realized. “I think it’s just a wire or something.” She had no clue, but she knew her mother was a worrier in every sense of the word.
“I can have Maggie bring you a change of clothes and a hot breakfast,” her mother offered. Maggie had been her mother’s best friend since first grade. She was like family.
“No, I’m fine, really. I’ll wash up here and send out for something later.”
“If you’re sure?”
“I am. Everything okay with Dad?” she asked.
“He’s in bed. I didn’t want to wake him, but for the most part, he’s had a decent day. This cold weather isn’t ideal, but we’ll get used to it.”
“Then I’ll catch up with you later. Try to rest, and if I need a ride home this evening, I’ll call Maggie.” She didn’t want her mother anywhere near the store at the moment. All the extra stock she’d ordered in anticipation of Black Friday remained on the shelves throughout the store. Her mother knew the store’s inventory as well as she did and would see that sales hadn’t even been close to what they’d been in previous years.
“All right, Lauren, but you make sure and get a hot breakfast. I can call Ruby’s Diner.”
Knowing her mother meant well, she patiently said, “I’m really not hungry. I’ve munched on cookies all night, but thanks. I’ll get something later, I promise.” She would, too. It might only be a cup of coffee, but she was always true to her word.
“Then I’ll talk to you later, dear. Don’t be afraid to call me. I’m awake most nights anyway,” her mother added.
Lauren’s heart broke for her. She and her father were both young and vibrant, at least he had been. Her mother had retired from teaching elementary school when she’d turned fifty and spent her time at the store and involved herself in so many activities that Lauren would get exhausted just hearing all that she had on her calendar. Crafts, her passion; the church choir; tutoring the occasional student. And now, her days were spent caring for Lauren’s dad. Her father would have done the same for her mother had the situation been reversed. They loved one another, and the more time she spent with them as an adult, the more Lauren realized that their relationship was truly quite rare. The total devotion, understanding, and commitment they shared was an example of true love. She thought of her relationship with Eric, which, in her own words, had turned out to be a real dud. Grateful she’d had the sense to get out of that relationship, she had long ago decided that she would not settle for just any guy. At thirty-five, she’d started to think about her biological clock. She had always wanted a family, maybe two or three children, and still did. Time moved quickly the older she got, and she knew she had a limited amount of it in which to fulfill her goal. But if she didn’t, that would be okay. She wasn’t going to settle just because she had a vision of what she’d planned. Maybe she’d stay single, footloose, and fancy-free. She’d had several casual dates with Brent Ludmore, the local sheriff, but she’d known him since she was four and couldn’t imagine him as a life partner. Nope, she would wait until the right man came along, and if not, then so be it. It wasn’t as though Fallen Springs had an endless supply of eligible bachelors. She’d thought about checking out the online dating sites but had never had the time to devote to searching for a date as she only had access to the Internet at the local coffee shop, the Daily Grind, or at the pharmacy next door.
You do now, the voice in her head reminded her.
“What the heck,” she said as she booted up the computer, her personal laptop, which was used exclusively for her writing. Right, she thought as she waited for the Internet browser to load. The pharmacy’s owner, Wilbur Davis, was her father’s best friend. He’d given her his Wi-Fi information for when she needed to use the Internet; he too knew how much her father refused to even take a peep into the twenty-first century. After she logged on, she searched the most popular dating sights, skimmed through the requirements, and decided this wasn’t for her, at least not yet. She viewed a few bios that were interesting but not so much that they took her mind off her current situation.