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Also, it was getting late. He and Patience had ended up talking for two hours. She’d shown him Ari’s baby pictures and told him a little about her marriage to Jack and how hard it’d been to make a living. Her father had thought it was important to let them fend for themselves—that they should suffer the consequences of their poor choices—so she hadn’t even had a wedding ring, let alone a honeymoon or even a place of their own. They’d had to live with Jack’s parents at first, which had been crowded and difficult. She’d said her marriage had been a tug-of-war from the very beginning and hadn’t shied away from accepting her share of the blame. She’d admitted that her father could be a polarizing figure, and his involvement and demands had caused a lot of bickering.

Kanon had enjoyed learning more about what’d shaped Patience. But he’d worked so hard the past two days, he was tired. The last thing he needed was an awkward conversation with Glenda, whom he had no interest in.

As he came around his truck, he found she’d already gotten out and was waiting for him.

“Hey, I was just driving through town when I saw your truck and thought I’d say hello,” she said.

He didn’t buy that it was spontaneous. He knew she looked for him around town and actively tried to run into him. “What’s got you out so late?”

“I needed an antihistamine, so I ran down to the mini-mart.”

He checked his watch. “Didn’t realize they stayed open past ten.”

“Closes at midnight. I got there just in time.”

Eager to find his bed, he shifted on his feet. “Sorry you’re not feeling well.”

“It’s just a cold.” She twisted a knitted scarf around her neck. “What has you out so late?”

He didn’t see any reason to lie. He didn’t owe her anything, should be able to visit whomever he wished, and maybe his answer would get her to finally focus on someone else. “I was over at Patience’s house.”

She hesitated for a second before responding. “Her father didn’t mind?”

“She doesn’t live with her father anymore.”

Her eyes widened. “Since when?”

“Since Friday.”

“Jack didn’t mention anything about that.” She cleared her throat. “Where’d she move to?”

“She and Ari live in a mother-in-law’s quarters now. I don’t remember the name of the family who owns the house in front.”

“I might know them. Where’s it located?”

He wasn’t willing to get specific. For all he knew, Patience would rather he not give Glenda that information. “About four miles from here.”

Fortunately, she let it go. “A lot of things seem to be changing,” she said.

Hearing the nostalgia in her voice somehow disarmed him. From what he could tell, she tended to get petty and selfish pretty easily. But she was also hurting and searching for something to ease the pain. That was probably why she was trying to grab on to him so quickly after her separation. “Change can be tough,” he said. “But it can also take you to a better place—if you let it.”

She shook her head. “There’s not anything better on the horizon for me.”

“Thinking that way will only make your problems worse. Someone will come along who’ll be just right for you.”

“Here in Hard Luck?” she asked skeptically.

“You could always move. The world’s a big place. Go out and experience more of it—find what you want.”

She shook her head. “Moving by myself just sounds…lonely.”

“I meant it to sound exciting,” he said wryly.

“Hard Luck isn’t the problem. I like it here. My family’s here. It’s home.” She blew on her hands to warm them. “It’s the mistakes I’ve made. I hate myself for ruining my friendship with Patience over Jack.”

“If you really feel that way, be a better friend in the future,” he said. “I’m sure she’ll forgive you when she’s in a better place herself.”

“She’s not happy now that she’s with you?”