Bells Will Be Ringing by Barbara Winkes
Author:Barbara Winkes [Winkes, Barbara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, Legal, Medical
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2019-11-04T00:00:00+00:00
Chapter Eight
Holly
âItâs already been a long day. You can go home and finish up tomorrow.â Holly looked up to find that the woman who had stepped inside the room, wasnât Claire, but Maddy Crawford, the mayor of Chestnut Hill.
âOh, itâs you.â
âYes, me. I was hoping youâd let me take you to dinner.â
She and Maddy talked on a somewhat regular basis, but Holly hadnât seen her since before Dana moved to town. She wondered what kind of rumors had reached Louanneâs aunt. She wanted to cry again.
âSure, why not? I was about to leave anyway.â
âYou know that while Iâm at it, Iâll also try to convince you to come to the Christmas party. You donât have to stay long. Just be with us for a while.â
âIâll think about it,â Holly ascertained, prompting a smile from Maddy.
âThatâs more than Iâve gotten from you in the last years, so Iâll take it.â
Holly was aware of Claireâs pensive gaze before they said goodbye outside the door, then Maddy drove them to La Dolce Vita. She couldnât help thinking how uncomplicated things had been when sheâd had dinner with Dana thereâ¦Sheâd been incredibly naïve to think they could stay that way.
She wasnât surprised by Maddyâs choice of subject either.
âSo I hear that you saved a woman from bleeding to death.â
Holly, however, was a bit baffled by the specific wording. Rumors could be like a game of telephone.
âIf weâre talking about the same woman, it wasnât quite as dramatic. Doug at the pharmacy thought she might need stitches, but we could do without. Wow. Some folks need to add some spice to every story.â
âHow are you doing, Holly?â
âWhat does that have to do with anything?â If she was acting defensive, it was because Maddy had seen right through her, and it made Holly uneasy.
âYou know that Louanne loved you more than anything.â
âOf course I know that.â She wasnât going to cry into her lasagna. She simply wouldnât allow it.
âThen you also know she would want you to be happy.â
âI am happy. I have a nice home, a satisfying job, and Iâ¦Come on, Maddy. Weâre not going to have that conversation.â
âWhat conversation do you mean? You know I care about you, and so do the people in Chestnut Hill, even if some of them might go a little overboard with their good intentions. I know how hard you have grieved. We all have. But you deserve to be happy, too.â
âWhat is all this about me being happy? Iâve known this woman for less than a couple of weeks! And what makes you think Iâm done grieving?â
Forget about good intentions. Holly jumped to her feet and took a few bills from her wallet. âIâm sorry. I canât do this.â
She fled from the table and the restaurant, snowflakes mingling with her tears.
* * * *
Holly spent the rest of the evening on her couch, trying to get warm, admitting an irrational resentment against everyone she held dear. Louanne, for leaving her alone. Everyone meaning so damn well, when they didnât understand what it was like to have all hopes and dreams ripped away abruptly.
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