Not today!
She shook her head, breaking free of his hold. Giving into desire was one thing. Letting him really know her? Nope, that wasn’t an option on the table at all.
Hopefully she remembered that the next time he was bringing her to ecstasy or gifting her with the warmth of his kindness.
“What’s going on here?”
Michael stopped and followed the direction of Vanessa’s pointed finger until he saw Mr. Montgomery’s shop. It stood in the middle of Main Street, undecorated with the gates down and locks firmly secured.
“That’s Mr. Montgomery’s accounting business.”
“The lights are on but the gates are down. Is he the only person in this town who hates festivals?”
As folks walked around them on the street, he placed his hand at the small of her back and guided her to the storefront.
“No, Mr. Montgomery adores festivals, especially this one. His son lives out in Virginia. He and his husband just had their first child, so Mr. Montgomery’s decided to retire and move down there to be closer to them. According to him, he wants to be a hands-on grandpa. That little girl will be the most delightfully spoiled child to ever live.”
A slim older white man with a clean-shaven face with white hair cut into a tapered style saw them looking through the window and waved before coming to the door and welcoming them inside.
“Hey, Michael, I’m glad I got to see you before I left. I’ll be on my way to meet my grandbaby first thing in the morning.”
“Have Mark and Kenny decided on a name yet?”
The older man’s face lit up bright. “They have! They won’t tell me until I get there, though. They wanna surprise me. Tell you the truth, I don’t much care what they call her. Whatever her name is, she’s my grandbaby and that’s all that matters.”
Michael could see the slightly sad tinge to Vanessa’s face and he imagined she must be thinking about her own grandparents, especially the grandmother she spoke so fondly of.
“Mr. Montgomery. This is my friend Vee; she’s an accountant too.”
She extended her hand, sharing a broad smile with the gentleman. “Hello, Mr. Montgomery. This is a lovely shop you have here.” She turned to look at the small office space. “My grandparents used to own a shop about this size. That’s where I learned my love of numbers and finance. Michael tells me you’ll be leaving it soon.”
“Yes,” he answered with a twinkle of excitement in his eyes. “I signed the papers today to officially put it on the market.”
“I certainly understand your zeal to get away. A new baby is a great reason to make a move like this. Still, there is a part of methat’s a little sad every time I hear a place like yours that helps everyday people is closing.”
He pushed his hands in his pocket and nodded. “You sound like someone who’s spent one too many years working in a corporate setting.”
Michael watched a somber curtain fall over her face, making him ache to pull her into his embrace.
“Unfortunately, you’re right. I worked in corporate accounting for twenty years. I’m thrilled to be out of it.”
Vanessa scanned the room again with a longing gaze and Michael could tell her mind was taking her back to that simpler time, before the complications that eventually took over her life.
“Just out of curiosity.” Mr. Montgomery tilted his head as a crooked smile curved one side of his mouth. “Are you in the market to buy a small accounting business? ’Cause if you are, I actually have one I could sell you.”
Michael didn’t know why the idea of Vanessa owning this shop, working just a few doors away from him at the sheriff’s office, made something warm and bright bloom in his chest.
“That’s actually not a bad idea, Vee. You should exchange information with Mr. Montgomery so the two of you can talk about this.”
Michael was so caught up in the idea, he almost didn’t notice the slight tension in Vanessa’s body as Mr. Montgomery extended a business card to her.
She took the card, dropping it inside her bag and exchanging one with the new grandfather. “Your shop is lovely. Unfortunately, I’m just visiting Monroe Hills.”
“Well.” He shook his head from side to side. “You visit long enough and you just might end up staying.”
Michael and Vanessa said their goodbyes before stepping out onto the sidewalk.
“How long has he been here?”
