smiled and nodded, still embarrassed from her earlier blurt. “Okay. We’ll … get together, right?”
He nodded. “Absolutely. Besides, you know how we always run into each other.”
She laughed. “I hope I didn’t leave a mark!”
He rubbed his backside with one hand. “You might have.”
Her face fell. “Really? Oh, Zane, I’m so sorry.”
“Better you ran into me than a stranger,” he said with a smile. “They might sue.”
She rolled her eyes. “Not likely around here. Maybe in New York. I can’t wait to hear all about it.”
“Call me later, okay?” He looked at the checkout stands and back. “I look forward to spending some time with you.”
It was obvious he had to leave but she didn’t want him to. He’d changed, but so had she. “And I look forward to spending time with you, too. We have a lot to catch up on.”
He gave her a half-smile. “Yeah. I’ll see you around.”
“Bye,” she said with a little wave. He gave her one last smile, turned and left the aisle. As soon as he was gone, she facepalmed. “Are you married?! What a stupid thing to ask.”
She pushed her basket toward the meat section, muttering to herself the whole way. She got her chicken and a few other things, then headed for the coffee and tea aisle, fighting the urge to sneak a peek at Zane in the checkout line. By the time she got to the bakery section at the other end of the store, she had to stop and take a few deep breaths. “What is wrong with you?” she asked aloud. “You haven’t seen the man in eight years. Eight!” She gripped the handle of her shopping cart until her knuckles turned white. But none of it did anything to slow her racing heart or quell the excitement in the pit of her stomach. It was like she’d just seen a part of herself that she lost and just found. But that was ridiculous. Wasn’t it?
Holly finished her grocery shopping, got through the checkout and went into the parking lot. There was no sign of Zane anywhere. Not that it did any good to look. She didn’t even know what he was driving. Yet if she didn’t search, she’d go home with an unsettling feeling. Like leaving something undone that you knew you should have taken care of.
“Ridiculous,” she muttered as she put her groceries in the car. Maybe her new book would get her mind off him. Yes, she’d spend the rest of the afternoon reading, have a nice salad for dinner, watch a little TV then go to bed. She was still tired from yesterday after all. The question was, would she be able to sleep tonight, or would thoughts of Zane Brody keep her awake?
Chapter Three
Holly awoke the next morning tired and grumpy. As predicted, she hardly slept a wink. But how could she when she kept thinking about the look on Zane’s face yesterday? He looked so out of sorts, like he dreaded being in Clear Creek again.
She pondered the thought and got ready for work. True, he’d been away since high school, living the life in New York City. Was that why he was staying in a motel? Was the relationship he had with his parents strained at this point?
They’d each gone off to college all those years ago and, she had to admit, it broke her heart. Sure, they wrote letters and made phone calls, but over time, what they had between them faded. It was too hard for Zane to come see her and vice versa. It was just one of those things.
She stopped for coffee on the way to work. She was going to need all the help she could get this morning. Thank Heaven there wouldn’t be any clients in the shop today. She had a shipment coming in and had to be there to receive it. She wished Katie was there to help, she could use a voice of reason right now. But she was home with her kids and Holly wasn’t about to interrupt that. Any free time Katie had, she spent with Jack, Carlton and Tiffany.
“Kids,” she said with a sigh. She loved them so long as they were someone else’s. She wasn’t ready for any of her own, not yet anyway. Besides, first she’d have to find one of those elusive things called a husband. She giggled at the thought and parked her car.
Inside the shop she straightened a few clothes racks, checked her watch, then