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He turned and frowned, a small bottle filling his large hand. “Do you have somewhere to be?”
“I just wanted to say it was nice seeing you and…goodbye.” While he might not believe in goodbyes, most people with manners and common courtesy did.
“Mar—”
“Goodbye, Harrison.” She turned and left the room without rushing. He didn’t come after her, which was a relief as much as an insult.
When she reached the elevator, the illuminated numbers said it was on the first floor. She pressed the button and heard it shuttling closer.
“My dad died.” His voice was low, but it carried from the far end of the hall and somehow whispered into her ear.
“Not fair, Harrison.” There was no way he could have heard her hushed utterance, but he didn’t need to. He knew exactly what he was doing, using his father’s death as some sort of truce he didn’t deserve from her.
He closed the distance and took her hand just as the elevator doors opened. “That’s why I’m back in Jasper Falls,” he explained, but she’d already figured out as much—certain his return had nothing to do with her.
Her head lowered. “Harrison…”
“I could use a friend.”
They weren’t friends. Friends checked in. They called.
Yet somehow their connection went deeper than friendship. Somehow she knew he wasn’t telling her of his father’s passing to simply state facts. He was confessing the conflicting emotions tied a man whom he did not share any real father-son bond. Why did she know that? And what, exactly, was her responsibility here?
He waited her out in typical Harrison fashion, refusing to communicate in words but implying everything he wanted her to know in the weighted silence they shared.
Ward Montgomery owned the hardware store and had been a beloved member of their community. Kids rarely considered other kids’ parents beyond rating if they were mean or nice, boring or fun. Ward came off as nice and boring, just a piece of their town’s backdrop, the old hardware store owner.
But through her experiences with Harrison, she had a hunch there was more to the man than tools and a polite, “Have a nice day.” Harrison often left his house angry and worked up. He never wanted to talk about it, but as she and Harrison grew closer, she took a protective position in his life.
Mariella didn’t have any real reason other than instinct, but she was never as impressed with Ward Montgomery as the rest of the town. And in small towns, there was no escaping a funeral, especially when it honored a longstanding member of the community. So there would be no escaping Harrison.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” she repeated, her hand slightly tightening around his.
“I’m glad he’s gone.” The ice in his tone sent a chill through the air, and her gaze cut to his face.
His cold expression confirmed, once more, that he had problems with his father. He’d left town when it was well known he was meant to take over the hardware store when Ward retired. What would happen to the store now that Ward was gone? Selfishly, she wondered if Harrison would be forced to stay, but his contempt for his father and this town warned that would never be the case.
“I could use someone to talk to.”
Did he really want to talk? Or was he asking for something more? Part of her wanted to give him that something more, despite what it might cost her. She wanted to comfort him.
“How long are you here?” If she was going to stay, for even a few minutes, she deserved to know. “The truth, Harrison.”
“A few days, tops. Erin wants a funeral, but as soon as that’s over, I’m gone.”
And nothing would make him stay. Just like before. Not even her.
Maybe this time she’d be more prepared.
His thumb brushed over her knuckles. “I thought about you.”
Her eyes closed. “Harrison, you can’t say stuff like that.”
“Why? It’s true.”
She didn’t believe him, but she also wasn’t completely sure he was lying. “Do you honestly think it’s wise for us to be alone together?” She still didn’t know for sure if he had a wife or a girlfriend or maybe an ex-wife, possibly some children. A lot could happen in ten years.
His stare traveled over her body, dipping to her chest and rising to her eyes. “Honestly?”
She nodded. “Honesty would be nice.”
He rubbed the dark golden stubble of his jaw. “Well, honestly, I’ve been in a murderous mood since my sister called this morning. I thought of all the reasons my dad deserved to die on my drive here but found no relief in finding him gone. It’s like he’s still alive, even though he’s not. And feeling his presence around me makes me want to hit something. I actually considered leaving and letting Erin handle all the funeral shit. But then you came tumbling back into my life, and I stopped thinking about my dad all together.”
