The simplicity of it blooms warm and softly in my chest. She presses a warm loaf of bread into my hands before I can protest.
“A wedding gift. Baked it this morning.”
“Thank you,” I say, my voice rougher than I expect.
She lowers her voice just enough that it feels intentional, not secretive. “People will talk. They always do. Best not to give them more attention than they deserve.”
Then she straightens, nods once, and returns to her porch as if the matter is settled.
I cling to that quiet kindness as we unlock the store.
Inside, the shelves are neat and orderly. Sunlight filters through the front windows, catching dust motes in the air. Grady moves behind the counter with practiced ease, setting out the ledger and checking the till.
For a moment, it feels like peace.
The bell above the door rings.
A woman steps inside clutching a folded list in one hand and her purse in the other. She smiles at Grady, then falters when she notices me. Her gaze flicks to my face and then away, too quickly to be polite.
“Morning,” Grady says pleasantly.
“I need flour, sewing needles, and lamp oil,” she replies after clearing her throat.
Grady retrieves the flour and needles easily. When he reaches for the oil, his brow creases.
“I’m out of lamp oil until the next shipment,” he says. “Should be in by Thursday.”
Her lips press together. She glances at me again, her discomfort sharpening into something defensive.
“I’ll… try Morgan’s,” she says abruptly, as if the decision has just occurred to her.
Grady only nods.
“Of course.”
She pays quickly and leaves without another word.
The bell rings again not long after. A man steps inside, pauses when he sees me, then hesitates.
“You open?” he asks.
“Yes sir,” Grady replies.
The man shifts his weight. “I’ll come back later.”
He does not.
By midday, the pattern has formed.
A woman pretends to remember something she left at home. A man asks a question from the doorway but never crosses the threshold. Another customer completes her purchase in stiff silence, eyes fixed anywhere but my face.
I stand near the counter, hands folded tightly together, watching the space Grady built grow quieter by the hour.
“They’re avoiding me,” I say finally.
Grady looks up from the ledger. “They’ll come around.”
“They’re avoiding me,” I repeat, my voice softer now. “And it is costing you.”
