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A father and young daughter passed by as Carly neared the entrance of the store, reminding her of the moment yesterday when she had stepped into the main room of the lodge and seen Lucy sobbing in Mack’s lap. Ella had come to her, upset that her friend was crying. Her heart had ached for the child, but what had touched her most was Mack’s tenderness with the little girl. He obviously cared deeply for his niece. It was one of the things she’d always loved and admired about him. He had a huge heart for others and a gentleness that reminded her of her dad.
Maybe that was why Mack and her dad had become so close—because they were so much alike and held the same interests. Qualities she must have lacked. Why else would her father prefer Mack to her?
The store was brightly lit, and a quick glance around made it easy to find the different departments. A two-lane checkout positioned near the door made purchasing items simple, quick and easy.
Carly took a few minutes to wander the aisles before tackling her shopping list. Dry goods were on one side, food and fishing supplies on the other. Bait and tackle, formerly housed inside the marina store, were now sold in a separate little shop.
“Carly? Carly Porter? Is that you?”
She spun around and saw a somewhat familiar face. It took her a second to recognize her old school friend Ashley Jenkins. They both squealed in excitement and hugged each other. “I can’t believe you’re still here.”
“I can’t believe you’re back home.”
“Oh, it’s only temporary. I’ll be leaving as soon as I can sell my dad’s place.”
“I know. I heard about the quirky will he left. Weird, huh?”
Carly had forgotten how small towns operated, and while Lake Hope wasn’t exactly a town, it was a community, and news spread quickly among the residents. “I guess everyone knows then, huh?”
“Yep. How was it seeing Mack again? Any of the old sparks still there?”
“No. No sparks. There never was.”
“You’re kidding, right? There were plenty of sparks. Especially that last summer you were here.” Ashley fanned her hand in front of her face. “If you hadn’t run away, I was sure you two would have ended up engaged or something.”
“I didn’t run away. I had to leave suddenly.”
Ashley stared at her a deep frown creasing her forehead. “I’ve never known you to hide from the truth, Carly. What happened that summer? You definitely ran away. You didn’t even say goodbye to me.”
Carly’s stomach was churning and she wasn’t sure why. “I’m sorry. It was a difficult time.”
“Apparently.” Ashley smiled and squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stir up the past. I was sorry to hear about your husband. I know what you’re going through. My husband died around the same time. A boating accident. It’s been hard.”
“Oh, Ash, I didn’t know.”
Ashley waved off her concern. “You’ve been gone. But I’m doing all right. I belong to a widow’s therapy group. It’s actually more like a support group. It’s run by a psychologist, Nina Sinclair. She’s wonderful. The women are all like you and me.”
“I’ve already been through grief counseling.”
“This is different. This is for widows who are further along on their journey and struggling with life alone, or coping with children, and sometimes learning to let go and love again. Mainly it’s a place to go where we have others who really understand our situation. Here.” Ashley scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to her. “I’ll tell Nina about you and if you feel you’d like to come, then give her a call.”
“I don’t know. I’m not going to be here long enough to get much out of it.”
“You might be surprised. Just think about it.”
They talked awhile longer, then Carly finished her shopping and left. However, the conversation kept replaying in her mind. Not only the mention of the widow’s group but the comments about her and Mack. There had never been anything romantic between them. Oh, when she was younger she’d idolized him, the older boy who helped around the lodge. They’d become friends; at times she’d shown him how to do many of the tasks around the campgrounds.
Later, when she was older, she’d had a crush on him, but she’d gotten over that. Hadn’t she? Carly slid behind the wheel of her car. Truthfully, her feelings for Mack had always been complicated. Her attraction and admiration had warred with her resentment and hurt. Her young heart had found him handsome and exciting, but when she’d realized her father seemed to prefer spending time with Mack rather than with her, her feelings turned sour even though she couldn’t completely evict him from her heart.
She’d come back that last summer, partly because she had to as a condition of the custody agreement, but she also wanted to see Mack again and sort out her feelings for him. He was the thread tugging her back, and she’d never be free of the lodge unless she could understand her feelings. But her visit had ended in more pain and confusion, and she’d hurried back to her mom and never looked back.
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