Larkspur Dreams - By Anita Higman Page 0,9

for happiness. It had become his life’s lesson—joy might come, but there would be the inevitable price to pay at the end.

He stared out at the falling snow and wanted to say, “Humbug.” Maybe I need some window blinds to help with the distractions. Mental note: Caffeine tablets. And wooden blinds. Everett willed himself not to look out his window, but even as he made his private demand, he rewarded himself with one more glimpse. Hopefully, Lark wouldn’t catch him gawking.

Abruptly her office lights flickered on, and she appeared at the window, giving him a wave. She had indeed caught him staring. Heat spread across his face while she slipped on that perennial, pesky, sunny smile of hers. With her hair pulled back in a ribbon, he could see the soft angles of her lovely face. Not thinking clearly, he picked up his coffee mug and then dropped it on his bare toe. The brew sloshed all over his pant leg. Great. He grabbed some tissues and tried to wipe up the mess, but he did more smearing than cleaning.

Mental note: Suit pants to the dry cleaners, caffeine tablets, and very heavy wooden blinds. Maybe he should hire someone to run his errands for him. That way he could get even more work done. Since he’d just gotten a raise from his biggest client, he felt an unwritten pressure to give more hours and produce more work. Kind of like a treadmill that management conveniently forgot to turn off.

But the additional labor was no real problem for him. He had almost no family left. No real friends. No obligations. Just the job. A clean and productive life.

Everett did a double click with his mouse and looked at his computer screen, which now displayed an electronic ledger. He stared at the curser. It seemed to almost mock him with its incessant winking.

He looked down at his hands. His fingers were balled into fists so tightly he could feel his heartbeat in his hands. Probably from the wrath of paying an obscene amount of money for a home which turned out to have no privacy. He glanced back at Lark’s window. This time she’d disappeared again. When did she ever get any work done? And surely illustrating didn’t pay much.

What was the name of one of her books? In a Giddy Pickle? Okay, so now that he thought about it, he might have seen the book back in Fayetteville. Perhaps at a bookstore and on a special display at the grocery store. Okay, maybe she was slightly notable. But if she were that big, wouldn’t she be working nonstop to keep up her position and lifestyle?

Everett heard some faint squealing noises next door, so he made a casual glance over to his neighbor’s window. Lark and another woman were doing that girlfriend ritual thing of jumping up and down while hugging. He shook his head and groaned.

Six

“What are you doing here? This is so great.” Lark loved the idea of sharing a snowy morning with her best friend, Calli Dashwood.

“Well, you said you wanted me to surprise you sometime,” Calli said.

Lark released her from their hug. “I’m so happy you’re here. But what about the roads? Weren’t they kind of slippery?”

“I drove carefully.” Calli wagged a finger. “But did you know your door was not only left unlocked, it wasn’t quite shut?”

“Oh, dear.” Lark realized it must have been left that way all night.

“I saw your car in the drive so I knew you were home,” Calli said. “I rang the bell, but when you didn’t come, I noticed the door.”

“I guess I forgot. And I can’t believe I didn’t hear the bell. I’m so sorry.” Lark folded her hands together in front of her. “Maybe I can make it up to you with breakfast burritos and lots of homemade salsa.”

“Now you’re talking.” Calli took off her coat and pulled out a bag of candy from her pocket. “I brought you a present. Little Chocola’ Rocks from Sweet Nothings.”

“Is that the candy shop you’re always talking about in Hot Springs?” Lark asked.

“Yeah. And the owner, Nori, is quite the entrepreneur. The next time we go to Hot Springs I think you’d both get a kick out of meeting each other.”

“I’d love to.” Lark accepted the beautifully decorated bag of sweets and put it on an easy-to-reach shelf, thinking they’d be great for munching while painting or reading or just about anything. “Thanks.”

Lark noticed Calli’s new casual look in jeans and tennis shoes.