Forgiving You: A Bluebell Valley Novel Read Free

into a smile and she let out a small laugh too.
    “Weddings are so complicated. I would prefer arrangements for funerals, if it weren't for the fact that someone had to die,” she admitted.
    “So you’re telling me it’s a great thing we don’t make any wedding cakes here?” Sam asked.
    “Exactly.”
     

     
    April and Sam spent a good twenty minutes talking about Bluebell Valley and its people, sharing stories they had heard or witnessed. They both lived in a small town, and like any other, gossip was a big part of everybody’s daily life. It wasn’t something Sam was exactly proud of, but it was the only way she had to know what was happening in town. And really, what else was there to talk about? The weather? After a while, there wasn’t much to say about that.
    Sam was enjoying her second cup of coffee when April finally looked down at her watch.
    “I should go soon.”
    It was time to officially start their separate days, but if the weather was nice enough, they would meet again for lunch later.
    Sam was so grateful for April. If it wasn’t for her, she didn’t know how she would have survived in this town. Bluebell Valley was her cage and April offered the kind of distraction she needed.
    “I’ll come by later,” Sam promised. She had a lot of things to work on later when her mother would take over the front of the store, but escaping on a daily break with April was the second best part of her day after this one.
    They both stood up and Sam hugged April tightly before she watched her leave.
    “Thanks again for the coffee,” April said before closing the door behind her.
    The coffee was a small price to pay for Sam to keep her sanity in this town.

Chapter Three
    Austin
     
    Austin’s tie was too tight for him. When the elevator doors closed, he pushed a finger in between his neck and the fabric, giving himself some room to breathe. Even if he had gotten used to those fine suits over the years, he had a hard time with ties. Austin looked down at it and wondered why he was even bothering with wearing one. When he caught his reflection in the closed door of the elevator, he understood why. He looked a lot better with a tie on.
    A minute later, the door opened and Austin stepped out into the hallway leading to his office.
    “Good morning, Mr. Cole,” Lisa said. She was his secretary, waiting for him with a fresh coffee.
    “Thank you, Lisa,” Austin said as he sat down at his desk. She followed him into the office, a stack of papers in her hand.
    “You have a meeting in an hour with Mr. Jones from the finance department. He left this for you this morning. He said you should look at it before you meet with him.”
    Lisa handed him the papers and he put them on his desk. He knew exactly what they were, but didn’t want to look at them just yet.
    Austin was about to start reading his e-mails instead when he noticed that the blonde woman was still standing in front of him.
    “Is there anything else, Lisa?” he asked. He could see in her face that there was something else she wanted to say, but she remained silent. “What is it?”
    “Mr. Campbell is supposed to stop by today. He said he… had a surprise for you, but didn’t want me to tell you,” Lisa admitted. Austin could feel that the woman didn’t like keeping a secret from her boss, but that she also felt bad about promising something she wasn’t going to do. It wasn’t such a big problem for Austin—William Campbell was the closest thing he had to a best friend. He also happened to be the one taking care of Austin’s public relations. If William had a surprise for Austin, it was probably just a beer that they would share tonight since they hadn’t been able to spend any time together last weekend.
    “Thank you, Lisa,” Austin replied, hoping she would understand that it was time for her to leave. He had a lot of work waiting for him after all.
    Lisa nodded and turned around, finally leaving her boss’ office. Austin watched her