Sentimental Journey by Holly Schindler

Author:Holly Schindler
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

30.

~December 10, 2019~

Later that night, behind the “Closed” sign, the regulars all began to gather inside Ruby’s Place.

Elizabeth—the same woman Geena had yet again managed to convince herself was merely a figment of her own imagination—climbed onto a barstool. She had yet to take her first sip of champagne when Tom appeared.

He squeezed Elizabeth’s shoulder. Instead of sitting right next to his lady love, though, he headed straight for the front window.

“Geena made it back in town,” Angela informed him with a smile.

“Was she in the bar? Or across the street? At the bookstore? How’d she look?”

“Looked great. Like her usual self. She and Rob left the bookstore together a few hours ago.”

He seemed disappointed. But reminded himself, “It’s probably just as well that I didn’t see her.”

Elizabeth stood, wrapped her long slender arms around Tom’s shoulders, and steered him toward a stool at the bar and the mug of Pabst waiting for him.

Elizabeth and Ruby exchanged a look. Ruby nodded, understanding. “I agree, kid,” she said.

“Agree with what?” Tom asked.

“Maybe you should let Geena see you again this Christmas,” Ruby offered nonchalantly, wiping down the counter with a rag. She turned toward Angela. “Didn’t you say earlier that Geena looked good—healthy—but also a little—”

“Troubled?” Elizabeth finished.

“Like she’s got something on her mind, is all,” Angela said, now trying to downplay it. “She stood out there on the sidewalk for kind of a long time. Her face was all distant, like she was really mulling something over.”

“When I saw her last year, I made things right between the two of us,” Tom reminded her.

“It would be good for both of you,” Angela prodded. “This is going to be a really hard Christmas for her again. Maybe even worse this year. She was probably still in shock last year. You passed so close to Christmas.”

“That goes against what we all agreed on,” Tom said, his voice getting louder and more upset. “We said one time. Do you know how packed this place would be if we let everyone meet up with all their missed loved ones every single year, over and over again?”

“I just thought maybe last year didn’t count,” Angela said. “As close as it was and all.”

“No—the truth about this place has to remain…enigmatic. Peculiar and incomprehensible. People can whisper about it. They can wonder. But it can never be proven for sure. Right? Ruby, you said it yourself. A mystery is what will draw a crowd. And nobody knows crowds like Ruby. Right?”

Before anyone could respond, Tom reminded them, “Geena has to wonder if she ever really did see me—just like everyone else who has a brief reunion on Christmas Eve. She won’t wonder if she sees me two years in a row. Our cover will be blown.

“Besides,” Tom murmured, “she has to live her life on her own terms.”

“She is,” Elizabeth said. “She’s Dr. Barister. Literature professor extraordinaire.”

“It’s different when the old safety net is gone,” Tom said. “I know that. She still has the house, but there’s no one in it to help out if she hits hard times.

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.