one day to the next."
"How long were you married?"
"Almost ten years, can you believe?" Shannon gazed over at her son. "We got married right out of high school."
Ten years, Carly thought. Ten years, and Shannon was still living in this backwoods, scraping for enough money just to get by, with one little ankle-biter toddling around the house and another on the way.
Carly knew what happened next. A woman with two kids couldn't hold down much of a job. She'd have to apply for welfare. She and the kids would scrape by, barely, and the kids would end up waiting for Santa in the form of the nice folks down at the insurance company who pooled their money to adopt a poor family for Christmas.
That's what happened to people who limited their options.
"Did I say something wrong?" Shannon asked.
Carly shook her head quickly, schooling her expression with practiced ease. "I was just thinking you must have gone to school with Steve Strickland."
"Yeah. Pretty much everyone who grew up around here went to the same school." Shannon looked over at Wes and lowered her voice. "Steve was a few years ahead of me. Wes, too. Although I do remember that when I was in grade school, he was considered the hottest guy around."
Carly leaned in. "Do tell."
"Well, he wasn't always Mr. Law and Order, you know."
"Carly?" Wes's voice, almost right in her ear, made her jump. She looked up and found him holding the keys to his truck in one hand. "Sorry to break up the girl talk, but it's almost nine, and I need to check in on my dad before I go home."
"Oh, okay." Carly turned back to Shannon. "I don't go in to work tomorrow until one. Do you want to meet me at Fabric Finds around ten?"
"I'll be there." Shannon pushed herself up from the chair, groaning and rubbing her back. "Unless Junior gets impatient."
As Shannon walked them to the door, she gave Carly directions from the hardware store to the fabric store. "I'll see you in the morning, ten sharp. And please, do tell Miss Bonnie how much I appreciate her sendin' all that food. I'll be sure it gets around to everybody who can use a little extra."
Back in the truck, Wes turned to look at her as he cranked the engine. "Looked like you two hit it off pretty well."
They had, Carly realized with some surprise. "Have you seen her sketches? She's really good. And she was going to charge me next to nothing for the outfits. I made her agree to take twice what she was asking."
"That was generous of you."
"It's only fair." She cut her eyes at him. "Of course, I may need to hit you up for a loan, until I get paid."
He smiled. "What if you get yourself fired first?"
She buckled herself in and gave an airy wave. "Oh, Floyd won't fire me. Floyd likes me. Floyd has excellent taste."
"Floyd's also having a rough patch at the store. At least, that's what Aunt Bonnie told me." Worry lines creased his brow. "I didn't know. I thought they were doing as well as most of the other businesses in town."
"Really? Floyd said he just figured the economy was bad all over."
"We've had a pretty good uptick in business around Bangor over the last few months. Lot of places are hiring two and three at a time these days. I don't understand why the hardware store isn't thriving as well. Floyd always seems busy."
Carly cleared her throat. "I mentioned to Floyd that I'd be glad to take a look at his books."
"And that would be helpful because . . . ?"
"Because I have an accounting degree."
His eyes narrowed. "You do?"
Carly threw up her hands. "What, you have to have warts on your nose and crooked teeth to be good at math? Why do people always think I'm lying about that?"
"You're right. I'm sorry."
She narrowed her eyes, not certain his apology was quite sincere.
He fell silent as he pulled onto Culpepper Road and then onto the four lane into town, but as they neared the outskirts, he asked, "So Floyd said no to you looking at his
"How long were you married?"
"Almost ten years, can you believe?" Shannon gazed over at her son. "We got married right out of high school."
Ten years, Carly thought. Ten years, and Shannon was still living in this backwoods, scraping for enough money just to get by, with one little ankle-biter toddling around the house and another on the way.
Carly knew what happened next. A woman with two kids couldn't hold down much of a job. She'd have to apply for welfare. She and the kids would scrape by, barely, and the kids would end up waiting for Santa in the form of the nice folks down at the insurance company who pooled their money to adopt a poor family for Christmas.
That's what happened to people who limited their options.
"Did I say something wrong?" Shannon asked.
Carly shook her head quickly, schooling her expression with practiced ease. "I was just thinking you must have gone to school with Steve Strickland."
"Yeah. Pretty much everyone who grew up around here went to the same school." Shannon looked over at Wes and lowered her voice. "Steve was a few years ahead of me. Wes, too. Although I do remember that when I was in grade school, he was considered the hottest guy around."
Carly leaned in. "Do tell."
"Well, he wasn't always Mr. Law and Order, you know."
"Carly?" Wes's voice, almost right in her ear, made her jump. She looked up and found him holding the keys to his truck in one hand. "Sorry to break up the girl talk, but it's almost nine, and I need to check in on my dad before I go home."
"Oh, okay." Carly turned back to Shannon. "I don't go in to work tomorrow until one. Do you want to meet me at Fabric Finds around ten?"
"I'll be there." Shannon pushed herself up from the chair, groaning and rubbing her back. "Unless Junior gets impatient."
As Shannon walked them to the door, she gave Carly directions from the hardware store to the fabric store. "I'll see you in the morning, ten sharp. And please, do tell Miss Bonnie how much I appreciate her sendin' all that food. I'll be sure it gets around to everybody who can use a little extra."
Back in the truck, Wes turned to look at her as he cranked the engine. "Looked like you two hit it off pretty well."
They had, Carly realized with some surprise. "Have you seen her sketches? She's really good. And she was going to charge me next to nothing for the outfits. I made her agree to take twice what she was asking."
"That was generous of you."
"It's only fair." She cut her eyes at him. "Of course, I may need to hit you up for a loan, until I get paid."
He smiled. "What if you get yourself fired first?"
She buckled herself in and gave an airy wave. "Oh, Floyd won't fire me. Floyd likes me. Floyd has excellent taste."
"Floyd's also having a rough patch at the store. At least, that's what Aunt Bonnie told me." Worry lines creased his brow. "I didn't know. I thought they were doing as well as most of the other businesses in town."
"Really? Floyd said he just figured the economy was bad all over."
"We've had a pretty good uptick in business around Bangor over the last few months. Lot of places are hiring two and three at a time these days. I don't understand why the hardware store isn't thriving as well. Floyd always seems busy."
Carly cleared her throat. "I mentioned to Floyd that I'd be glad to take a look at his books."
"And that would be helpful because . . . ?"
"Because I have an accounting degree."
His eyes narrowed. "You do?"
Carly threw up her hands. "What, you have to have warts on your nose and crooked teeth to be good at math? Why do people always think I'm lying about that?"
"You're right. I'm sorry."
She narrowed her eyes, not certain his apology was quite sincere.
He fell silent as he pulled onto Culpepper Road and then onto the four lane into town, but as they neared the outskirts, he asked, "So Floyd said no to you looking at his
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