Page 8 of Through the Dark Night
“That would be wonderful if you would. I need to stop at the hardware store.”
“It’ll be a pleasant surprise to find out that Lance has taken over the hardware store from his dad. It’s great to know that some things never change.”
Shannon’s heart flipped and sank at the mention of Lance. She hadn’t been allowing herself to think of him at all. She had kind of been hoping that he had finally left town and she wouldn’t have to face him.
“That’s nice,” she said, knowing her tone sounded like it was anything but.
“I know, isn’t it?” Lauren said, completely missing Shannon’s discomfort. “It’s so comforting to know that some things never change. That’s one of the reasons why it was so nice to be able to open upMom’s bakeshop again. I know that she would love to know that I’m here with my family, but it’s also just nice for people who come to town to see that the store is still here, that some things stand the test of time, you know?” She smiled at her husband, who gave her one last grin before he disappeared into the back.
Shannon’s marriage hadn’t stood the test of time, but it was like Lauren had just said, it took two. She had wanted to put the work in. She would have been willing, if her husband had let her know that there was any kind of problem. But it hadn’t been like that—he’d found someone else that he wanted more than her, and by the time she found out about it, he was already so deep in a relationship that he hadn’t wanted to let the other woman go. So it was Shannon who had been let go.
The bell over the door rang, and more customers walked in. Shannon slipped out, giving Lauren a wave and letting her know that she would be back again. Definitely. Those apple cider donuts were addicting, she was afraid.
At least she’d resisted the temptation to buy a dozen anyway.
She calculated in her mind how much time it would take if she just walked back to the inn, got her car, and then drove to Blueberry Beach to see if they had a hardware store. She was pretty sure they did. Maybe there was even one in Strawberry Sands and she wouldn’t have to go quite that far, but that was just her being silly. Why would she get in her car and drive to a different town when she could walk to the store next door?
She knew the answer—she would do it just to avoid Lance.
But she wasn’t such a fool as to think that she could live in Raspberry Ridge and avoid Lance forever, so, dredging up what little nerve she had left, she walked a few steps down the street to the hardware store and opened the door.
She wished she hadn’t opened it with quite such force, because the bells seemed to clang and jangle above her in extra loud tones.
It still sounded the same way it did decades ago when his dad ran the shop. She remembered trying to think of excuses to go to the hardware store back then, just in case Lance was working the counter after school.
Lance—a man, it had to be Lance—looked up from helping anothercustomer. Shannon had heard the phrase “time stood still,” but she never really experienced it before.
She definitely experienced it then. It was Lance. Same kind eyes, same strong nose, same tanned face, although maybe just a little older, a little more weather-beaten, and there was silver lacing his hair now.
“Shannon?” There were decades of questions in his tone.
She had forgotten to breathe, and her lungs screamed at her just in time as the edges of her vision grew black. She sucked in a breath.
“Lance,” she said, wishing her tone sounded normal but knowing it didn’t.
She cleared her throat and tried again. “It’s been a long time.”
“Too long,” he said, his eyes narrowing, and there were still questions in his tone. It was like he had forgotten the customer in front of him. She wandered off, maybe knowing that whatever was going on between Lance and Shannon deserved to happen without interruption.
“How are you?” he asked, and there was definitely concern and caring in his voice. He’d always been sweet and kind, even as a teen. He’d been extra considerate and one of the best people she knew, man or woman. She had no idea why she had turned him down and chosen James. No idea. She had been a fool.
But true to form, Lance didn’t seem angry, and he wasn’t carrying a grudge.
“I’ve been well.” She figured that was the truth. She hadn’t been good—she’d actually been pretty bad, considering all the things that had happened to her—but she hadn’t been sick, so her words were true.
They were still staring at each other, and with the presence of the other customers in the store, Shannon felt like she needed to say something.
“So you took over your dad’s store?”
He nodded. “They passed away, and Katie needed me, so I stayed here.” He looked like he might have been going to say something more, but he didn’t.
“Are you back to stay?” he asked, and it seemed like there might have been hope in his voice. But that was ridiculous. There couldn’t have been. Their relationship, what it was, was long ago, and he couldn’t still be holding a torch for her.
She was tempted to ask if he was married, but instead she looked at his ring finger—his bare ring finger—as she answered him. “Yes. I’m staying here for the rest of my life. I bought the old inn.”
“The Sunset Inn?” he asked, sounding shocked.
“The very one,” she said, wondering if, like some men, he didn’t wear a ring because there was a danger of it getting caught in machinery. After all, he ran a hardware store, but… The only machinery he ran was the cash register, right?
