” she said with a touch of brusqueness. “And thank you for your respect. It goes both ways.” She gathered up her purse and smoothed her coat.
“Good to know we understand each other.”
“It is, isn’t it?” she said with a bright edge to her voice. “Makes it easier all around.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, then, glad we got that figured out.” She gave him a close-lipped smile that, to his thinking, didn’t quite reach her pretty eyes, and then opened the door and got out. She turned and bent down to look at him through the open door. Her hair slid down to touch her smooth cheeks, and the wind picked up the strands and blew them around her face. “Well, thanks for the ride, Sam. I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome,” he s
aid, wishing he could reach out and rub her silky-looking hair between his fingers. “Don’t work too long.”
“Only until the work’s done.”
“Of course. Happy Endings is your priority.” For good reason. He couldn’t fault her for that.
“Yes, it is, so I better get to it.” She shut the door with a clunk, waved and turned and went to the store’s doorway under the wide awning.
While she unlocked the door, he stayed put to be sure she got in safely. The door opened and she slipped inside without a look back and closed it behind her. He sat, still watching, and briefly saw her standing inside through the open blinds. And then, after a moment, the blinds rotated shut and she was gone from sight.
And Sam was alone in the dark with nothing but the hollow sound of the rain, the low howl of the wind and the lingering scent of peaches to keep him company.
Chapter Nine
Saturday dawned sunny, with just the vestiges of the rain from the night before left on the street. Allison arrived at Happy Endings a little after dawn to continue working on inventory data entry. She had to get the numbers entered so she could relax a tad—until the next challenge popped up.
Bring it on, she thought. Working made her feel worthwhile. Needed. Part of something meaningful, and with the town’s well-being involved, she was an integral part of something bigger than simply what she wanted for herself. She couldn’t ask for much more.
She dutifully kept thoughts of Sam in the back of her mind, where they belonged. He was a distraction she could not afford, especially after they’d talked last night. It would be easy to get caught up in the wounds they shared, but she wouldn’t let that happen, especially now that she knew he wouldn’t, either, what with Teresa’s custody threats hanging over him. So as long as Allison could see the twins once in a while, she’d be content. An auntlike relationship with the two darlings would be enough. It had to be.
As opening approached—Viv had the morning off—Allison dusted all the shelves and cleaned the front windows to be sure everything looked sparkling clean and inviting.
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