“I’ll take care of spreading the word online then.” Appearing deep in thought, he pursed his lips. “Would you be able to create a graphic I can share?”
She grinned. “That’s my specialty. I’ll work on it this evening and email it to you.”
“Perfect.” He reached for his phone. “I’ll text you my email now.”
“Do you want signs printed to hang around town?”
He grimaced. “How much will that cost?”
“I’ll cover it.” She warded off his with an explanation. “I did some freelance work a while back for a print shop in Augusta and cut them a deal. They said if I ever need anything to call them, so I’ll cash in on that favor.”
“That would be great.”
“I can probably get us a few yard signs, too.”
“Even better.” He reached across the console and squeezed her arm lightly. “Thank you. For everything.”
The innocent touch sent warm shivers through her, but she wasn’t about to examine what that meant. “My pleasure. A week ago, I packed my bags not sure if I’d make the trip home, but I couldn’t ignore the prodding. Each day since I’ve been here, I see more of God’s hand in bringing me home.”
“I hope you find all the answers you need.” He looked at her again with an underlying tone of undecipherable emotion.
For her own sanity, she had to escape before she let her mind go down rabbit trails she had no business exploring. “I should go.”
“Give me a call later, and we can nail down plans for Saturday.”
“Will do.” She slipped out the passenger side door without giving him a chance to get out and open it for her.
She’d had enough of his gentlemanly behavior for the day. Her fragile emotions couldn’t handle it. Her first love had grown into an honorable, attractive man with a deep heart and sense of personal responsibility.
Once inside the house, she peeked through the crack in curtain panels and watched Derek drive away. They weren’t eighteen anymore, and now they had a decade of life experience and wisdom behind them. Would that make a difference this time?
Stepping away from the window, she chided herself. “What are you thinking? There is no this time.”
Holiday charm and spending hours with Derek over the last several days had muddled her brain. She needed an activity to occupy her brain—one that wouldn’t make her think about Derek.
She pulled her phone from her purse and called her mom. “Hi, Mom. I was wondering what time you’ll be home.”
“In an hour, give or take a few minutes. We were packing up to leave when you called.”
“Did you eat yet?”
“No. I’d planned to pick up sandwiches on the way home.” Mom sounded tired. “It will be something quick and easy.”
Brenna opened the freezer then refrigerator and did a quick survey. “Don’t worry about the sandwiches. I’ll make dinner tonight.”
“You don’t have to do that, sweetheart. We’ve had sandwiches plenty of times.”
“I know, but I’m sure you and Beth worked hard today and want a meal with more substance.”
Mom gave a tired chuckle. “If you want to cook, I won’t argue with you.”
***
Brenna sank into the armchair and propped her feet on the ottoman. Unused to standing all day, she felt the effects in her sore calves and the stinging balls of her feet. If she had the energy, she’d fix an Epsom salt bath with a few drops of lavender oil and soak in it.
From the corner of her eyes, she saw Beth come into the family room and stretch out on the love seat. Brenna didn’t look at her for fear that any eye contact would invite Beth to launch another tirade against her, and, quite frankly, Brenna wasn’t in the mood. She knew she’d made mistakes and didn’t need them thrown in her face every single time she saw her sister.
“Thanks for dinner.” Beth’s rare compliment surprised Brenna. “I’ve never had that before, but it was delicious. What’s it called again?”
