Page 48 of Capture The Moment

Harper was astounded. The little old lady seemed harmless enough, but how astute to have recognized the reason for Harper’s discomfort. Swallowing hard, she said, “Yes. How did you know?”

Mrs. Simmons smiled sweetly and said, “Because I’m a widow too. I lost my husband years ago, but I still miss him every single day.”

Tears pricked the corner of Harper’s eyes, but she fought them back. “I’m sorry,” she said softly.

“Oh, honey. Don’t be. We had a lot of good years together, and some not-so-great ones too! It makes me sadder to see someone so young in my position. I’m the one who’s sorry.”

“Thank you,” Harper said and sniffled.

“How long has it been?”

“Almost two years.”

“Can I give you some advice?”

Harper had received a lot of unwelcome advice from well-meaning people since Blake had died, but for some reason, she really wanted to hear what this woman had to say. “Sure.”

“You’re a beautiful, young woman with a lot of living left to do. Don’t waste it on grief. I’m sure you’ve already grieved enough for a lifetime. It’s time to move on now.”

Harper had heard the same sentiment many times before, but it was the way Mrs. Simmons said it, with certainty, conviction, and experience, that really hit home.

“Do you have another man in your life?” Harper asked. Mrs. Simmons appeared to be in her eighties, but she seemed like she had a lot of life left in her too!

Mrs. Simmons tipped her head back and laughed. “Ha! No, dear, but it’s not for a lack of suitors. It’s because I don’t want to be tied down! At this stage in my life, I just want to have a good time. If you know what I mean.” And then she winked, her face crinkling up with glee.

Harper laughed too, feeling lighter than she had in weeks. “Thank you,” she said. “I really enjoyed talking to you.”

“Me too, dear. And I hope you’ll give him a chance.”

Eyebrows raised, Harper replied, “Give who a chance?”

“The man who’s got you tied up in knots. Your husband’s friend, I take it.”

Harper opened her mouth to deny it, but Mrs. Simmons ignored her. “And don’t do it just for him. Do it for yourself too. You deserve it.” With that, she gave Harper’s arm another squeeze, and wandered away to rejoin the rest of the group.

Harper was still standing there, dumbfounded, when Kelly sidled up next to her. “I hope Mrs. Simmons wasn’t giving you a hard time,” she said apologetically.

“Oh, no. Not at all. She was just being friendly.”

“Well, that’s one word for her! She’s also a bit of a busybody, and she likes to give us all romance advice, whether we want it or not!” Kelly said it without malice, and Harper had noticed the affection between the two women.

The book club had disbanded by then, most of the women drifting out into the night, still talking and laughing, while a few of them browsed the shelves, presumably looking for their next romance read.

“I hope you’ll join us again next month,” Kelly said.

“I’d like that,” Harper replied, her earlier reservations having disappeared.

“Great! Stop by the desk on your way out and give Emma your email address, and we’ll add you to our list. No obligation, though. Come when you can.”

“Thanks.”

Kelly must have noticed her hesitation, because then she said, “Did you want help picking out another book while you’re here?”

“Yes, but I’m looking for something other than romance this time.” And then Harper proceeded to tell Kelly what she had in mind.

Without missing a beat, Kelly led her over to the self-help section, where she pointed out a few books that she thought might be helpful. Then she left Harper alone to decide, and after perusing the back covers and scanning the table of contents for each, Harper made her selection and took it up to the counter.

Emma rang up her purchase and took down Harper’s email address. “Thanks a lot for stopping in,” she said.