The Untold Story of Carol Bingley by Jane Hartley

Author:Jane Hartley [Hartley, Jane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance
ISBN: 9781961544390
Publisher: Tule Publishing Group, LLC
Published: 2023-07-06T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

Frank locked the front door of the pharmacy, pulled down the blinds, and switched the lights off. He turned to find Carol standing near the cash register.

“I’ll tally the register if you’d like? And now my mother knows I’m here, I’ll work in the shop starting tomorrow. It’s the least I can do for all your kindness.”

Frank smiled. “You do realize I’m keeping you here for my own selfish reasons, don’t you?”

“Frank, I can’t. You know that. I can’t stay here in Marietta—too many bad memories—so what’s the use of trying to start something that we both know will lead nowhere? You need to know if we were in a different town I would be tempted but we are in Marietta and there’s too much hurt for me to stay here.”

“Carol, I wish you were prepared to give a relationship a go. We can try long distance and see how we do. We will never know if we don’t try, and I will always regret not trying. How about you tally the register while I go grab some takeout, and I’ll meet you upstairs? Can we at least talk about it, please?”

Carol saw a man pleading with her to try a relationship with him. She’d never dared dream or hope for that from a man again. But since she knew he’d change his mind when she told him the rest of her story, she nodded and tallied the register.

“Thank you,” Frank said softly as he walked by.

Carol knew she was going to be rejected once more.

She stood in the front window of the apartment watching the lights of Main Street twinkle in the dark. Frank knocked on the door before opening it and placed the takeout on the table before standing beside her.

“Pretty at night, isn’t it?”

Carol didn’t even bother to turn her head. “A pretty town with so many hidden secrets.”

“All towns have hidden secrets, Carol. We just don’t know them—that’s what makes them secrets. I’ll grab the plates and the glasses. I bought a bottle of red to go with dinner.”

As Frank turned, he kissed Carol’s cheek. She hadn’t been expecting it, but it felt natural. Carol looked at him, and it seemed as if an apology hovered on his lips. Since she might never have this opportunity again, she leaned forward and kissed his lips as naturally as if they were a couple. They gazed at each other until Carol broke eye contact.

“I left the light on in the office so people will think you’re working late. You uncork the red, and I’ll get the plates and glasses.”

As they talked over dinner, Carol filled Frank in on her progress with his books. She thought she’d have them finished by the end of the week but suggested he should employ someone to keep them up to date if he wasn’t going to be able to manage them along with the demands of the pharmacy and home renovation.

“I’m still going to attempt to convince you to give us a try,” he said, his warm eyes sparkling.

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