Page 34 of Guarded Secrets
No matter that he was predisposed to being a protector and would have done the same for anyone, she had the sinking feeling that her crush was on a fast dive into something deeper. She wasn’t too eager to examine the full extent of her feelings when Owen insisted on keeping his distance.
Except… There’d been that brief moment when he’d cradled her face in his hands, when his eyes had burned with a hunger that had made her heart yearn.
She didn’t know what to make of that moment.
Maybe it’d been her imagination creating what she wanted and ignoring reality. He hadn’t denied her assertion that he was looking out for her as a favor to her parents, but there’d been something about his touch that made it hard to extinguish all remnants of hope.
The grapevine worked fast and news of the night’s events had reached Delaney. Thankfully her friend had restrained herself and let Keeley sleep until nine before calling.
Finally satisfied after Keeley’d gone over every detail of the evening, they’d agreed to meet in town.
Their destination was Retro Days, the shop run by their friend Mateo’s mom, Antonia, which carried an eclectic mix of late mid-century furniture, housewares, toys, and miscellaneous other items.
Delaney stood with her hands on her hips. “What is it we’re looking for?”
“Vinyl records. Dad grew up in the late sixties and seventies when rock music was big. There’s an old turntable in the attic, and I thought if I found vintage albums he’d enjoy listening to the music.”
“You know any of the streaming services would have all the music from that era he could want.”
“I know, but according to Mom, when they were dating he’d pull out his records and play them for her. She gave me a list of some of his favorites. His doctor said tapping into solid old memories is sometimes helpful with Alzheimer’s patients.”
“I can see that. Okay, we’ll look for record albums. What happened to his collection?”
“I guess when CDs debuted, he embraced the new technology and got rid of his records. Too bad.”
Delaney pulled open the door, the bell above it making a tinkling sound. Speakers played The Doors intoning that this was the end.Entering Retro Days was like stepping onto the set of an old TV show.
At the counter with a customer, Antonia waved with her usual smiling friendliness. “Hello, girls,” she sang. “We’ve got a lot of new old things in. Have a look around.”
“Oh, my gosh, look at this, Delaney.” Keeley pulled her friend to a display of vintage toys and books. “Nancy Drew books with the yellow spine. My mom has the complete set.”
“We spent that one summer reading nothing but Nancy Drew, remember?” Delaney picked up a doll with bright orange hair. “Do you remember Trolls? I wonder if they still make these.”
They were browsing through bins of action figures when Antonia approached.
“Good thing you two came in, because I thought I’d have to hunt Delaney down.” Antonia looked amazing in a top with a vibrantly colored flower-power design paired with bell-bottom jeans and chunky boots. Her long black hair was shot with streaks of silver.
She stood with her arms crossed but couldn’t hold the stern look. She broke out in a beaming grin when she took Delaney into a hug. “I heard the news. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” Delaney shrugged, “except for my now tender boobs. I swear they grew a size overnight, which, by my husband’s behavior, is a fascinating development. Other than that, I wouldn’t know I’m pregnant.”
“You and Walker will be the best parents,” Antonia assured her. “This whole town is abuzz with the news you and your sisters are all pregnant at the same time. Do we have due dates?”
Delaney shook her head. “Nothing official. None of us has gone to the doctor yet, but by our calculations we’re all due in the weeks before Christmas.”
Antonia put her hands to her cheeks. “Holiday babies. Oh, that will be wonderful. Clara must be over the moon.”
“She is. We FaceTimed her with the news. She’s got another two weeks on her trip. I think she’s a little anxious to be home and assure herself that we’re all well.”
“Of course she is. That’s only natural.” Antonia turned to Keeley. “And what’s this I hear about you, young lady?”
“Me? I’m not having a baby.”
“Not a baby but, ooh la la, you’ve got one handsome boyfriend. That Owen Hardesty is both a good man and a good-looking man. Three months ago, someone broke into my store. Do you know what they took? Legos. I had two vintage Lego sets and they stole them, as well as three G.I. Joe dolls still in their original boxes. Hunky Owen helped me put in a security system with an alarm and cameras. He suggested I put tracking devices on my more valuable inventory, which I’ve done. He looks after our community.”
“They’re a cute couple,” Delaney added, her eyes dancing with delight.
Keeley held up her hand. She could feel her cheeks growing warm. “Sorry to quell the rumor, but Owen and I are not together.”
