Homecoming Reunion by Carolyne Aarsen

Author:Carolyne Aarsen
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2012-08-05T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

“I can’t believe we got everything we needed,” Larissa said, trundling one of the laden carts toward the exit of the store.

“And we did it without bloodshed,” Garret joked, following Larissa with his own cart. “Though it’s pretty hard to draw blood when your only weapons are sheets and pillowcases.”

Larissa’s pealing laugh warmed him. “You had your chance when we picked up pictures and frames for the rooms. Those things have sharp corners.”

“The mood had passed by then,” he said with a grin, pleased at what they had accomplished in such a short time.

Yet, he knew there was more to the feeling of goodwill that wrapped him as comfortingly as the duvets they had just purchased.

This time with Larissa, away from the inn, away from other people, allowed him to feel more relaxed around her. Gave him a chance to sort out his changing feelings and try to figure out what he should do about them.

Try to understand why she thought he would have taken her father’s money. The tentative conversation on the subject hadn’t been enough. He felt that if they could resolve the money issue once and for all, their business relationship would go more smoothly. Because whether he liked it or not, Jack would return from his extended stay in Asia and he was as much a partner in this business as Garret was. Larissa held the balance of power and he would prefer that she were on his side, rather than Jack’s.

Yet, even as he thought that, he knew there were deeper underlying reasons he wanted to remove the barriers the past had put between them. He wasn’t ready to examine them too closely, but for now he wanted to nurture the ray of hope that sprung up in his chest when he touched her cheek and she gave him a genuine smile in return.

They stepped outside the store and Garret was surprised to see the sun hovering above the horizon. In the store, with its bright lights and lack of windows, time had stood still.

“I didn’t know it was this late,” Larissa said, glancing at her watch as she parked the cart by the car. “My goodness, seven o’clock already.”

“Lunch was a long time ago,” Garret grumbled as he opened the back door. As he took the packages from Larissa, the blinking lights of a restaurant caught his eye. “You as hungry as I am?” he asked, glancing back at Larissa.

“Actually, yes,” she said.

“So why don’t we grab a bite to eat at that restaurant over there?” he asked, indicating with his chin as he continued loading the parcels into the back of the car. “We can leave the car here and walk over.”

“Sounds like a good idea.” Larissa’s quiet response was accompanied by a careful smile, which only served to ignite the flicker of hope glowing in his soul the past few days.

He knew he should be careful. He had come to Hartley Creek with a plan. Yet, as he and Larissa strode over the almost deserted parking lot to the restaurant, a sense of anticipation washed over him.

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