“Musta forgot something,” a thin voice to his left said as he passed the fresh vegetable stand. A white-haired woman wearing an immaculate red apron leaned against a pallet of assorted boxed fruits. Her lined face was lit with a warming smile that Lance assumed was reserved for anyone who happened to be within speaking distance. He recognized her from the day before when he’d stopped for supplies.
“Yeah, coffee. I can’t go a morning without it,” Lance said, smiling back. The woman strode closer to him in such a way that belied her apparent age. For just a second, He could see the young woman she used to be, and he figured in her heyday she had turned more than one head.
“Rotten stuff … I drink a pot every morning myself. Course it’s more sugar and creme than coffee.” The woman punctuated her smile with a cackle fit for a grandmother, which Lance was sure she must be. She held out her hand. “I’m Josie, I own the place. You must be the one that bought our local mansion.”
Lance laughed and nodded as he shook the old woman’s surprisingly strong hand. “Guilty. I’m Lance. You guys have a great town here.”
“It’s something, especially in the summer. Now stick around for January and you’ll have other things to say about it. You get settled in up there yet?”
“Yeah, slow but sure,” Lance said, as he noticed a woman with dark hair walking through a nearby aisle. She disappeared behind a display of cereal before he could catch a glimpse of her face.
“Anything specific bring you to our neck of the woods?” Josie continued.
Lance forced his eyes from searching for the woman and back to the business owner. “I’m actually writing a book.”
“Really? Well, if you need any help with anything as far as history goes, just let my husband know; he’s the local director of the historical society. He could tell you anything about the area, as well as Minnesota in general.” Josie leaned in closer as she lowered her voice. “Just be forewarned: once you get him talking, you can’t shut him up.”
Lance laughed and glanced around the edge of the store, trying to spot where the woman had gone, but saw no one else except a stock boy idly straightening jars of peanut butter. “Thanks very much, I might just take him up on that,” Lance said, moving toward the smell of roasted coffee beans. Josie smiled and waved as she went back to examining a tray of bananas.
He walked closer to the coffee aisle, all the while watching the rest of the store for movement. A small deli counter and eating area were tucked at the rear of the store, and when he spotted the dark-haired woman sitting alone at one of the booths, his stomach felt as if he had hit an air pocket while on a plane.
Mary read from a book and was spooning what looked like clam chowder out of a Styrofoam bowl. Her hair was again tucked behind her ear, and for some reason Lance marveled at how small and delicate she looked sitting there by herself. He began to walk toward her but paused, wondering if she was waiting for someone. He hadn’t seen a ring on her finger in the bookstore, but she might be a woman who didn’t wear one regularly. In his mind he could see her husband or boyfriend, a tall man in a woolen shirt—a logger or a fishing guide perhaps. He’d come strolling in any minute, sit down across from her, and reach out to hold her hand, just like he wanted to do right now.
Mary glanced up from her book and noticed him staring at her. He smiled and raised a hand in what seemed like the most pathetic wave ever. Her face remained blank for a moment, and Lance’s mind began to tell him to duck behind the nearby coffee grinder and then belly-crawl the rest of the way out of the store. Recognition finally bloomed in her eyes and she waved back, allowing his legs to free themselves from the flight signals his brain continued to send. He walked as casually as he could to her booth and stopped, looking down at her.
“Ah, the famous author,” she said, revealing very straight teeth within a teasing smile.
“Yeah, sorry to bother you. I just noticed you sitting here and thought I’d say hi since you’re pretty much the only person I know in town.”
Mary gestured at the opposite side of the booth. “Grab a coffee and sit down.”