Page 30 of Love In Harbor Falls

“Of course. You’re going to have the best grand opening ever!” She smiled. “Besides, it’ll keep me busy and my mind off—well, you know.”

I softly smiled as I handed the paper back to her.

“I know. Thank you so much. Where did you learn to bake like this?”

“My mom was a huge cook and baker. She had me helping in the kitchen when I was four years old.”

The thing about Annie was she had a lot of time on her hands. She didn’t work because she didn’t have to. Jerry made more than enough money to support their lifestyle. He was the V.P. of the finance department at the local bank. He started out as an intern while he was in college, and after he graduated, they offered him a full-time position, and he’d been climbing the ranks ever since. He was thirty-eight years old and could retire if he wanted to. At least that’s what Annie said. She liked to brag about her husband’s achievements. They had been married for ten years. Neither wanted children at first, but now, they did, and Annie was worried because she wasn’t getting any younger. She had confided in me one day that she believed she couldn’t get pregnant because they never wanted children. She said God was punishing her for not wanting one of his greatest gifts before now. I didn’t believe that and knew Annie would make a great mom.

A while after Annie left, and just as the sun began to set, I locked the door to the gallery and began setting up my first display. There was so much to do, and I honestly didn’t know how I would finish it before the grand opening in a couple of weeks. Standing on a step stool, I hung the first piece of artwork in one of the collections. Standing back and examining it, I heard a light tap on the door. Turning my head to see who it was, Colin stood there holding a large brown bag with a smile. I walked over, unlocked the door, and held it open while he stepped inside.

“Hi.” I smiled.

“Hi.” A grin crossed his lips.

“What are you doing here?”

“I saw Annie at the bar, and she said you would be here a while setting up some displays, so I brought dinner and thought I’d give you a hand. You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

“No. I was going to grab something on the way home.”

“I hope you don’t mind me dropping by like this.”

“Not at all. Thank you for bringing dinner by, but I am not letting you help with the display.”

“Why not? It’s what I do.” He smirked.

“Is that so?” I cocked my head.

“Sure is. I’m a master at hanging artwork.” He gave a playful wink.

“Unfortunately, we’re going to either have to sit on the floor and eat or over here at the counter. I don’t have any furniture in here yet. It’s coming next week.”

“This place looks great. It's a lot better than when it was the secondhand store. I can grab a blanket in my truck, and we can sit on it.”

“Great. By all means, go get your blanket.”

I couldn’t believe he was here. My nerves were getting the best of me after what happened last night. I’d spent all day trying to get it out of my head, but my body wouldn’t let me forget.

Colin ran out to the truck, parked along the curb, grabbed the blanket, and spread it out on the floor in front of the first hung painting.

Sitting on the floor, I opened the bag and pulled out two chicken sandwiches, a macaroni salad, fresh-cut fruit, two bottles of water, a couple of paper plates, napkins, and plastic silverware.

“I hope you like chicken sandwiches. We have the best around.”

Judging by what I’ve eaten from your bar so far, I wouldn’t be surprised. Oh my gosh, this is so good,” I said as I took a bite.

“I told you. One thing you can always count on me for is that I would never lie to you.”

The fierce fluttering inside my belly intensified as we reached for the same plastic fork. Our fingers lightly brushed each other’s.

“Here you go.” Colin smiled as he handed me a fork.

“Thank you.”

As I sat there and ate the chicken sandwich and macaroni salad, I realized I didn’t really know all that much about him. I knew he inherited the bar and grille from his parents, who passed away. I knew Rosie and Carl were his aunt and uncle. I knew he had a sister named Katherine, and his ex-girlfriend broke off their engagement a week before the wedding. But that was it, so I decided to ask him.

“You said you always lived in Harbor Falls?”

---