Shane felt a warmth inside him that could only be pride.
“I think she would be impressed,” he said. “I didn’t know her, obviously, but I don’t have to. Anyone can see that you’re impressive.”
Winnie blushed a little at that.
“Thanks,” she said shyly.
“And…” He hesitated, not certain if she wanted to just express herself or if she wanted help. After all, his last bit of ‘help’ was lying broken on the floor. “Or, wait, do you want my perspective on it?”
“Yes,” she said immediately, eagerly.
“Okay,” he went on, “so, my situation is different, obviously, since it’s more professional than anything else, but…” He paused, considering how to phrase this, and Winnie waited with the same patience that he had tried to offer her while she told her story.
“I did not want to come to Magnolia Shore,” he said at last. “My sister must have suggested it like twenty times before I agreed to come.”
Winnie tilted her head. “Why not?”
This part was harder to put into words.
“I guess I thought I could just muscle through it. Or, no, that’s not it, not exactly. I guess what it really felt like was that coming here was admitting that there was really something wrong with my job. It meant admitting to myself that it wasn’t just one client or just one task that was getting to me. It meant admitting that my job, or any job in tech, really, might not be a good fit for me anymore. And that meant basically reimagining my whole sense of self. Being ‘the tech guy’… that’s been how I’ve defined myself since I was a teenager, basically.”
She nodded, considering.
“But I did it,” he said. “And the rewards were pretty much immediate. It’s still a journey, obviously. I don’t know what I want to do for work for the next couple of decades, after all.”
She gave him a teasing look, infusing some much-needed levity into their conversation. He didn’t mind having a heavy conversation. He’d actually found that he liked getting a deeper look at what made Winnie tick. But he also felt good about having the mood lighten a little.
“You mean your self-help book didn’t immediately solve everything?”
“Sadly, no,” he confessed. “But I’m getting this time with my sister. I’m slowly working my way through everything they offer at Honey Bee Bakery. And…” He felt a little shy about this lastpart, although he chastised himself for it. “I’m getting to know you. And that feels pretty great.”
She bit her lip, showing that she too was feeling some of that shyness.
“My point,” he added, “is that honesty, openness, and vulnerability are good things, but they’re not easy things. I struggled to take the leap. I get that you did too. But you also did it. You are still doing it. So maybe just… trust the process.”
“By which you mean don’t sabotage my new friendships by picking up my old ‘ice queen’ routine?” she asked wryly.
He laughed. He had a hard time imagining Winnie as an ice queen, no matter what she’d told him about her past.
“Basically, yeah,” he said. “You said that my sister and Diana stuck up for you with the bullies. Maybe, metaphorically speaking, you now get to do the same. Make a little bit of a gesture that’s more than just being kind. Show them how you really feel. Or, better yet, tell them.”
She thought this over, then nodded.
“You are pretty darn wise, Shane Ridley,” she said after a moment. “You should consider putting ‘life coach’ on that list of potential careers of yours.”
He chuckled. “I’m not sure that’s going to be where I end up, but I do appreciate the vote of confidence.” He looked over at the poor cornhole boards one more time. “Especially since I don’t think carpentry is going to make the cut.”
“Yeah, I would cross that one off,” she agreed.
“But…” He did jazz hands just to make her laugh and was pleased when it worked. “Like I said, I’m a whiz at computers. Want me to help you brainstorm and maybe work on some publicity?”
She beamed. “Yeah, that would be amazing! Okay, wait, let me go get my notes… and some snacks, maybe. My mom would have said that you always need snacks after you’re sad.”
“You did say she was a wise woman.”
Winnie quickly produced some cheese, fruit, and crackers, and they nibbled happily on these for a while before deciding that they both needed something sweeter than the raspberries she had on hand. They made a quick sojourn over to Harvest Grocery Store to purchase some chocolate ice cream and, on impulse, a bottle of red wine. They worked later into the night than Shane realized, sharing the treats between them, but by the end of their time spent huddled together over Winnie’s laptop, they had a decent plan in the works for a carnival-type event to benefit the historical society.
Each event, Winnie explained, would both provide fun for all ages and share something interesting about local history.
