by Mia Carson
“Why do you look so happy today?” she asked, setting her purse on the counter.
“I could ask you the same,” he said. “There is something different about you, yet sadness still lingers in your eyes.”
“Well, I got some good news today on top of some shitty news,” she admitted. “Sam’s in remission.”
Joe smiled brightly and hurried around the counter to hug her tightly. “That’s wonderful! It’s about time he gets a break. Is he coming home soon?”
“Sunday,” she said as he let her go. “He’s excited to be out of the hospital again—as long as I can keep a roof over our heads, which is why I’m here.” She dug around in her purse and carefully pulled out the family heirloom wrapped in newspaper. She set it on the counter and, with a shaky breath, unwrapped it.
“That is a beautiful piece,” he said and leaned closer to look at the stones. “Very intricate detailing here between the sapphires. Iris, are you certain you wish to sell this piece?”
“I don’t have a choice,” she told him as he wandered off into his shop and disappeared. “Joe?”
“One moment,” he called back, and she peered through the shelves and stacked furniture, searching for him, but he came back from a completely different place and made her jump when he started talking from behind her.
“Damn you and your silence,” she muttered.
He smirked. “You can blame that on my ancestors,” he said, holding a framed picture in his hand. “And that necklace is part of your history.”
“What are you talking about?”
He pointed to a woman in the old, stained, tinted photograph. “You see this woman here? She was the wife of the founder of Lundy, and that,” he told her, glancing at the necklace on the counter, “is around her neck.”
“What?” Iris gasped and leaned closer, her eyes straining to see better. “But these two are the founders of Lundy! How the hell did I wind up with her necklace?”
“I do not know,” Joe said, “but there must be a reason for it.”
“Please don’t give me ‘there’s a reason for everything the spirits do’ speech,” she mumbled and handed the photo back. “I don’t believe in any of that, not anymore. All I care about is keeping a roof over our heads now that Sam’s coming home.”
Joe looked like he wanted to say more, but he nodded stiffly and moved back behind the counter. He left the photo in sight, and Iris’s eyes drifted back to the woman. She wasn’t smiling, but there was something in her eyes that even the test of time had not been able to strip away from the photograph. Joe picked up the necklace, looking over every inch of it as he muttered under his breath, but Iris tuned him out. She swore she’d seen this woman before, and not just in the large photo in their tiny city hall.
“What was her name?” she asked.
“Who?” Joe asked and glanced up. “Ah, that is Gyda Lundy, the wife of Boden Lundy. They came together, but you know this.”
“I do, but I couldn’t remember her name,” she said quietly, running her fingers over the photo.
“You can keep that photograph, if you like,” he told her. “It has been in this shop since I opened it many years ago. Tried to convince your father to take it, but he said if I found it in my shop, then it should remain.”
Iris frowned and looked around. “I thought you built this shop?”
“No, this building was constructed fifty years before my shop,” he said with a chuckle. “I am old but not that old.” He reached out an old, weathered, tanned hand, resting it on hers. “I miss them, too. Miss having my business partners.”
Iris smiled then laughed when she remembered what her dad always told them Joe said. “He said you only did business with him because he was the only white-skinned man you could trust to watch his shop.”
Joe burst out laughing, the booming sound echoing around his shop. “That is very true. Not many are good to the Sioux in this town, but your father and mother, they were good people.”
“I know,” she murmured, and her smile fell, the small moment of happiness gone. “And now, they’re gone, leaving me with a mess I don’t think I’ll ever get out of. The medical bills are piling up, and I won’t be able to keep the house for another three months, let alone keep the electricity on. I can’t find a damn job in this tiny-ass town, and I’ve sold every last bit of anything our family ever had. I can’t do this, Joe, I just… I can’t.”
She rested her head on the counter, hating that she dumped everything on a man who’d been nothing but helpful since the accident. He’d tried to help her keep the antique shop open, but her heart was too broken by the loss to care as much as she should. Everything fell apart so quickly, and the pieces were too scattered for her to scoop them together again.
“Iris, why did you not tell me you were unemployed?” Joe asked sternly. “I assumed you found a job with that man of yours, Jenson.”
Iris stiffened and glanced away so Joe wouldn’t see the fury on her face. “We haven’t been together for a few months, and I don’t think I could work with him, not anymore.”
“What happened that you’re clearly trying to avoid telling me?” he asked, using that stern, grandfatherly tone she was always compelled to answer. But this was something she knew would send Joe over the edge. “Iris?”
“Nothing. It just ended badly, and the last thing I want to do is talk about Jenson.”
His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t push her. “How much did you want for the necklace?” he asked quietly, holding it up so the sapphires sparkled in the light.
“What’s it worth?”
“Let me put this another way,” Joe said as he laid the necklace down and folded his hands on the counter. “How much money do you need to get through this month? And don’t you dare try to lie to me. I’ll find out, I have my ways.”
Iris clamped her mouth shut on that protest and hung her head. She was months behind on the electric and gas. She’d received several notices already about cutting both off, but thankfully, she knew the people who ran those offices and they were trying to give her extra time. Everyone knew about her parents and Sam, but she knew their kindness couldn’t last forever and she didn’t want it to. It was bad enough how much charity she’d already accepted, and she knew most of the items she brought to Joe were worth way less than what he gave her, but after the first argument they’d had over the prices, she gave up fighting the man.
“Three thousand would get the utilities caught up and pay for the house,” she answered finally.
“Then I shall give you four for good measure, and if you are ever behind on your utilities again, you are to call me straight away. I will not have Jim Newton’s daughter losing electricity or gas and freezing through the winter. Do you understand me?”
“Joe, really, I just need a little time—”
He held up his hand, and Iris immediately fell silent. “That was a yes or no question, and all I’m going to hear is a yes.”
“You know I can’t pay you back… for any of this,” she said as angry tears filled her eyes before she wiped them quickly away. Joe handed her a handkerchief from his pocket and smiled softly. “Thanks.”
“Jim was a very good friend of mine,” he told her quietly. “He and Astrid. It wasn’t just business either, and you know that as well as I do. People in this town loved them. They still do, and they will not let you or your brother want for anything.” He opened the register behind him, counted out the bills, and tucked them safely in an envelope. “Pay your bills and expect a phone call from me soon.”
Iris put the money in the zipper pocket on the inside of her purse. “A phone call?”
“Yes, now go. It’s Friday night, and you should take some time for yourself to relax,” he insisted.
“After I pay some bills,” she said and clung tightly to her purse, watching as Joe wrapped the necklace up gently and tucked it away behind the counter, out of sight. Her brow furrowed as she glanced around the shop. “Joe, why don’t I ever see any of t
he items I’ve sold you up for sale?”
“I’m simply a bit behind on my cataloging,” he said, but the glimmer in his eyes said there was more than he shared. “Now go.”
Her lips screwed up to the side in thought, but she gave in and turned to go when she remembered the man she ran into. “Did you see the new guy in town?”
“The man with the beard scruff, longer hair?” he clarified.
“Yeah, ran into him outside. Did he come from your shop?”
“If you’re asking did he sell something, all I can say is yes,” he said, tapping his fingers lightly on the counter. “You know I can’t say what it was, though he was quite happy to be rid of it. Relieved, even.”
“Did you catch his name?” she asked hopefully, but Joe crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine, fine, I’m going. Thank you, Joe, really.”
“Out, Iris. I will talk to you soon.”
The walk back through town wasn’t as depressing as before, but Iris was far from happy. She walked down the two blocks to the electric company’s tiny office and caught up on payments, then did the same with the gas company. Finally, she went to the bank to safely deposit the rest of the cash for the remainder of the bills. Her heart lightened and her breathing steadied, realizing that whatever Joe was going to call about had to be something good or he wouldn’t bother. Iris grinned, wondering what the old man was up to now, until someone called her name from the front porch of their small house.
Her steps came a sudden halt, and she staggered. “Shit. What the hell are you doing here, Jenson?”
The tall blond man standing on her porch glared at her before he quickly covered it with a shrug and a grin. “Is that how you treat your boyfriend?”
“You stopped being my boyfriend when I was… How did you say it? Oh, that’s right,” she snapped. “'Too depressed to deal with on a regular basis.' Get the hell off my front porch and don’t come back.”
She walked past him to the front door, ignoring him, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. Jenson followed behind her, and she flung her purse down on the floor. “What’s your problem, honey? I wanted to come by and say hi.”
“You said it, now get out.”
“Why would I do that?” he asked. “You know what I saw today? I saw you smile like you used to a long time ago. I saw the old Iris coming back, the fun Iris.” He emphasized his words and reached for her, but she backed away quickly. His hand curled into a tight fist, and his smile strained, but it remained on his face. “I want to be around if that Iris is making an appearance again.”
Gritting her teeth, Iris turned her back on him and marched into the kitchen. It was still early, but a bottle of wine was a desperate need if she was going to keep herself together with Jenson wandering around her living room like he lived there again. He plopped down hard on the couch, making the springs creak, and tossed his feet up on the table. His dusty boots mocked her, and Iris lost it. Wielding the bottle of wine, she yelled and charged towards him. Jenson jumped to his feet and backpedaled towards the front door, his hands up to defend himself.
“You pompous, arrogant asshole! Get your fucking dusty boots out of my fucking house, or I’m calling the sheriff. Do you understand me?” she raged, the wine bottle held over her shoulder like a baseball bat.
“You’re insane, you know that?” he snapped, his face darkening.
A sliver of fear slipped down her spine, and she thought about another night a year ago. She knew the second he saw that fear in her eyes because he grinned and reached for the wine bottle. He yanked it from her hands, and Iris stepped back and away, snatching up her purse and grabbing her phone.
“One push, and I’m on the phone with the sheriff,” she warned him, hating the shaking in her voice.
“The sheriff likes me, remember?” he said and set the bottle down on the table but didn’t move closer. “Oh, come on, Iris, you know you’re meant to be with me.”
“You don’t leave the person you love when her parents die and her brother has cancer, you fucking moron,” she growled. “Get out of my house and do not come back again. You aren’t the only one in this town who can shoot.”
His eyes narrowed, and a flicker of the Jenson she knew existed beneath his handsome face appeared. “You threatening me?”
“I’m reminding you that my dad was the best shot in this whole damn town, and he taught me well.”
“You should watch what you say and know that no matter what, the sheriff will always be on my side,” he said with a leer. “Remember whose family owns his.”
“Funny, the sheriff doesn’t seem like the type of man to let it slide that you nearly gave me a black eye but punched a hole in my wall instead—a hole that’s still there, by the way,” she muttered and glanced at the painting she’d hung over the couch to hide it. “Get out of my house. I won’t say it again.”
Jenson lifted his lip in a snarl but moved for the door. “I’ll see you around, Iris. It’s a small town, after all, and with your brother sick and you broke… It's not like you’re going anywhere anytime soon.” He blew her a kiss that sent shivers through her body before he turned and left, slamming the front door hard enough behind him to shake the walls.
For a few long minutes after he’d gone, Iris stood in her living room, watching the front door. She knew he wasn’t dumb enough to come back so quickly, but her heart hammered in her chest. Her eyes fixed on the painting hiding the hole in the wall. Sam didn’t even know about it. If he did, he’d risk making himself weaker by trying to go after the son of a bitch. But it didn’t matter. He was gone, and Iris was going to make sure she wouldn’t run into him again. His dad was the mayor, so Jenson was usually busy doing business around town for him. Hopefully, he’d be too busy with the holiday festivals approaching to spend much time worrying about her.
Iris showered, changed into her tight jeans, black boots, and a roomy black sweater with a low neckline before she grabbed her purse again and headed for the door.
“Joe said to have some fun,” she told the empty house. “So let’s go have some fun.”
Chapter 3
Alec’s intention for Friday night had been to buy more beer and sit in his new house, void of furniture, and watch whatever was on TV. August had other ideas and dragged his brother out of the house to the only bar in Lundy. The country music wasn’t too loud, and they settled at a table towards the rear wall, sipping on their drinks as they caught up on the last three years. Alec didn’t say it, but he was damn jealous of August running off and seeing the entire world. He told him about his adventures in Europe, even traveling as far as Japan and down to Australia.
“How much money did Mom give you?” Alec teased after he saw the pictures of August bungee jumping and zip lining.
“Enough to make sure I wouldn’t come back,” he said, and both brothers laughed, clinking their beer bottles together. “But I couldn’t stay away.”
“How did you hear about what happened?”
“Alec Wolf moves away for the first time, and you think I’m not going to hear it? That, and every damn tabloid was talking about the engagement being called off, and I know you. There had to be a reason to do it.”
His eyes roamed the bar. Quite a few of the locals watched him curiously but none of them seemed inhospitable. Most of them raised their glasses to him and grinned before going back to their own conversations.
“You sure picked a friendly town,” August chimed in with a smirk. “Though no one can resist your roguish charm.”
“That’s not true,” he argued halfheartedly. “There were quite a few women who wanted nothing to do with me, if you recall.”
“I remember one,” August said, laughing harder. “And that’s only because she fell for me first.”
“Too bad you didn’t warn me about Nikki,” he muttered. “I should’ve seen through that cheating, lying bitch, but no. I let her crawl into my heart and kill me from the inside.”
August whistled loudly. “Damn, she did get yo
u good, but it’s over now. Time to get out of mope-ville and find a new woman.”
“I don’t think I’m in a good place for a relationship,” he warned. “Besides, I just moved and opened up a new gun range. I need some time to settle in.”
“No, you need to get your ass back on the horse… or have a cowgirl get back on your horse…Whatever, you need a one-night stand, if nothing else,” August declared and turned so his back pressed against the wall. “What made you pick Lundy?”
Alec shrugged one shoulder, and as the waitress passed, he raised his hand and motioned for two more beers. She nodded and turned towards the bar as the front doors opened again and a woman walked in. She sat at the bar, her shoulders slumped, and the waitress patted her on one shoulder, leaning in close to talk to her. Alec straightened, squinting through the hazy air.
“Hey, man, you aren’t drunk enough to avoid the question,” August said and poked him in the shoulder.
“Uh… not sure. It was small and out of the way, and there’s no way in hell Nikki will find me here,” he replied quietly though his eyes never left the woman. He needed her to turn, needed to see her face, and when the waitress walked away, she finally did. “I knew it.”
“Knew what? Who are you staring at?”
“That woman at the bar… black sweater… I bumped into her today,” he told August quietly.
“She’s quite the looker,” August agreed, “but that doesn’t explain the weird look on your face right now.”
Alec frowned, not sure how to explain what he’d seen in that brief moment with the woman on the sidewalk. She’d looked so lost and alone when her gray eyes met his. Her hands shook as he watched her tug on her purse and glance away quickly as if worried someone would see the pain etched into the lines of her face. He’d seen that look much too often in the mirror of late, but to see someone else in just as much pain struck him. He hadn’t asked her damn name, and she showed up in the bar, the same time as him. It had to be a sign.
