“Oh, why did you decide to stay?”
Now I’m genuinely curious about this interesting woman before me. Beck pushes her long black hair and the tail of her scarf behind her shoulder.
“Aunt Maggie was so easy to live with. The opposite of my parents. I didn’t feel like I was walking on eggshells around her.It’s hard to believe she is my father’s sister to be honest. I started working at the bakery and that’s where I met Hannah.” She pauses her story, and I nod, encouraging her to tell me more.
Beck sighs loudly before she continues.
“Hannah stopped in one morning for coffee on her way to the gallery. She looked exhausted, and sad. Maggie tried to talk to her, but she was very quiet. Like it was an effort to even come in and place an order. After she left, I asked Maggie about her, and she told me about the gallery and her dad passing away. She didn’t mention anything about her mom or you, though.” Beck scowls at me before sharing more.
“After I was done work that day, I made her another coffee and walked over to the gallery to introduce myself. I was new to town, she is close to my age, and I thought we both could use a friend. I found her sitting on the floor behind the counter and I could tell she had been crying. So, I sat with her. I didn’t say anything or ask her what was wrong. I just stayed with her.”
It breaks my heart to think of Hannah that sad. I contributed to that pain. I hurt her heart too. Leaning back in my chair, I close my eyes for a moment and take a long breath to collect myself.
“Anyway,” she continues, unaffected by my shame, absentmindedly petting Morgan. He is in his glory receiving so much extra attention.
“I continued to stop in with a coffee. That first day, I didn’t even tell her my name. It took a couple of days, but we began chatting. I think it was good for her to have a friend that was completely removed from her past. She shared the information she wanted to in her own time. I wasn’t here so I didn’t have the same bias as everyone else in town. I wasn’t interested in town gossip. She was grieving and needed a friend.”
“When did she tell you about our breakup?” I could tell by the scowl on her face I stepped over the invisible line. “Sorry,” I mumble.
“Careful, Logan,” she says narrowing her eyes. “I’m not going to discuss you leaving her. I’ve already said too much.”
Pivoting, I circle back to ask Beck about herself. I don’t want her to stop talking.
“So, you worked for Maggie? When did you decide to become a tattoo artist?”
“Banks stopped by one day and mentioned to Maggie he needed help at the front desk. By then, I had already decided to stay in Emerley and knew I didn’t want to work at the bakery forever. I have dual citizenship, so moving to Canada wasn’t an issue. I figured working here would be a fun way to pass the time while I figured out what I wanted to do with my life. I always enjoyed art, and for one of the first times in my life, I felt like I belonged. A few weeks later I started my apprenticeship under him.”
We seem to have a lot in common. I never planned on becoming a tattoo artist but look at me now.
She finishes her story just as April breezes in, chatting excitedly about a guy she met at karaoke last night at Bob’s, cutting off our conversation before I could ask Beck any more questions about herself or Hannah.
The rest of the day passes quickly. There was a steady stream of people popping in for consultations or just to “chat.”
Yes, I’m back, you nosey fuckers. Tell your friends.
Chapter Twenty-One
I’m sitting outside on my front deck in my pyjamas, drinking my second cup of coffee and peacefully watching a family of ducks, when I’m startled by my phone ringing inside the house.
Quickly, I jog inside to grab it from the kitchen counter, giving Penelope a quick pet as I pass by. I smile when I see it’s Megan. She is my only friend that would rather call than text, because she thinks texting is impersonal.
“Hello,” I answer, wandering back to where Pen is perch on her cat tree. She purrs loudly as I continue to pet her.
“Good morning, Hannah. It’s a beautiful day.”
I peer out the window at the still blue water on Crystal Lake. It looks like glass, it’s so calm.
“Gorgeous. I was just sitting outside. What are you up to?”
“I was wondering if you wanted to go to the farmers market with me. Jeff is at a conference until Monday, and I need to get out of the house for a bit. I thought I should take advantage of the Saturday market while it’s still open. Claire is going to be there with Ben around 11:30 after his soccer game.”
I check the time, it’s just after 10 a.m.
We have such a short growing season in Ontario that the market is only open from the end of May to the end of October.
Sadly, Meg’s husband is often working and I know she gets lonely. They agreed that she would pursue her own dreams of becoming a teacher once he finished law school and wrote the bar. They were young and money was tight, so she agreed. Then he wanted to establish his practice. Then he began to pressure her into starting a family. It was never the right time for her to go to school or even find a job she loved. She doesn’t talk about her marriage very often, but I can tell she isn’t happy.
“I would love to hang out with you. I’m still in my pyjamas so I’ll need to take a quick shower and get ready.”
