A Dream of Family

by Jill Weatherholt

  Chapter Twelve

  Grace was avoiding her.

  Molly realized it the moment she, Grace and Duke left Derek and Annie talking at the picnic table. There had been some small talk during the meal, but Annie had done most of the talking. Molly had hoped once they were alone, Grace would come around. Now, as they tramped down the mud-caked path, the only sounds were leaves crunching underneath their feet, birds singing in the towering red oaks and Duke’s panting. This was not going as she’d planned.

  The three moved down the path at a brisk pace set by the dog. Twigs kicked up underneath his paws.

  “Duke, slow down. You’re going to pull Grace’s arm out of its socket.” Molly’s plea fell on deaf ears as Duke’s nose worked its way through the wild flowers camped along the trail.

  Water rushing over the rocks echoed through the trees. Grace’s red tennis shoes came to an abrupt stop as they got closer to the river. Duke whimpered.

  Molly stopped and looked down at the child, who stood frozen. “What is it, Grace? Don’t you want to see the river?”

  Grace remained silent, but she shook her head in sharp, rapid movements.

  “I thought Duke would like to splash in the water along the shoreline,” Molly said, hoping to convince Grace to continue with their hike. She didn’t want their time to end. They’d hardly spoken three words to each other. Like her store, she was running out of time with the child. If she didn’t have a breakthrough with Grace soon, Annie would be forced to look for another home for the child.

  Duke barked and lunged forward. He wanted to swim.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to keep going?” Molly hoped she’d have a change of heart.

  Grace jumped when overhead, a large black crow took flight, its wings flapping.

  Molly’s heart broke. Something or someone had instilled fear into this child. If only she could get Grace to talk, perhaps she could help her.

  “I want to go see Mr. Derek.” Grace turned and Duke followed. They trudged up the path. Molly had lost her chance—again. More confused than ever, she questioned whether adopting Grace was truly in God’s plan for her life.

  * * *

  Wednesday afternoon, behind the register, Molly nibbled on a peanut butter sandwich.

  “I’ve never known anyone who eats a peanut butter sandwich without jelly.” Caitlin eyed Molly’s lunch. “Doesn’t it get stuck in your throat?”

  Molly lifted her bottle of water and took a long swig. “Not when you have something to wash it down with.” She tapped her iPad, opening a new email. “Hey, look, we already have five hundred subscribers to the newsletter.”

  Caitlin opened the box of office supplies that had been delivered earlier that morning. “That sounds promising.” She paused and glanced around the empty store. “I wonder where everyone is?”

  “We had some customers earlier this morning, but you know Wednesdays are often slow. It’s why I decided it would be the best day for Book Buddies.” True, midweek was normally quiet, but this place was dead today. She hoped there would be a full house later.

  The front door chimed. Finally, a customer. Molly pulled her eyes away from the device and spotted Derek.

  “Hey, ladies.” He paused and looked around the store. “Boy, you’d never know you had a flood in here a few days ago.” He flashed a smile.

  Molly’s heart fluttered. Wait. There would be no fluttering heart today. Or any day. Molly fingered through the stack of papers resting on the counter in front of her, willing the unexpected feelings to take a hike. But what was it she was feeling? These emotions had gnawed at her since the picnic on Sunday. Derek’s interaction with Grace had triggered something inside, but it wasn’t only jealousy. She couldn’t help but think Derek would make a good father.

  “Hey, Mr. McKinney. Thanks again for speaking to my marketing class on Monday. My classmates are still buzzing about it. You inspired a lot of people.” Caitlin smiled, removing the reams of copy paper from the box.

  “It was my pleasure. It’s great to see so much entrepreneurial spirit in young people.”

  Caitlin smiled. “Yeah, I think everyone wants to be their own boss.”

  Lately, Molly didn’t believe being your own boss was as great as it sounded. She used to, but these days, not so much.

  “I’m going to take the rest of these supplies to the back. Thanks again, Mr. McKinney.” Caitlin scooped the box up and scurried out of the room.

  Molly turned to Derek. “It was nice of you to speak to Caitlin’s class.”

  “I was happy to do it.”

  Molly considered Derek’s words. She admired the humility he had despite his success. He didn’t boast about his achievements. He went out into the community to share his wisdom and help others. No matter her feelings about the past, she had to admit that he was a good man. “So, what’s this?” She pointed to the blue sheet of paper in his hands.

  Derek placed the item in front of her. Molly took notice of her store’s logo at the top of the page.

  “What do you think?” Derek asked.

  Molly rubbed her eyes. Her insides vibrated. “Is this for real?”

  Derek nodded.

  “Mark Potter is coming here?” Molly had been a fan of his work for years. As a bestselling mystery writer, the man knew how to weave a story that kept readers on the edge of their seats. She’d had many sleepless nights reading his novels. “How in the world did you manage to convince Mark Potter to come to my little store for a book signing? This can’t be happening.”

  “Yes, Mark has agreed to come to your shop a week from this Friday.”

  Molly felt like a marionette who’d had its strings cut. She clutched the side of the counter to keep her balance. “I’m sorry, but I’m having a difficult time wrapping my head around all of this.”

  Derek reached for her arm. “Let’s go sit down at the table before you fall and injure yourself.” He laughed.

  Molly made it to the table. Authors like Mark Potter didn’t make appearances at small stores. She’d seen his book tour schedule. He always hit the big chain bookstores. She slid into the cushioned chair. Derek sat down beside her.

  “How is this happening?” When she’d thought about hosting an author book signing, she’d never dreamed of having a writer with his reputation. “He’s so famous. How did he end up in Whispering Slopes?”

  “I met Mark when I opened my first coffee shop in Washington, DC. I was a big fan of his books, so when he started coming into my store to write each day, I was thrilled. It wasn’t long before every aspiring writer in the area gathered to write and drink coffee. I guess they believed if they wrote where Mark was working, they could create a bestseller, too. Or maybe they thought there was something in the coffee. Anyway, since he wrote five hours a day, five days a week, he and I became pretty good friends.”

  Molly couldn’t imagine having a writer like Mark coming to her store each day to pen their next novel. “You keep in touch with him?”

  “Yeah. He still writes in my shop. We email or text a couple of times a month. That’s how I found out he’s going to be in the area. He’s completing his recent book tour.”

  “Yes, I read about it.” Molly didn’t want to admit it, but when she’d gotten the writing bug, she’d started stalking writers on social media. One of her favorite things to do was peruse author websites and read about their road to publication. “I saw his schedule. I was surprised he wasn’t making a stop at my competition.”

  Derek nodded. “He does appear at some of the larger chain stores, but he prefers the smaller shops. He knows it’s difficult to compete with the big guys. He called me after he saw your website.”

  Molly’s head was spinning. “Mark Potter saw my store online?”

  “Yes, he did. He asked if I knew the owner, and if you ever hosted book signings.”

  “So this is rea
l? It’s going to happen?” She reached for the flyer Derek had created and brushed away a tear.

  “Hey, don’t cry.” He took her hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “This is supposed to be good news. It could be a big deal for your store, Mols.”

  A tingling sensation in her arm caught her off guard, and Molly pulled her hand free. “I don’t know how to thank you, Derek. You’ve already done so much to help me, but this... I can’t believe it.” She scanned her shop. Could this be the game changer for her business?

  “I haven’t told you the best part.” Derek leaned back against his chair.

  “You mean there’s more?” Molly turned to a group of vivacious teenagers who entered the shop.

  “Welcome to Bound to Please Reads,” Caitlin called out from behind the register. “Let us know if we can help you find anything.”

  Molly smiled. She was blessed to have Caitlin working for her. One day, she hoped she could afford to hire her as a real employee rather than a volunteer. Caitlin had expressed her dream of owning a bookstore. Of course, with Molly’s declining sales, she might change her mind. Another reason Molly couldn’t fail. She wanted to inspire young people, not crush their dreams.

  Molly gazed in Derek’s direction. “You’ve done so much already. Look at the time you’ve spent remodeling my store, plus the social media work, all while opening your own store.”

  “I’m blessed. With each new store I open, they seem to run themselves. Besides, Charles and Nell have everything under control. I think they like it better when I’m not there.” He joked.

  “Still, I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

  “It’s not necessary. Please, let me get back to the best part. Mark and I did some brainstorming on how to help bump up your sales. He’s going to give away autographed copies of his latest book to people who attend the signing at your store.”

  Molly listened and tried to absorb Derek’s words. “That’s generous of him, but I’m not quite understanding how it will help my sales.”

  A smile spread across Derek’s face. “Remember that you had a jump in business when I offered the coupon at my store to customers who made a purchase at your shop?”

  That was true. She had seen a spike in profits from the coupon, but it hadn’t been enough to dig her out of debt. “Yes, I remember.”

  “Well, Mark’s going to give away signed copies, but the customer must first present a receipt for a purchase from your bookstore. I thought maybe we could have a ten-dollar minimum.”

  Molly’s pulse raced. “I can’t believe he’s offered to do this.”

  “He’s always been a huge supporter of independent bookstores. He says they are the ones who launched his career. He’s excited to help you.”

  Could this be the answer to her prayers? Would having a famous author in her store make it possible for her to get out of debt and to move forward with her plans to adopt Grace? As she studied Derek, the man who was doing everything in his power to help her, she still couldn’t shake away the pain he’d caused her in the past. If it weren’t for Derek, would she be living a happily married life with children?

  Derek leaned in closer. “This is important to me. Not only because your success can impact my own, but I feel responsible for what happened two years ago. I need to tell you about the day of the wedding.”

  The sounds in the store became muffled. Like someone had stuffed cotton balls deep inside her ears. The teenagers’ voices were garbled. The feelings of abandonment she’d experienced as a child, and had struggled to keep locked away as an adult, plowed into her as they had the day of her wedding. Derek had ruined everything on what should’ve been the happiest day of her life.

  “I think you better leave. I really need to keep my focus on my store. And going forward, I’d like for you to honor my request about keeping our interaction strictly business. No more discussions about the past.”

  “But I’d like to explain,” he pleaded.

  Molly pushed away from the table. Her chair screeched across the tile. With lightning speed, she moved toward her office and didn’t look back at the man who’d destroyed her future.

  * * *

  The following Tuesday, Derek stepped out of the First National Valley Bank. The afternoon sun stole his sight for a moment. He removed the dark sunglasses perched on his head and slid them over his eyes. The meeting with the loan officer hadn’t gone as he’d hoped. He’d been approved for a loan, but it wasn’t enough to put him in a position to outbid the investor who had interest in Rusty’s property, even with the discount Rusty had offered. He needed another plan. But what? If Mark’s visit to Molly’s store didn’t generate enough revenue, he wouldn’t be able to fulfill the promise he’d made to Rusty. She’d be forced to close, and the property could be turned into office space. The landscape of the town would be forever changed.

  Derek moved down the sidewalk toward his store as the sun dipped behind the distant evergreens. Swaths of light pink and purple began to take over the sky. Thoughts of Molly filled his head. He couldn’t stop thinking that he was the reason Molly had been abandoned for a second time in her life. He needed to explain his reasons for having the conversation with Ryan, but Molly had managed to avoid him since their conversation last Wednesday. After he’d left her store, he’d kept his nose to the window and had been relieved to see Annie had brought Grace to Book Buddies. Derek hoped Molly had made some progress in building a relationship with her.

  “At least two hours? Okay, thank you. Goodbye.”

  Derek turned to the familiar voice. His breath hitched when he spotted Molly standing next to her VW Bug with the hood raised. She stood with one hand on her phone and the other clutching the back of her head while her red hair flowed over her shoulders.

  “Can I help?” Derek approached with caution, hesitant to cross the boundary she’d established.

  A truck whizzed past, causing a breeze to lift her hair off her shoulders. “If you know anything about cars, I suppose you could. It won’t start. My Check Engine light came on while I was driving to work this morning. When I pulled around from the back lot to go home for the day, the car made a strange noise before it conked out.” Molly slammed the hood, rounded the vehicle and brushed her hands down her gray pants.

  She was cute when she got frustrated. “Hmm, I’m better with flat tires and dead batteries. That light has always been a mystery to me.”

  Molly half laughed.

  This was a good sign. “So you’ve got a bit of a wait before someone can come and check it out?”

  “At least two hours. This is a small town. How many broken-down cars could there be?” She glanced at her watch. “I was ready to go home, have some dinner and curl up with a good book.”

  “Oh, so you had one of those days, too, huh?” After the disappointing news about the loan, Derek was looking forward to calling it a day himself. But he was starving and ready for some dinner. He couldn’t think of any better company than Molly. “Since we’re both hungry, why don’t we go get something to eat?”

  Molly scuffed her shoe along the pavement. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Derek.”

  “I know you said business only, but we do need to talk about the book signing on Friday. Plus, we both have to eat dinner.”

  Molly looked around and placed her hand to her stomach. “Well, I am pretty hungry. I didn’t have time for lunch. Believe it or not, the store was busy today.”

  “That’s great to hear. It was probably the captivating newsletter you sent that drew in the crowds. By the way, it was a great idea to start twenty-percent-off Tuesday.”

  Molly blushed. “You read my newsletter?”

  “Of course I did. What do you say we grab a bite, take a walk around the lake afterward, and discuss business? The temperature is perfect.” He swung his arm out, hoping she’d lead the way.

  “I can’t go t
oo far. What if they come early?” Her brow crinkled.

  Derek laughed. “When have you ever known an emergency road service to arrive on time, much less early? You won’t miss them. The place I have in mind is a short walk from here.”

  Molly nodded. “Let me run inside and grab a sweater.”

  Derek waited while Molly entered her shop. She’d been right to decide their relationship needed to stay professional. His time was running out. The last thing he needed was to make any emotional connections in Whispering Slopes. He’d come here for business only.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Molly stepped inside her store, closed the door and exhaled. The hairs on the back of her neck tingled. Her heart pounded despite the distance from Derek. She had to get a grip. Yes, he was gorgeous, but she couldn’t fall for him. She wouldn’t.

  She snuck a quick backward glance outside. Derek stood leaning against a lamppost with his hands in the front pockets of his black jeans. Stop staring at him. Squaring her shoulders, she headed to the back of the store to grab her sweater and turn off the lights in her office.

  Moments later, with the alarm armed, she turned the key in the door and twirled around to find Derek standing inches from her. He smelled like her favorite cinnamon candle she loved to burn during the holidays.

  “All set?” He flashed a smile that could melt a popsicle in the middle of winter. Her heart accelerated for the second time in the past ten minutes. This needed to stop. Keeping things professional meant all matters of the heart had to be kept under wraps. Derek was the reason her heart had been broken two years ago. There was no way she’d allow him a repeat performance. She’d have to make sure they kept the conversation on the book signing.

  “Sure. Let’s go.”

  The couple made their way down the sidewalk that snaked through downtown. One by one, the street lights overhead flickered on as the businesses closed for the day.

  “I’m still getting used to things closing down so early,” Derek commented as they rounded a corner. “It’s nice to watch the town go to sleep for the night.”