“I was lakefront, so no, I didn’t. And we’re a destination spot, not a commuter town, so it’s a different configuration.”
“Won’t you miss the water?”
Miss the water?
Yeah, absolutely. But if she wasn’t willing to sacrifice something to change things up, nothing would ever happen, and that option didn’t cut it anymore. The time for change was here. Now. “Not if I have a view of the canal,” she promised. “Or at least proximity to it so folks can grab a cuppa, head for the canal walkway and stroll along the banks watching the boats. Those villages are a walker’s dream, so no. I won’t miss the water.”
It was an outright lie. She knew it, and she was pretty sure Myra’s silence said she recognized Tina’s resignation, but was kind enough not to call her on it.
Tina loved the water. She loved taking her little boat out on calm summer days. Dropping a line just off the docks outside the Kirkwood Lodge where perch and bass gathered in the heat of summer. She’d caught her share of fish that way, a sweet respite from work. Private time, time to think. And pray. And dream.
But her dreams were gone now. Ruined.
She promised Myra she’d look at the property listings in the email and get back to her. Another customer walked in, then another, and pretty soon she was too busy to think about smoldering dreams and ruined hopes. She’d promised herself she’d never get mired in the past again. She meant to keep that promise.
* * *
“I brought Beezer in to keep you company,” Jenny Campbell announced as she came through the back door of the shop a little later. “And I’m going to drag Max home to catch some sleep. I think that’s a good trade, don’t you, Tina?”
“Leave the dog and take Max?” Tina sent Max a look that said she approved fully. “I think I’m getting the better end of this deal.”
“Hey, Beeze.” As Tina moved their way, Max squatted low and gave the aging golden retriever a long belly rub the dog loved. “You missing the action, old boy?”
“He is.” Jenny tipped a mock frown down to the beloved pet. “I reminded him that his master is sick and good dogs stay by their master’s side.”
“They do in books,” Tina agreed. “But Beeze was raised in town. He likes to check out the hustle and bustle of the shop.”
“He’s restless if he’s home too much,” Jenny admitted. “When I let him out, he starts prowling the yard as if looking for a way down to the village. I’m afraid he’ll wander close to the road and won’t hear a car coming around the bend.”
“Well, he can keep an eye on Tina if I’m heading home.” Max grabbed his bomber jacket from the back hook as Earl finished up with a customer. The thought of a few hours of sleep sounded real good now. “You guys will be okay?”
“Tina will boss me around, and I’ll answer any fix-it questions that arise.” Earl’s wry tone said he was only partially kidding. “Same old, same old.”
“Women are bossy creatures.” Max smiled at the older man, then turned his attention to Tina. “We never did talk about the festival thing. My bad. It got busy and—”
“Max, we can’t expect you to do the festival, too.” Jenny frowned as she caught the gist of the conversation. “That’s not fair. You came home to have time with Dad. If we keep you working day and night, then—”
“We’ll make time for both, I promise. I managed to run a unit with a lot of guys and barely got my hands dirty, Mom. I’m good at delegating. But first I need to know what’s going on.” He turned back to Tina. “I don’t suppose you have time to come over tonight and go over things? That way we could have Mom and Dad’s input, too.”
“You can have supper with us.” Jenny’s face said inviting Tina to supper made everything better. Max wasn’t so sure Tina would agree now that he was on hand, but she’d been civil all day, and that was a sweet improvement. Of course they’d been busy from the moment they unlocked the doors, so maybe the key to keeping Tina happy was keeping her busy.
“I’ll come over once we close up,” Tina promised. “And I’ll bring Beeze along. That way he’s got the best of both worlds.”
“Thank you, Tina.” When Jenny gave Tina a big old hug, Max realized their relationship had grown close over his years away. His mother’s next words confirmed it.
“I don’t know what we’d do without you.” Jenny’s voice stopped short of saying she wanted Tina to stay right here in Kirkwood, but the inflection was clear.
Tina winked as she headed for the register area. “Back at ya. Gotta go. Mrs. Lana is here for her leaf blower, and last night’s killing frost means she’ll be really glad to have it back, especially with snow in the late-week forecast.”
“I love this.” Max stopped at the back door and swept the town center a long, slow look of appreciation. “The old town buildings. The lake. The decorations that look like an old New England village. Now that I’m home and see it all again, I realize how much I missed it.”
Jenny looped her arm through his as they went through the back doorway. “Always something to miss, no matter where we are. But I’m glad you’re here, that I don’t have to run down the coast to see you. As fun as that is, I prefer having you home for a while. And I’m making your favorite dinner, so once you’ve gotten some sleep, I intend to fatten you up.”
“A mother’s prerogative.” Max yawned as he moved toward his upgraded sports car. “It feels good to be home.”
* * *
Tina watched him pull away from inside the store.
He drove a muscle car, a total chick magnet. He flashed those big brown eyes and that smile like it was nothing, nothing at all. And every now and again he’d watch her, as if appraising.
Was he comparing the old her with the new?
And if so, what did he see? And why did it matter to her?
Sherrie Morgan breezed through the front door a few minutes later. “The promised cold snap has arrived,” she noted as the screen door bumped shut behind her. “And tell me if the 4-1-1 is right. Max Campbell is back and unattached? Girlfriend, this is not news anyone should keep to themselves unless, of course, one really, truly wants to keep it to herself?”
Tina retrieved the last repaired lawn mower and cautioned Sherrie with a look. “He is back, yes, to help his parents. Sherrie, come on, you know the situation. They’re delighted to have him here and I’m pleased to have someone with hardware knowledge on hand. I was totally in over my head last week. But you know Max as well as anyone. Here today, gone tomorrow.”
“Oh. Ouch. Unfair.” Sherrie picked out three boxes of Christmas lights, paused, then added a fourth to her stack. “He was eighteen,” Sherrie reminded her. “And people react to sadness differently. I think back to that day, losing Pete and Amy, and for years I kept wondering what I could have done differently. If I’d been less pesky, less bothersome, would they have stayed at home? Hung out by the campfire? Maybe knowing there’d be a kid sister around later pushed them to take the boat out. Have some romantic boyfriend/girlfriend time.”
“Sherrie—”
“I know it wasn’t my fault.” Sherrie brushed off Tina’s protest with a shrug. “I’m all grown up now, I know people make choices every day, and that I was just a normal kid, pestering her big brother and wishing I was as pretty as Amy with her long blond hair and those big blue eyes. And then they were gone, and it left such a hole. But just because Max didn’t come around doesn’t make him a bad person, Tina. He might have been older than us, but he was still a kid who’d just lost his best friend. And that couldn’t have been easy.”
Sherrie’s argument made