Harlequin Heartwarming September 2021 Box Set by Trish Milburn

Author:Trish Milburn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THREE

ABBY FOLLOWED TESS. They took the outside staircase to the apartment on the second floor above the Silver Penny General Store. The store had been in the Palmer family for more generations than Abby could count. The same location. The same building. The stairs creaked under Abby’s feet as if underscoring the building’s age and its resilience.

Tess opened a plain front door and stepped inside. “Welcome home. Oh, the air conditioner seems to have a mind of its own.”

A dozen brown tiles and a round welcome mat created the boundaries of the small entryway. Abby stepped farther into the apartment and the stifling heat. Apparently, the air conditioner didn’t mind if it worked or not.

Tess pointed at the half dozen portable fans situated around the quaint apartment. The colorful fans were perched on top of unpacked boxes, the refrigerator and even the TV. “I can get more fans.”

“Or we could fix the air-conditioning.” Abby reached to pull her hair into a bun only to realize she’d already braided it. She twisted the ends of her braids together and clipped them on top of her head. More sweat beaded on the back of her neck and forehead.

Tess maneuvered around a stack of unopened boxes and shoved the window all the way open. “The AC unit needs to be completely replaced.”

Abby set her purse on the two-seater sofa. Stacks of cardboard moving boxes crowded every corner of the apartment. The boxes overwhelmed the family room and the kitchen, blocking the natural light from the pair of windows and covering the only work space on the kitchen island. Each one had been labeled with a thick black marker. Photographs. Office. Christmas. Kitchen. Wedding.

Abby’s heart ached.

Every box was a memory for Tess. A connection to the husband and life she had lost only six months earlier. Abby wanted to help Tess unpack and organize the apartment, but she feared pushing her cousin. She wanted to rebuild their bond, not cause Tess more pain. Tess was a widow and deserved to grieve on her terms. Abby decided to start slow. “Who do we call to replace the air conditioner?”

“Here’s the thing.” Tess shifted a box, aligning it into a straight line with the ones underneath it. Her gaze remained fixed on the tower as if the stack was part of her design aesthetic. “I don’t have the money.”

“I do,” Abby said. Well, not really. Abby had a modest savings account. Had been offered no severance from her most recent job termination. But she had a credit card for emergencies. She touched her forehead. Her entire scalp had started to sweat. No, air-conditioning definitely qualified as an emergency.

“I can’t let you pay for a new air conditioner.” Tess moved to another tower, putting the boxes back into perfect alignment as if the apartment only needed to be straightened up to make things right. “It’s really expensive. I invited you to stay with me. Not fix my problems too.”

Problems. Was Tess implying there were more problems than a broken AC? Abby straightened, suddenly alert.

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