Page 5 of Midnight Clear

“I haven’t sat down yet,” Sophie said, rolling her eyes and then scooting into the center of the booth next to her sister.

“Never mattered before,” Junie said. “We’re already on our second basket. If this were the only food left on the planet I would die a happy woman.”

“And you’d weigh six hundred pounds,” Lori said, eyeing another roll and sighing softly to herself. She’d been on every no-carb diet there was, but bread was her weakness.

“Oh, live a little,” Maggie said, putting a roll on Lori’s bread plate, and then she turned her attention to Sophie. “What happened today? You’ve got that little line between your eyes you get when you’re aggravated.”

Sophie rubbed at the line in question and then bit fiercely into her roll. “Just the usual,” she said. “Plus a couple of broken candles and a heater that keeps threatening to go out.” Then she let out a deep sigh. “And Hank O’Hara came in.”

Her mother’s brows rose and she and Aunt Lori both moved in, propping their elbows on the table.

“Did he now?” Maggie asked.

“Lordy, can that man fill out a pair of Wranglers,” Lori said.

“Amen, sister,” Junie said, toasting her roll with Aunt Lori’s.

Sophie felt the color rise in her cheeks and her voice was stiff when she said, “Who knew he had such a fan club.” And then she turned to her sister. “And what are you doing looking at a man’s Wranglers? You’re married.”

“I’m not dead,” Junie said under her breath.

“What’d he want?” Maggie asked. “I’m assuming by the fire spitting in your eyes that he wasn’t asking you out on a date.”

“Over my dead body,” Sophie said, looking down at the empty basket of rolls and wondering who had eaten them all. “He just waltzed in, big as life, and then told me he wanted to meet me for breakfast so he could buy the bookstore.”

Sophie felt vindicated at the mirrored expressions around the table. Everyone’s mouth dropped open, and then the questions started coming, one on top of another.

“What—?”

“Why would he want a bookstore?—?”

“Insanity—”

“I think it’s a great idea?—”

Everyone stopped and looked at Maggie.

“I don’t think I heard you correctly,” Sophie said. “It sounded like you said it was a great idea.”

Maggie nodded her head. “That’s what I said.”

“She hasn’t been drinking,” Junie said, leaning over to sniff her mother.

“Of course not,” Maggie said, laughing.

“Why in the world would you want me to sell Grandma’s bookstore to Hank O’Hara? It’s our family legacy.”

“Oh pish,” Maggie said, waving a hand. “That’s exactly the reason you should sell it. Because it’s Grandma’s bookstore. I was stuck with it for thirty years. And now you are. Maybe instead of holding on to someone else’s legacy, you should start your own. That bookstore has become an albatross around your neck. That was never my intention for you to take on that burden.”

“But I love the bookstore,” Sophie said, shocked at her mother’s words. “I thoughtyouloved the bookstore.”

“I tolerated the bookstore because it helped keep a roof over our heads,” she said, smiling gently. “But it was never my dream. If the bookstore is your dream then that’s what I want for you. But maybe you haven’t given yourself a chance to dream because you always thought the bookstore was what was expected of you. I’m just saying, it wouldn’t hurt to hear Hank out. If anything, maybe you can make a fortune off the sale and open something new. With a working furnace and insulation.”

“Ooh, I could get behind that,” Junie said, grinning. “Or you could just make Hank fall in love with you and you could be a pampered housewife for the rest of your life.”

Sophie felt her cheeks heat. “I would never marry someone for their money.” She immediately regretted her words because she knew her sister absolutely had married for money. It helped that they adored each other, but Junie wouldn’t have looked twice at Rory Kelley if he’d been a pauper.

“Besides, I told you,” Sophie said. “I love the bookstore. I love the books. I love the smell and the stories and the excitement of putting new releases on the shelf every Tuesday. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”

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