“It could be sexy.”
It could. It could also be the biggest mistake I’d ever make.
I hustledinto the General Store, out of the cold and into the heat. The store was dead, considering the time of year. Normally, there would be at least a dozen women in here at any hour of the day, doing their shopping for Thanksgiving. Instead, there wasn’t a soul in sight.
That was largely due to the fact that John Callahan had aided his brother in deceiving the town regarding the missing girl over twenty-five years ago. Since then, the town had turned on him, refusing to use his store, even if that meant driving to the next town for groceries.
Well, I wasn’t that petty, and while I didn’t agree with his choices, I also knew that if this store died, the town would feel the pain when they all came to their senses.
“Morning,” I greeted Mr. Callahan, getting a half smile in return.
The old man had been through so much, and despite what the town said about him, I just couldn’t bring myself to judge him for his actions. I wasn’t sure what I would do in his situation.
And because of that, I chose not to engage in the gossip.
I wasn’t in his shoes, and hopefully, I never would be.
I pulled out my list and started scratching off one item at a time as I filled my cart, not paying attention to anything around me until I slammed my cart right into someone else’s.
“Oh, sorry?—”
When I looked up, I was shocked to see Ellie standing across from me, her eyes not holding even an ounce of the life they once did.
I wasn’t sure what compelled me to do it. I wasn’t normally an overly affectionate person, but right now, I couldn’t think of doing anything other than giving her a hug. She sucked in a breath as I wrapped my arms around her, and then a moment later, relaxed and squeezed me back, gripping me like she needed a lifeline.
“How are you?” I whispered.
She shook her head, and that’s when I felt the tears on her cheeks and how desperately she was trying to hold it all in.
So, I stood there, holding her, hoping that in some way I was helping her. “Tell me what you need.”
“Ryder. My sanity. A few glasses of wine,” she chuckled, finally releasing me.
Stepping back, she wiped the tears from her eyes and blinked up at me with a grateful smile. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine.”
Blowing out a harsh breath, she pulled a tissue from her purse and swiped at her face. “I shouldn’t have worn makeup, but I wanted to seem normal.”
“Normal is a relative term.”
She huffed out a laugh. “You’d think I’d be over this by now.”
“Ellie, it’s been a little over a month. That’s not enough time for me to get over a skinned knee.”
She glanced around the empty store. “People stare at me everywhere I go. I’mthatgirl.”
“You’re a survivor,” I corrected. “And they’re not staring at you because of what happened. Well, some of them might be. I think mostly, people want to help and have no idea how to.”
“Well, include me in that because I have no idea how to help me.”
I wished I had words of wisdom for her, but I had never been through anything traumatic in my life. Not even a fender bender. I didn’t have the slightest clue how to help.
“Have you opened the shop again?”
She shook her head, still fidgeting with the tissue. “I can’t be alone there, and Ryder has work. He stayed home with me for three weeks before I kicked him out.”
Fake smiles and laughter were clearly her go-to, but they didn’t fool me. She was desperately hurting. “If you want to get out of the house, but don’t want to be alone, come to the bookstore. I have comfy chairs and reading nooks. You can sit there and be left alone, or you can talk to me as much as you want.”
