Page 68 of Here & Now

Fifteen

When Bree went outside the next morning, she was surprised to see Zane’s Jeep in his driveway. He should have gone to work by now. Who cares? His schedule is none of my concern. She set her purse and the gifts for Ivy and Sofie in the rental car and drove away.

Her day was all planned out, and none of it included him. She took Periwinkle Way to Tarpon Bay Road and pulled into the parking lot of the post office. At home, she often dreaded running errands, but here she didn’t mind them. Maybe it was the palm trees swaying gently on the ocean breeze or the sunshine that warmed her to the core. If she lived here year-round, the novelty would probably wear off, but she doubted it.

She went inside the post office and stood in line until it was her turn at the counter.

“Hello. How may I help you?” the postal worker, a middle-aged woman, asked.

Even the postal workers are nicer here. “I need to mail these items to Michigan, please.”

“Michigan. Wow, that’s a long way from here!” the woman said congenially.

“I’m from there, and these are souvenirs for my sister and niece.”

“Just visiting, then?”

“Sort of. My grandparents lived here for many years, and I’m putting their house up for sale.”

The postal worker seemed to be in no hurry, unlike the local post office back home, but the population was much denser there.

“What are their names, if you don’t mind my asking?”

Bree told her, and the woman’s eyes lit up. “Oh, Chuck and Helen. Such nice people.”

“You knew them?”

“Yes, they came in here quite often before Chuck passed.”

Bree winced. “My grandmother passed too.”

“Oh no. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thank you.” Usually, talking about this made Bree tear up, but not today. Maybe it was because the postal worker was so warm and kind, or maybe the pain was dulling just a bit.

While they were talking, the woman had placed the gifts in a padded mailer and weighed it. Bree filled out her sister’s address and paid the postage.

“Good luck selling the house. I’m sure you won’t have any problem,” the woman said.

“Thanks,” Bree replied, and she walked out of the post office smiling. When was the last time that had happened?

She loved how close everything was, and a few minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot of Gene’s Books. She’d been here before and absolutely adored the charming bookstore with the cat on the sign. The store looked small from the front, but it was long, and there were additional buildings behind it housing specific genres. She could get lost there for hours, which was what she planned to do.

She slung her purse across her body, went inside, and was greeted right away.

“Welcome to Gene’s Books. Let us know if we can help you find something.”

“Thanks. I will.”

She wasn’t looking for a specific title; rather, she’d let the books find her. On the wall to her right was a display of new and recommended books, and she went there first. She scanned the covers and picked up the books that interested her, flipping them over to read the summaries on the back.

She became so immersed that she barely noticed the people around her or the sound of the doorbell every time a customer came or went.

Somebody came up beside her. “Would you like a basket?”

“Yes, please.” The clerk handed her a basket, and she placed some books inside. She should have taken one right away, or maybe two!

She meandered over to the general fiction section and paused at a display with a sign over it that read: If you liked this book, try this one.