Page 13 of A Soft Kiss in Summer
She had to stay hidden until he got tired of trying to find her and went home.
Her thoughts wandered most of the day, her gaze sliding to the door every time she walked out from behind the counter, and by late afternoon, she wondered where Edwin was.Why hadn’t he come to the store yet?
She was so lost in thought, she didn’t see anyone approach the door and never looked up until the bell above it rang.Her heart skipped a beat, her lungs seizing until she saw Mabel and Hazel walk inside and breathed a sigh of relief.
Hazel headed for the back of the store as Mabel approached the counter.The look on her face caused anxiety to twist her stomach into knots.She knew something.
Did Edwin tell her about this whole debacle?She wanted to ask if he was still at her boarding house but was afraid the mention of his name might conjure him right out of thin air, so she held her tongue.
Mabel gave her a tiny smile and set a basket on the counter.“Afternoon, Violet.”
“Hey, Mabel.”She glanced into the basket.It was full of preserves and canned fruit.Before she could ask if she wanted to sell them, Mabel leaned over to whisper to her.
“I had an interesting conversation over lunch with a young man who rented a room at the boarding house last night.”
The knot forming in her throat made it hard to swallow and when she did, the gulping noise sounded loud enough that Hazel probably heard it from the back of the store.“Oh?Is that right?”
The woman nodded.“Now you know I don’t like gossiping about my customers, but when he throws a question at me about the people who live here, well I can’t help but ask.”
Violet closed her eyes.She knew what was coming before Mabel even opened her mouth and wondered how long it would take for the news to travel.If Hazel knew, she’d tell the entire town.There wasn’t a secret anyone told that Hazel hadn’t spilled.The woman lived to huddle in small groups and whisper the goings-on of the townsfolk, and the messy situation she found herself in now would be enough fodder for Hazel to chew on for weeks.
“Did you promise to marry a young man from Elkin?”Mabel asked.
Violet blew out a breath.“No.It was just a huge misunderstanding on his part and he’s being hardheaded about it.”
“Hmmm, I see.”Mabel glanced over her shoulder to see where Hazel was, if she had to guess.“Well, after he threw a snit over your refusal to marry him, he asked me how long you’d been engaged to Josiah.”She straightened and gave her a sly smile.“Now, that piece of information threw me.”The woman grinned and raised an eyebrow.“Is he telling the truth?Are you and Josiah getting hitched?”
That headache started pounding so hard she heard it thrumming in her ears.She knew this was going to turn into a mess.“No, I just told Edwin that, so he’d go home.”
“Oh.”Mabel frowned.“Does Josiah know you told a fib like that?”
“Yes, but thankfully he went along with it.”
Mabel looked surprised.“Well, Josiah has always been eager to help anyone in need.”
Movement near the door grabbed her attention, and she gasped when she saw Edwin beyond the glass panes.She hit her knees and hurriedly crawled to the curtain, barely getting behind it before she heard his voice.
“Ms.Simmons,” Edwin said when he approached the counter.“I’m glad I found you.I wanted to thank you for the wonderful meals and conversation and for listening to me when no one else around here would.You have my gratitude.”
“Oh, well, it was my pleasure, Mr.Wright.”
“I’m headed back to Elkin, so I won’t be needing the room again.”
Violet peeked through the curtain and didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath until Edwin turned and left the store.He didn’t even glance around as if to look for her, and it felt as if a fifty-pound sack had been lifted off her back.
She stepped out from behind the curtain and peeked out the front window.Edwin was unhitching a horse from the post in front of the store.Seeing as he came in on the stagecoach, he must have rented it from the livery stable.
She didn’t move until he’d ridden out of sight.The heaviness she’d been feeling since he rode into town eased, and she smiled when she turned back to face Mabel.“Well, looks as if that problem just solved itself.”
Mabel laughed.“Seems as if it all worked out.”
Hazel held up a pair of boots from the back of the store and waved them at her.“When did you get these in?”
Violet lifted her head and said, “Last week,” before turning back to Mabel.“You didn’t say anything to—”
Mabel cut her off before she could finish her sentence.“—Oh, heavens no.I didn’t say anything to anyone about anything.”
Violet smiled.“Thank you.”
