Secret Vow by Susan R. Hughes

Author:Susan R. Hughes [Hughes, Susan R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction
ISBN: 9781475294620
Google: cnZcLwEACAAJ
Amazon: 147529462X
Publisher: CreateSpace
Published: 2012-05-03T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

After placing the two ripe tomatoes and basket of blueberries she’d selected into her bag, Brooke handed a crumpled bill to the young woman running the produce stand. Brooke didn’t know her; twelve years ago it had been Stella Preston who operated the popular stand at the edge of Main Street, but since then she’d retired to Florida. A lot of things in Eastport had changed since Brooke had been away—as much as she’d expected them to stay just as she remembered them.

“Enjoy,” the young woman said, dropping Brooke’s change into her palm. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?”

“Certainly is.” Brooke smiled up at the cloudless azure sky, pleased that the weather was cooperating so nicely with her plan for the afternoon.

“Those look nice,” remarked a familiar voice beside her; she turned to find Faith standing next to her, eyeing the plump berries on display. She offered Brooke a genial smile, though their gazes met for only a brief, awkward moment.

“Morning, Faith. I haven’t seen you around much lately.” Brooke was glad to see her old friend again, after several weeks without contact, but at the same time it caused an unpleasant twinge in her belly—a blending of apprehension and regret.

Quickly selecting a basket of green beans, Faith reached into her purse for her wallet. “I’ve been pretty busy helping Ted with his campaign,” she said mildly. “Not to mention helping him run our business, and getting my dad’s house ready for sale. But then I guess you’ve been spending most of your time with Ian.”

Brooke glanced down at the bulging canvas bag hanging from her elbow; she’d just come from Roderick’s, where she’d picked up fresh slices of ham and Swiss cheese. Adding the homemade bread she’d made last night, and the dessert she’d baked this morning, she had all the necessary ingredients for a picnic lunch to share with Ian.

“I know you don’t approve—”

“It’s all right, Brooke. You made me a promise, and I trust you. I’m happy for you, really.” Faith demonstrated the fact by broadening her smile. “But I guess it’s got to end sooner or later. When you leave town, I mean.”

Brooke nodded vaguely; it wasn’t the right time or place to tell Faith that she intended to break that promise, quite possibly today. As much as she dreaded telling Ian the truth, she knew it would relieve her of the guilt that continued to haunt her. Over the past few weeks she’d managed to tuck away her secret and enjoy her time with him, but it was becoming more difficult. The more he spoke of memories of his mother, the more Mary McCarthy became a living, breathing woman to Brooke—far removed from the pair of twisted feet in white socks she’d seen by the side of the road. Ian deserved to know what happened to her. Brooke knew that revealing what she knew might mean losing him, but she hoped he’d find it in his heart to forgive her.

She had no choice but to cling to that hope, now that she’d let herself fall head over heels in love with him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.