“Isn’t it a beautiful day?” she asked, mostly to break the silence.
“For sure.” He nodded. “I, uh, I wanted to talk to you yesterday, but I guess I got pretty busy with farm chores.”
“We were busy too.” She briefly described Maria’s deep-cleaning binge.
“I wanted to apologize to you—for what happened at the cotillion.”
“Apologize?” She turned to stare at him. “For what?”
“For the way I treated Victoria mostly. Especially in front of my parents and Maria and you. I should’ve handled it differently, but I was so fed up, I guess I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
“You did seem frustrated.”
“Well, I got hornswoggled into taking her.”
“Now there’s a word you don’t hear too often.” She chuckled.
“It pretty much describes what happened. I honestly don’trecall giving her my word that I’d take her, but she was convinced, so I thought I’d just get it over with and go. I didn’t realize that she’d want to keep me on a leash at the dance. Or that she’d throw a hissy fit if I danced with someone else.”
“Did you get it all ironed out with her?”
“I don’t know. Mostly I wanted her to understand that she and I are not a thing. We never have been.” He glanced at Carol. “I wanted you to know that too.”
Carol felt a little flutter inside but didn’t know how to respond.
“I’m not sure she understood,” he continued. “Or maybe she didn’t want to understand. When she finally went into her house, I’m pretty sure she was still mad.” He shrugged. “But that’s her choice.”
“Well, thanks for telling me.” Carol felt like an invisible weight had been lifted from her. She almost confessed about how, in the ladies’ room, she’d overheard talk about diamonds and things. But she didn’t want to frustrate him further. “I’ll admit I did wonder ... you know, about the status of your relationship.”
“There is no relationship,” he declared. “I used to think she was a friend, but now I wouldn’t even claim that. My folks are sure relieved. I bet Maria will be too. She’s lectured me before. Guess I should’ve listened.” He chuckled. “You live and learn I guess.”
For the rest of the drive into town, they just visited like old friends. And it felt good. First off, they picked up a few ingredients at the grocery store. Then a prescription from the drugstore for Larry. While Victor waited on that, Carol browsed, hoping to find something Maria might like for Christmas. Of course, nothing seemed quite right, but she went ahead and got a few items. A pretty cinnamon-and-spice candle, a box of yummy-looking chocolates, and some luxurious skin products. She’d noticed some baskets in Maria’s attic and planned to borrowone to make these offerings more festive. She was just trying to find a Christmas card when Victor joined her.
“I wanted something special for Maria,” she explained. “Not that I’ve had much luck. I’m almost done.”
“No rush.” He began perusing the cards too, contentedly humming along with the Christmas music bubbling out of the sound system. And it didn’t even aggravate her. Before long, they had paid for their purchases and were back in the pickup.
“My errands in town are done,” he told her. “But if you have time, I want to stop by and look at something.”
“I have all the time in the world.”
“Great.” He pointed to a large building just a couple blocks down the street. “My buddy Jason is a realtor, and he gave me a key to his place.”
“What is it?” She stared at the rather boxy-looking, neglected building.
“It’s the old grain mill. And it’s for sale.”
“For sale?” She felt her brows arch. “And you’re in the market for a ginormous building like that?”
He laughed as he drove over. “Maybe. Especially when the price is right.”
A sign with peeling paint, hanging crookedly in front, read “Crafter’s Mall.”
“Are you planning to sell crafts?” She asked as he unlocked the door.
“Now that would be a surefire way to lose money considering I’m all thumbs when it comes to arts and crafts.”
“What then?”
