Yes!
She stopped and flipped on her blinker while other vehicles on the same quest lined up behind her.
The twosome took their sweet time getting in, buckling up, maybe checking their phones, but she wasn’t budging, even if the delay ticked off the drivers to her rear.
When the car at last pulled out, she took a steadying breath. Tightened her grip on the wheel. Parallel parking was no small challenge for someone who rarely drove and had only learned the maneuver well enough to squeak by on her driving test years ago.
It took three tries and a major case of sweaty palms, but at last she managed to wedge the car into the less-than-generous spot.
Whew.
As the waiting cars passed by, she kept her face averted in case there were any unhappy campers in the group, zooming in on the large “For Lease” sign in the window of the hardware store beside her.
That was new.
Apparently there were still no takers on the space.
A space with potential to be a ballet studio.
She mashed her lips together, trying to quash the idea she’d relegated to a dark corner of her mind after her last visit to the shop.
That whole notion was crazy. She was at the peak of her career, with plans to dance at least a few more seasons before moving on to the post-performing phase of her life.
Or that had been her intention, anyway.
Until she’d come back home and reconnected with her sister.Become part of the community with her volunteer efforts for the show. Discovered what a gift it was to have time to breathe. Realized how much of her personal life she’d sacrificed thanks to the rigorous demands of her career and the lifestyle it required.
Meeting Aaron had only exacerbated the problem.
She uncurled her fingers from around the wheel and tucked her hair behind her ear.
Like it or not, once seeds of discontent were sown, they tended to send down roots and sprout. Make you second-guess things you’d never questioned—and want things you hadn’t realized you’d been yearning for at a deep, elemental level.
Things like personal connections. Family. Friends.
Love.
A car in the passing parade beside her stopped, as if the driver was wondering whether she was coming or going, so she picked up her purse and opened the door, shaking her head as she mouthed a “sorry.”
Leaving the Focus behind, she crossed Main Street and set a brisk pace down the sidewalk, trying without much success to calm the turmoil in her mind.
As she approached The Perfect Blend, she read the saying on the sign in front.
Zach had gone for whimsy today, with a nugget from Tolkien.
Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate.
Like an empty hardware store that could be a ballet studio?
Rolling her eyes, she marched forward. It was ridiculous to read too much into a sidewalk sign. The fact that the sayings on several of Zach’s daily quotes had been relevant to her current situation was pure coincidence, nothing more.
At the coffee shop door, she stopped and peered through the glass. Hesitated.
The crowd was daunting.
But Zach and his baristas were efficient, and the line usually moved at a fast clip. While snagging an empty table might be tough, she could find a bench outside somewhere if necessary. She hadn’t come this close to a java infusion to walk away empty-handed.
