Page 82 of Keeping it Local

But even without his approval, I felt a sense of calm flow through my body. This was the right decision—I knew it was. It was just giving him the time to come to that conclusion.

“Beth.” He paused, looking down at the table, then at me. “We want you to be happy. I hope you know that. And I know I can be difficult to work with. Hell, your mother has put up with my grumpy ass for almost four decades.” He shook his head. “This isn’t what I thought this meeting would be about.” He looked over at my mom. “And I have a feeling that Evelyn knew this was coming? Either way, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” I pulled back.

“I’m sorry that you had to put your life on hold when everything… happened. I don’t think I ever really thanked you for stepping up, stepping in—taking care of your mom.” He put his hand over hers. “I appreciate it more than you know, even though I know I’m terrible at sharing feelings. So, thank you.

“As much as I hate to admit it, I think you’re right about looking at how many years we have left.” He shook his head, and I saw the tears behind his eyes. “I think we all deserve to give this some serious consideration, and, at the very least, I think you deserve to buy that business or whatever else you want to do. I don’t want to hold you back, and you owe it to yourself to give it a go. We love you, Beth. Go do what you need to do.”

I blinked, and my eyes grew misty. I knew this was as close as it would come to my dad agreeing with my plan—at least right now. He needed more time to wrap his head around retirement, but he had given his blessing for me to step back, to do what I wanted. And really, that’s all I could ask of him at this point.

My dad stood up, and after tossing the proposal down on the table with a slap, he wrapped his large arms around me, pulling me close. I could smell his musky scent, and it threw me back to when I was a girl.

“Thank you, Dad.” I rubbed my hand up and down his back. “I love you too.”

Chapter 30

Johnny

It wasn’t yet Labor Day, but by the levels of the crowds in town, I could already tell that some of the kids were back in school. It was still hot most days, but at night, it was cooler, and occasionally, the crisp air would flood my senses, letting me know that fall was around the corner.

I was able to find a parking spot on Main Street, and when I walked into the hardware store, I grabbed a cart and took out my list.

My goal was to get the resort ready to rent out by next summer, and even though I was excited about the new place, part of me was dreading all the work to be done.

I nodded to the cashier and made my way down to the outdoor area. The first thing on my list was to get outside cleanup done, then figure out what was absolutely necessary for next summer. I was deep in my list when I heard a familiar voice one aisle over.

“I know, I know, but I told Mary I’d pick up a few things before coming back to the shop…”

I’d recognize that voice anywhere.

My skin hummed in excitement. Beth was back.

“Okay. I’ll see you in a bit.”

She was on the phone, and as I listened, my heart jumped into my throat, knowing she stood on the other side of the lawn equipment.

The squeak of the cart filled my ears. She was moving.

I hadn’t spoken with her in weeks, and I needed to see her.

As I pushed my own cart, I followed the sound of hers to the end of the aisle, turning toward hers before cutting her off.

She looked up, her face free of makeup and those freckles on full display on her rosy cheeks. Her lips parted slightly as she took a beat to realize I was standing in front of her. It was that much faster that her mouth closed in a tight line, reining in her emotions.

“Beth.”

“Johnny.” She nodded at me and tried to push her cart around mine.

“Wait! Can we talk for a minute? I’m surprised to see you. You visiting?” I asked the question and yet internally felt there was something else going on. Someone visiting wouldn’t be in the hardware store with a cart full of supplies.

“Not really much to talk about.” She tried to seem aloof about running into me, but I knew that was just her trying to play it cool.

“Okay. I just…” I started, then trailed off. I didn’t know what to say. Sorry seemed too flippant with how we’d left things. I’d tried texting her a couple times and apologizing, but she hadn’t responded. “I’m glad to see you… I wanted to apologize about how I acted that night. I don’t know what I was thinking—what came over me. It wasn’t right. I’m sorry.” And I believed it. Even if I knew she was better off without me, I could have managed things more… gracefully.

She nodded, looking down, before checking her watch. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

My stomach turned, knowing that I was completely blowing this.