funeral. I’m good at planning other things. Not a funeral, though. It went well. About ten people showed up, mostly my Rugged brothers, including myself.”
“Austin, why didn’t you tell me? You knew I would’ve come.”
“I did, but I don’t think you got the memo,” he said.
I glanced at him questioningly.
“My assistant told me the letter came back with Return to Sender stamped on it.”
“If you sent it to our old house, I no longer live there. Rick and I…we agreed to sell the home. The profits were needed to settle some other debts.”
“You mean Rick’s debts?”
I looked around the store, lowered my voice, and asked, “You know about that?”
He nodded.
Suddenly, I remembered that I had a customer waiting. “Austin, I have to get back to my work. There’s a customer in the back.”
“Sure.”
“I…um…thank you for helping me out at the last minute. I would’ve lost more than my sanity had this shop been taken away from me. I’ve been putting everything into my sewing craft for the last few years and I don’t know would I have would have done if I came out a failure.”
“Don’t mention it. And you’re not a failure at all. You just had a minor set back, that’s all.”
“Minor? What I went through was hardly minor.”
“When I came to town to visit my sick uncle in the hospital right before his death, I got word about your divorce from Rick.”
“Oh? Well, this is a small circle. Word gets around fast.”
“I have my sources when it comes to news and gossip in my hometown,” he said. “But I do have some catching up to do. I was hoping we could discuss other things…about us.”
“About us?”
“Yeah, about us. I want to make things right with you. If that’s the last thing I do before I have to leave for this next business trip, I’ll do whatever it takes.”
I swallowed. “You’re leaving again? So soon?”
“My life depends on it. A guy has must eat, so my work does go on…and on and on. And plus I gave up fast easy money. I’m sure you heard the news about my retirement from NASCAR.”
“I did. Well don’t let me keep you waiting around. I have business too. My life depends on it. And I wouldn’t want to renege on our agreement by missing a loan payment to you.”
“Valerie, don’t…” he said, quietly.
“Stop, Austin,” I replied. “I’ll never move as fast as you want me too. I prefer my normal life here or maybe in some other small town where I can start over. And at this point in my life, I’m just not up for anything unstable. I hope you have a good business trip. I’m glad I got to talk to you before you left again.”
“Valerie…”
I wanted to turn back around. I really did. Maybe if there wasn’t a customer in the shop, I would have. But I didn’t. Austin Clark would never be the stable man he promised me he would be. He wasn’t meant to be tied down to one woman. After his departure from town four years ago, his reputation preceded him. He was a bad boy, promiscuous, and hardly ever stayed in the same city. I wasn’t going to get my hopes up because when everything was all said and done, Austin would just leave town again. Again and again. Without me.
4
I desperately needed an entire re-do of this whole entire week. As I rode the bus into the city, I processed the last few months of my life wondering which person I had crossed or disappointed enough to be subject to such bad karma. Not only had my car not started this morning, but also I had just under an hour to get a check to the Zyken Partners office or I’d have to pay a late penalty. It wasn’t really the late fee that had me gripping the edge of the bus seat and tapping the floor in anticipation of the next stop, it was the thought of being late on a loan. Not just any loan either. A personal one.
I wondered if Austin’s return to town had more to do with shoving my losses back in face. Austin had come a long way and the tables had certainly turned. I was
“Austin, why didn’t you tell me? You knew I would’ve come.”
“I did, but I don’t think you got the memo,” he said.
I glanced at him questioningly.
“My assistant told me the letter came back with Return to Sender stamped on it.”
“If you sent it to our old house, I no longer live there. Rick and I…we agreed to sell the home. The profits were needed to settle some other debts.”
“You mean Rick’s debts?”
I looked around the store, lowered my voice, and asked, “You know about that?”
He nodded.
Suddenly, I remembered that I had a customer waiting. “Austin, I have to get back to my work. There’s a customer in the back.”
“Sure.”
“I…um…thank you for helping me out at the last minute. I would’ve lost more than my sanity had this shop been taken away from me. I’ve been putting everything into my sewing craft for the last few years and I don’t know would I have would have done if I came out a failure.”
“Don’t mention it. And you’re not a failure at all. You just had a minor set back, that’s all.”
“Minor? What I went through was hardly minor.”
“When I came to town to visit my sick uncle in the hospital right before his death, I got word about your divorce from Rick.”
“Oh? Well, this is a small circle. Word gets around fast.”
“I have my sources when it comes to news and gossip in my hometown,” he said. “But I do have some catching up to do. I was hoping we could discuss other things…about us.”
“About us?”
“Yeah, about us. I want to make things right with you. If that’s the last thing I do before I have to leave for this next business trip, I’ll do whatever it takes.”
I swallowed. “You’re leaving again? So soon?”
“My life depends on it. A guy has must eat, so my work does go on…and on and on. And plus I gave up fast easy money. I’m sure you heard the news about my retirement from NASCAR.”
“I did. Well don’t let me keep you waiting around. I have business too. My life depends on it. And I wouldn’t want to renege on our agreement by missing a loan payment to you.”
“Valerie, don’t…” he said, quietly.
“Stop, Austin,” I replied. “I’ll never move as fast as you want me too. I prefer my normal life here or maybe in some other small town where I can start over. And at this point in my life, I’m just not up for anything unstable. I hope you have a good business trip. I’m glad I got to talk to you before you left again.”
“Valerie…”
I wanted to turn back around. I really did. Maybe if there wasn’t a customer in the shop, I would have. But I didn’t. Austin Clark would never be the stable man he promised me he would be. He wasn’t meant to be tied down to one woman. After his departure from town four years ago, his reputation preceded him. He was a bad boy, promiscuous, and hardly ever stayed in the same city. I wasn’t going to get my hopes up because when everything was all said and done, Austin would just leave town again. Again and again. Without me.
4
I desperately needed an entire re-do of this whole entire week. As I rode the bus into the city, I processed the last few months of my life wondering which person I had crossed or disappointed enough to be subject to such bad karma. Not only had my car not started this morning, but also I had just under an hour to get a check to the Zyken Partners office or I’d have to pay a late penalty. It wasn’t really the late fee that had me gripping the edge of the bus seat and tapping the floor in anticipation of the next stop, it was the thought of being late on a loan. Not just any loan either. A personal one.
I wondered if Austin’s return to town had more to do with shoving my losses back in face. Austin had come a long way and the tables had certainly turned. I was
Similar Books
In Too Deep
Roxane Beaufort
Treasured Submission
Maggie Ryan
Mercy of St Jude
Wilhelmina Fitzpatrick
The Desperate Game
Jayne Castle
Blood and Ice
Leo Kessler
Dark Blood
Stuart MacBride
Morgue Drawer Four
Jutta Profijt
Snow Blind
P. J. Tracy
Circle of Silence
Carol M. Tanzman
The Devil's Love
Julia London