One Snowy Night (Sweet Home, Alaska #1) - Patience Griffin Page 0,11
And with Sparkle’s medical bills piling up from her surgery, things were rough at Piney’s.
Hope had always gotten by before and she would this time, too. She let it go.
What Hope couldn’t get over was how badly the camping trip with Ella had gone the past two days. It had been pretty much a bust. Her daughter wouldn’t discuss her drinking problem or her grief over her grandfather dying. Yes, they’d enjoyed adding a string of used spools to the Memory Tree and sprucing up the branches where some of the ribbons had come off, or where past Christmas tree ornaments had fallen. And yes, Hope checked off some items from the list of things she wanted to teach Ella—starting a fire in less than optimal conditions, target practice with the .22 shotgun, and fishing for dinner in the river. But Hope had felt guilty for missing church. Father Mike didn’t like Hope and Ella playing hooky, even though he’d gotten used to their camping trips. But mostly, Hope had felt distracted because of what Piney had said about Donovan coming to town.
The truth was, with Sweet Home being so small, it would be hard to avoid him. Nearly everyone came into the Hungry Bear for supplies or to have lunch in one of the booths in the front corner of the building. She would have to come up with a plan to avoid Donovan, if he showed up.
Hope entered the Hungry Bear and saw Sparkle waiting on two men, probably linemen, if the truck outside belonged to them. She waved to Hope.
Sparkle was anything but sparkly. She and Hope had been born the same day; Hope’s mom and Piney had shared a room at Regional Hospital. Sparkle and Hope were never friends in school, as Sparkle had been super quiet, her strawberry-blond hair curtaining her face and her expressions. The kids talked about her behind her back, but she didn’t seem to notice. For the last seventeen years, though, Hope had considered Sparkle her closest friend. Living in a bus with Sparkle and Piney had shown Hope that they’d all been wrong about Sparkle. She was quirky and funny when she felt comfortable enough to open up, and Hope couldn’t imagine her life without her now.
“How are you feeling today?” Hope asked, referring to her recovery from surgery.
“Better,” Sparkle said.
Hope touched her arm. “Don’t overdo. Your mom and I can handle things down here. You know that.”
Sparkle shot Hope one of her impish smiles. “I just don’t want you two to replace me with one of the out-of-work lumberjacks.”
“Not a chance.”
Piney was waving Hope over to the cash register, where she was checking out Miss Lisa, one of the older women in town.
Miss Lisa grabbed Hope’s arm, bringing her to a stop. “Did you hear Donovan Stone is coming back to Sweet Home?”
Normally, Miss Lisa’s gossip felt harmless, but right now, it was a wallop to Hope’s stomach. “Yes, I heard.” She tried to keep moving, as if there were an emergency in the back, but Miss Lisa’s bony fingers had turned into vise grips.
“You and that Stone boy were thick as thieves when you were children. Do you remember?”
“Yes, we were good friends.” Until I killed his brother.
Miss Lisa gave her an exaggerated wink. “More than friends, weren’t you?”
Hope pulled away. “Don’t believe everything you hear.”
Before Hope could sprint away, Piney must’ve taken pity on her and said, “Hope, I need you to work in the stockroom today. To figure out what needs to be ordered for next week.”
Perfect! This would keep her out of view from Donovan, if he showed up, and of course, anyone else who wanted to speculate about who Ella’s father was. But hiding in the stockroom wouldn’t stop the tongue-wagging that was certainly going on around town. “Sure.” Hope headed down the aisle toward the back of the store.
But Miss Lisa got in the last word. “If I see Donovan, I’ll be sure to point him toward the Hungry Bear to find you.”
What could Hope say? Thank you? This wasn’t the first time Miss Lisa had embarrassed Hope. And just like that, Hope felt thirteen all over again, as that bittersweet memory came over her.
During a Sisterhood of the Quilt gathering, Miss Lisa had teased that Hope had a crush on Donovan, just because she was talking to him in the doorway. When Hope ran from the room, red-faced and on the brink of tears, her mom had followed.