other hand shot
out to stop her from pulling away completely. His eyes begged her not to break the
tentative connection they had forged.
So there they sat, all four hands up on the table, intertwined,
until someone bumped their table en route to the counter. This time when Charity
pulled away, he did not stop her.
She missed his touch immediately. Suddenly unsure of what to
do with her hands, Charity played with a lock of her hair. Her eyes darted around
the store, searching for a topic that would keep the conversation alive and him
here with her. “So, uh, is Dan’s like a chain of stores?”
A broad blue-clad shoulder lifted in a shrug. “There’s five in
all, scattered around this county and the next.”
“He sells a little bit of everything, doesn’t he?” Her eyes wandered
from the lunch counter to the hardware section of the store, then slid on to the
sporting goods area. This store had fewer products than Dan’s Market, but boasted
a more upscale, less cluttered look.
“This store stocks only items made in Vermont.”
“Really? Wow, that’s very… patriotic of him.”
Another shrug. “Good for business, both ways.”
“Well, I, for one, help support several Vermont products, even
though it’s not my home state. I am particularly loyal to Ben and Jerry’s, Keurig,
Cabot Cheese, Lake Champlain Chocolates, and, thanks to you, my new personal favorite,
maple cream.” The playful grin she flashed him morphed into a frown. “Wait. All
of those revolve around food, don’t they?” Mild worry teased her voice.
Tarn chuckled aloud. “Some of our finest products, by the way.”
If his voice was comparable to dark maple syrup, then his laugh
was like maple cream. The sound was rich, heady, and absolutely delicious. Charity
wanted to slather herself with the sound and drown in the excess.
“Mmm,” was all she could think to say.
“So you liked the maple cream?”
This time she nodded emphatically. “Undoubtedly the best thing
I’ve ever tasted in my life.”
“Told you so.” His words might have sounded smug, if not for
the intimate tone that slipped into his voice. It was as if they shared a secret
between just the two of them.
Rather belatedly, Charity noticed he had shaved since the last
time she saw him. He still had the mustache and beard, but the ends were trimmed
and shortened. His hair was trimmed, as well, and not nearly as unruly. Once she
stopped staring into his eyes, she realized more of his face was visible. He was
probably rather nice-looking beneath all the hair, she imagined. But with eyes like
his, the rest hardly seemed to matter.
They spoke at once. “What brings you to Vermont?” collided with
“I read up on maple syrup.” Both said “You first” at the same time. With a nervous
laugh, Charity yielded the floor with a wave of surrender.
“What brings you to Vermont? A couple of weeks early for leaf
peeping.”
She twirled the bottle of water between her hands. “My aunt died.
I came to settle her estate.”
“Sorry to hear that.”
“Me, too. The saddest part is, I never really knew her.”
“And she left you her estate?” he asked in surprise.
“I know, right? That was my reaction when I first heard the news.
But her husband died years ago, and they never had children. I was her only living
relative.” Sadness seeped into her voice.
“All done?”
“For the most part. I have a couple of loose ends to tie up before
I leave.”
“When will that be?” His voice came out sounding more dismal
than he intended.
“I-I’m not sure.”
The conversation stalled, neither knowing what to say or do next.
Charity made an attempt with a bright, “Guess what I found today at the other Dan’s?
I picked it up on my way out of town.”
When I went there looking for you. She added the words
silently as she dug in her purse for the small brown sack. I really should clean
this thing out more often , she thought, searching all the way to the very
out to stop her from pulling away completely. His eyes begged her not to break the
tentative connection they had forged.
So there they sat, all four hands up on the table, intertwined,
until someone bumped their table en route to the counter. This time when Charity
pulled away, he did not stop her.
She missed his touch immediately. Suddenly unsure of what to
do with her hands, Charity played with a lock of her hair. Her eyes darted around
the store, searching for a topic that would keep the conversation alive and him
here with her. “So, uh, is Dan’s like a chain of stores?”
A broad blue-clad shoulder lifted in a shrug. “There’s five in
all, scattered around this county and the next.”
“He sells a little bit of everything, doesn’t he?” Her eyes wandered
from the lunch counter to the hardware section of the store, then slid on to the
sporting goods area. This store had fewer products than Dan’s Market, but boasted
a more upscale, less cluttered look.
“This store stocks only items made in Vermont.”
“Really? Wow, that’s very… patriotic of him.”
Another shrug. “Good for business, both ways.”
“Well, I, for one, help support several Vermont products, even
though it’s not my home state. I am particularly loyal to Ben and Jerry’s, Keurig,
Cabot Cheese, Lake Champlain Chocolates, and, thanks to you, my new personal favorite,
maple cream.” The playful grin she flashed him morphed into a frown. “Wait. All
of those revolve around food, don’t they?” Mild worry teased her voice.
Tarn chuckled aloud. “Some of our finest products, by the way.”
If his voice was comparable to dark maple syrup, then his laugh
was like maple cream. The sound was rich, heady, and absolutely delicious. Charity
wanted to slather herself with the sound and drown in the excess.
“Mmm,” was all she could think to say.
“So you liked the maple cream?”
This time she nodded emphatically. “Undoubtedly the best thing
I’ve ever tasted in my life.”
“Told you so.” His words might have sounded smug, if not for
the intimate tone that slipped into his voice. It was as if they shared a secret
between just the two of them.
Rather belatedly, Charity noticed he had shaved since the last
time she saw him. He still had the mustache and beard, but the ends were trimmed
and shortened. His hair was trimmed, as well, and not nearly as unruly. Once she
stopped staring into his eyes, she realized more of his face was visible. He was
probably rather nice-looking beneath all the hair, she imagined. But with eyes like
his, the rest hardly seemed to matter.
They spoke at once. “What brings you to Vermont?” collided with
“I read up on maple syrup.” Both said “You first” at the same time. With a nervous
laugh, Charity yielded the floor with a wave of surrender.
“What brings you to Vermont? A couple of weeks early for leaf
peeping.”
She twirled the bottle of water between her hands. “My aunt died.
I came to settle her estate.”
“Sorry to hear that.”
“Me, too. The saddest part is, I never really knew her.”
“And she left you her estate?” he asked in surprise.
“I know, right? That was my reaction when I first heard the news.
But her husband died years ago, and they never had children. I was her only living
relative.” Sadness seeped into her voice.
“All done?”
“For the most part. I have a couple of loose ends to tie up before
I leave.”
“When will that be?” His voice came out sounding more dismal
than he intended.
“I-I’m not sure.”
The conversation stalled, neither knowing what to say or do next.
Charity made an attempt with a bright, “Guess what I found today at the other Dan’s?
I picked it up on my way out of town.”
When I went there looking for you. She added the words
silently as she dug in her purse for the small brown sack. I really should clean
this thing out more often , she thought, searching all the way to the very
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