LITMIR.BIZ

       Chapter 10

      “Thanks for the ride.” Grace unbuckled her seat belt.

      “I do what I can for my friends.” Humor and interest danced in Shane MacQuarrie’s steely gray eyes. Twentyish, he had sandy hair and a young, handsome face, yet an edgy aura warned he wasn’t as carefree as he should be at this age.

      They’d met the first time Grace checked into the Walker’s Run Resort and became fast friends.

      Not of the benefits variety, but he kept trying.

      A few years her junior, she considered him more of a little brother.

      His gaze drifted past Grace’s shoulder. “The R&L looks closed. Wanna grab a late lunch at Mabel’s?”

      “I had lunch with Cassie.”

      “I don’t want to leave you stranded.”

      “I’ve backpacked across Europe, Shane. I can handle myself in Maico.” Grace stepped down from the truck.

      His stare made her feel as if he were assessing her ability to do so.

      She closed the door and waved goodbye. She didn’t drop her practiced smile or let her shoulders drop until Shane’s truck disappeared down the road. The mechanical hum of cars from the nearby highway sounded more like a lullaby than the racket of city traffic.

      She glanced at the large, Colonial-design building on the far side of the town square. According to Brice, the top floor housed the town’s small municipal court while the first floor was home to the Maico Historical Society, the Merchant and Tourism Advocacy, and a few other public interest businesses she’d researched on Google. Most had poorly developed websites and social media accounts, some had none at all. This morning she’d called to inquire if they were interested in updating their online presence and she had received informal invitations to drop by tomorrow to discuss services.

      Might as well drum up some new clients for her web design business since she was going to be in town for a while.

      Cars dotted the parallel parking spaces of the mom-and-pop shops framing the pretty little park of bright green grass, huge shade trees and wooden benches. The quiet, picturesque scene looked and felt homey.

      She snapped a few pictures using her phone. A pinch of longing seeped into her heart. Because of her father’s military career, Grace didn’t have a childhood hometown. She envied people who committed not only to someone, but also to some place.

      When she got married, Grace believed she’d finally settle down in a real home. They’d started with a small apartment, but had had plans to grow.

      She’d hoped the restlessness within her would fade. Pretended that it had. Truthfully, she’d felt trapped. Until Derek had asked for a divorce after the miscarriage, she hadn’t known he felt the same.

      Grace thought a new beginning in a new place would help. Derek refused. He wanted out, wanted to pretend the marriage and the baby had never happened. It was difficult to understand because they’d never fought during their brief marriage. She thought he’d loved her. She had loved him.

      When it was over Grace had realized she wasn’t cut out for permanency. How could she be when she’d never known what it was?

      Some dreams were better kept in a scrapbook.

      A horn tooted and she turned around to face the old converted service station. R&L Auto Repair was painted in black across the glass front window.

      Two side streets flanked the building. An abandoned store stood on the right corner, the paint peeling in long curls. Spider-webs and hornets’ nests decorated the dirty front window and a metal sign dangled above the door. At one time, it might’ve read Bait-N-Tackle, but the rust had eaten holes in the lettering, so only “Bai” and “ckle” remained.

      Anchoring the left corner, Mabel’s Diner, painted bright yellow with white trim windows, bustled with patrons, even in the midafternoon.

      The R&L storefront was dark and the bays were closed, so Grace followed the sidewalk around to the back and sat on the ground. The tow truck was gone from the lot and the gate was locked. Either Rafe was out on a roadside call, or he’d played hooky from work to go fishing or hunting. Or run with the wolves, naked.

      No, no, no. She didn’t want to think of him naked, again.