Rekindled Romance by Lorraine Beatty

Author:Lorraine Beatty
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2012-10-05T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

The knock came at the same instant Shelby touched the tip of the glue bottle to the back of the photograph. Letting out a puff of irritation, she quickly and carefully placed it on the page, trying to keep it centered.

Her new hobby had quickly become a passion and given her a special connection to Cassidy and Kenny as they worked on their scrapbook for their dad. The knock came again. Except of course when she was interrupted.

“I’m coming!” She scooted back her chair and trotted toward the front door, pulling it open. A surge of warm affection flowed through her when she recognized her visitor. “Laura Durrant.”

“Hi, Shelby.” The young woman opened her arms for a hug. “I’m so sorry it took me this long to come see you but I’ve been working over in Mobile.”

Shelby held the hug an extra moment, basking in the warmth of her friendship. One of the joys of loving Matt had been the family that had come with him. Laura had been like the sister she’d never had.

“Come on in. I want to hear all about you.” She led Laura to the sunroom, then brought iced tea and fruit to munch on. Once settled in they quickly covered the lost years.

“Okay,” Shelby said a while later, after giving Laura a truncated version of her life story. “Enough about me. Tell me about you.”

Laura accepted the refill on her glass of tea and picked up another apple slice. “Not much to tell.”

“How did you end up running your own construction business? I thought you wanted to be an architect.”

Laura stared at her glass a moment. “I did. I went to State, got my degree. Got a job in Houston. Met a guy and got married.”

Shelby eyed her closely. From the tone of her voice there was much more to her story. “What happened?”

“He decided being married wasn’t for him. He’d rather spend time with his buddies and enjoy a variety of lady friends.” She shrugged. “Unlike you, I didn’t adjust to big-city life very well. So I came home and bought this business from Mr. Olsen when he retired. We specialize in historic restoration projects.”

“I’ve seen those trucks around town, but I had no idea they were yours. You must be doing really well.”

Laura smiled. “So far so good. LC Construction is never out of work.”

“Why the LC?”

She grinned and shrugged. “Laura Claire Constructions sounded too girlie. The initials were more professional.”

Shelby couldn’t fault her logic. “I see what you mean.”

“So, are you coming to Mom and Dad’s party tomorrow after church?”

“Oh, I’d like to, but I don’t want to intrude.”

Laura emitted a short grunt. “Don’t be silly. You won’t be. Didn’t Matt invite you? He was supposed to.”

Shelby took a bite of her apple slice, avoiding her friend’s gaze. “Not exactly. The kids did. I think he went along with it not to be rude.”

“Well, I’m inviting you. I know Mom and Dad would love to have you come. They’ve asked about you several times.

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