Page 6 of Harmony Island Gazette
I frowned, not expecting her to say that. She flourished her pen like she had just finished off her sentence with a period and glanced up at me. She sniffled, and I knew that I couldn’t let her walk away until I asked if everything was okay. “Mrs. Godwin?—”
“Betty.”
I blinked. My momma had raised me to be a good southern boy. You never called a lady by her first name. “Miss Betty.”
She gave me an exasperated look before she nodded. “Yes?”
“Is everything okay?”
She tucked the clipboard under her arm so she could pinch the bridge of her nose. She closed her eyes, and I watched as her shoulders rose and fell with each breath. “I’m just worried.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
She pulled her hand away from her nose and glanced up at me. “You’re already helping more than you know.” She smiled. “Your help with Juni and around the store…has been a blessing.”
“Of course.”
She studied me as if she were weighing her words carefully. Then I saw something shift in her gaze. Like she had made a decision. “I got a call from my sister this morning. She lives in California.”
“Okay.”
She glanced around her. “She had an irregular mammogram.” She paused. “A mammogram is where they take a woman’s breast?—”
“I know what a mammogram is,” I said quickly. The earlier conversation with Mrs. Godwin and Juniper had taken a strange turn. I wasn’t ready to relive that awkwardness all by myself. At least outside of the bathroom, I could leave Juniper to deal with her mom. There was no way I could leave Mrs. Godwin standing in the lunch meat section alone. My upbringing wouldn’t allow me to leave her mid conversation.
Mrs. Godwin blinked. “Right. You have a mom.” She shook her head. “Anyway, I want to be there for my sister. But Rich…he won’t leave Juni with Kevin in town. I was thinking that you might be able to…” She let her voice trial off as she tipped her face forward and raised her eyebrows.
I frowned, not wanting to misinterpret. “Do you want me to convince him to go?” I asked.
“Rich trusts you. If you tell him you’ve got everything covered, I’m sure he’ll feel much better about leaving.”
It was strange to me how trusting the Godwins were. To me, if a person was breathing, they could hurt you. Even the most kind and passive person could turn on a dime. So it was unnerving that these people would be so willing to leave their store and their daughter in the hands of a man they just met.
Sure, I had the backing of a few people in town. People that had grown up with my mom and had known me since I was a boy. But Betty and Rich didn’t know much about me. It felt as if they were desperate to trust someone and I was their best option.
“If that’s what Mr. Godwin really wants, I’m happy to help.”
Betty’s eyes glistened with tears once more as she smiled up at me. “Thank you, Boone. You’re such a good guy.”
I forced a smile even though her words didn’t make me happy. If I was such a good guy, my mom might still be alive. If Mrs. Godwin only knew how much I’d failed the one woman who I should have protected, she might not say those words. But her eyes were so wide and her smile so big, all I could do was nod. “Thanks.”
“Let me go see if I can find him,” she said as she pulled out her clipboard and hurried away, flipping papers, before I could stop her.
I hadn’t meant that I would talk to him right this moment. Mrs. Godwin was gone before I could say anything. I was left standing there, with lunch meat in both hands, staring at her retreating frame and wondering what I’d just gotten myself into.
I had just finished breaking down the box when Mr. Godwin stumbled toward me. He was protesting as Mrs. Godwin shoved him toward me.
“Lord, woman,” he grumbled as he straightened up, rubbing his back. “Whatever Boone has to say to me, I can take my own time getting to him.”
“We don’t have a lot of time,” she said as she followed behind him, waving her hand in my direction. “Talk to him.”
Mrs. Godwin was sneaky. Suddenly,Iwas the one who had to convince Mr. Godwin to leave his business and daughter solidly in my hands. I straightened and set the box cutter down on the top of the cart.
“Alright, son,” Mr. Godwin said as he squared his shoulders and stood in front of me. “What do you have to talk to me about so badly that my wife had to manhandle me to get me over here?”
Embarrassment coursed through me as heat pricked at my skin. I glanced over at Mrs. Godwin, who looked so hopeful as she studied me. I really was on my own. I sucked in my breath and turned back to look at Mr. Godwin.
“Sir,” I started, and then every single word flew from my mind. How much did I say? How was I going to convince this man that he should take his wife away from his home and leave me in charge?
