Anna didn’t take her eyes off the rows and rows of cards, still somehow believing the answer was there, hiding in the crowd. “I can’t call him. He doesn’t evenlikeme. But he has the right to know.”
The employee shifted on his feet. He wasn’t young, maybe in his thirties, so he clearly had some of his life behind him, some experiences to draw on. “Would it be too invasive to offer some advice?” he asked.
“No, not at all,” she assured him. “I’m the one who decided to come in here and spill all my dirty laundry all over your floor.” She laughed, attempting to defuse the situation. “No, I don’t mind at all. I’d love some advice, actually. I’m drowning here.”
The guy took a deep breath. “I’ve been in his situation, you know?”
“Really?” She could hardly believe her ears.
He nodded. “She didn’t tell me, and she gave the baby up for adoption. I know it was her choice, but… had she told me, I would have liked to have maybe tried… to be a father, you know? I think I would have wanted to take care of my kid. Even ifshedidn’t want to be in his life,Idid. Either way, I would have likedto know. I’m not him, and I don’t know this guy, but I think he’ll be grateful that you told him regardless, just so he could know and have achanceto be involved. So, I don’t think you should worry about it. And I think you should find a more personal way to tell him than a greeting card.”
Anna couldn’t deny that he made a lot of sense. How wouldshefeel if someone told her she was somebody’s mother with a greeting card? Not good, she supposed. “You’re right,” she said. “I can do better.”
The employee smiled. “Don’t tell my boss I talked you out of buying something.”
“Tell your boss I’ll be back because you give the best advice.” She grinned and patted the man on the arm. “Seriously, though, thank you. I needed to hear that.”
She left the shop feeling more confident about what she shouldn’t do, but she was still lost as to what sheshoulddo. What would be a better, more personal way to tell him? A phone call didn’t seem good enough. A video call was too much like a business meeting, in her book. There just wasn’t a good way to tell him without sitting him down and holding his hand while she did. The question haunted her for the rest of the night.
And the answer presented itself the following morning, though it might not have been the one she wanted. Just as she was putting the finishing touches on her hair, her phone rang. By the ring alone, she could tell it was her boss. Anna couldn’t tell what she might want, so she quickly picked up the call.
“What’s going on?” Anna said upon answering.
“Anna!” Olivia said. “Please don’t hate me.”
“I don’t hate you. Now, what’s going on?”
“They’re asking for reshoots.”
In that moment, Anna’s heart came very close to stopping. She tried to talk herself down. Surely they didn’t need any of theranchscenes reshot. If it was just in town, she might avoid seeing Charlie. “Which scenes?” she asked. “The ones in the bookshop? The gazebo?”
“That’s the problem. If it was just in town, I think I’d be comfortable telling the crew you weren’t available.” She sighed on the other end of the line, and Anna already knew what she was going to say next. “It’s just that some scenes are on the ranch, and no one else wants to deal with the owner. We need permission again. We need a signature.”
“And you thinkIcan get that from him?” Anna would have laughed if the situation was at all funny. “We didn’t end on a good note. I misunderstood our permissions and filmed at a location he hadn’t meant to sign off on. He was angry when I left, and I doubt he’s gotten less angry as time passed.”
“That’s a pickle, for sure,” Olivia said. “Are you sure you can’t work with him one last time? I mean, he clearly liked you at one point. And this won’t take long. You’ll be back on leave in no time.”
Again, Anna sighed. It did make the most sense for her to do it. “I’ll give it a try,” she said. “But I can’t promise anything.”
“Thank you so much, Anna. I swear I’ll leave you alone after this.”
The more Anna thought about it as she packed, the more sense it made. She needed to tell Charlie about the pregnancy; it was the right thing to do, and it would be better to tell him in person, she supposed. At least this way, her tickets and hotel were covered. She was going to need every penny she could pinch to get through her upcoming joblessness.
The flight was nerve-racking, especially now that she didn’t feel comfortable taking her usual chill pill or even having a cocktail. She had to do this without help. She was pregnant now, and there were aspects of her life she couldn’t even predict that were about to change. That was the impression she got as the day wore on. Her life was literally never going to be the same. No corner of her day would be untouched. Even flying would change.
She checked in to the same hotel where she had stayed the first time she visited. Part of her wished she could just drive straight to the ranch and beg to stay in Charlie’s cabin again. It had been so peaceful and cozy. She could really use that kind of comfort right now, with everything changing in her life. But she didn’t dare contact him with any requests other than the one she had already come here to ask him for.
She slept fitfully, and the following morning, she decided to start with the city council. Anything to put off talking to Charlie again. To her delight, she immediately ran into her old friends Paris and Sam. They were just walking out when she was walking in, so they met on the front steps.
“Miss Lafferty. Howdy. We thought you were all done with us out here.”
“We’ve got some reshoots to do,” Anna said. “Can I buy you lunch again?”
“Oh, gosh,” Paris said. “How about a coffee this time? Sam and I just ate, didn’t we, Sam?”
Her husband nodded, and Anna suddenly realized how much she’d missed talking to folks like this—folks who didn’t have to rush everywhere or work to fit you into their schedule. They just created the time and the opportunities. They just went along with whatever came up.
The three of them walked to a coffee shop that Anna hadn’t been to before. It was out of the way, and she hadn’t really explored the outskirts of town much since the majority of the movie took place in the downtown area.
