“Heaven has book stacks like these. I’m sure of it,” Veronica had whispered in awe. She’d even looked a little teary.
Violet had winked at him from behind her curving library-style counter as she exited her office.
“Hello, Hank. Who is your beautiful friend?”
Veronica turned at Violet’s voice and rushed up to the counter. “Is this store yours? It’s like something from a fantasy. I could spend a year in here and never get tired of looking.”
Violet giggled as she rested her forearms on the counter and nodded, her golden ringlets bobbing around her shoulders. “Yes, I inherited the old True Value Hardware building from my Uncle Robert when he passed a couple of years ago. I’m so sorry. I’m forgetting my manners.” She held out her hand to shake. “I’m Violet. And you look very familiar…”
Veronica took her hand and shook it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Violet. I’m Veronica Benedict.”
Violet’s gaze slid off to the side and Hank smiled the instant her eyes grew big and she squealed with excitement. She came out from behind the counter and led Veronica at a trot over to the extensive romance novel section of the bookstore and pointed at a whole section of her books resting on the shelves. “Would you do a signing?” Violet blurted, making Veronica giggle.
“I would love to.”
They spoke to each other at a mile a minute, talking over each other, answering each other’s questions at the same time, laughing and nodding, and Veronica promised to do a holiday signing, since she now planned to stay indefinitely in Divine. When Veronica said as much, Hank’s chest had swelled with happiness.
They’d stopped in at Cheaver’s and he’d purchased a cowgirl hat from Rosemary Garner for Veronica, a pearl-gray ladies’ Stetson, to match his at her request, and she looked good wearing it, too. Everywhere she’d gone, she’d found acceptance, and Hank had been proud of his town and profoundly grateful that Tabitha Lester had been absent.
Watching her chat with Violet and Rosemary, and with Cassie now in the coffee shop, Hank could see her fitting in there in Divine, as she made another friend.
“We even had a man asking if anyone had met you, and if they knew where you were staying while you were here.” Cassie said with a concerned glance at Hank.
That news got Hank’s attention. “What did you tell him?”
Cassie said, “I was behind the counter and heard him asking but I was busy so I’m not sure what they said. You know how noisy and crazy it gets in here in the morning.”
“It was this morning?”
Cassie nodded. “Yes, sir. He sat at a booth for a while and then the next time I looked he was gone.”
“Could you describe him?” After she did, he looked at Veronica for her reaction. The most gratifying part of the moment was her marked lack of agitation as she nodded. “Sounds like I may get to meet Brent after all.”
Veronica replied, “I can’t imagine how he got the money and the time off from work to come down here, whether he flew or drove.”
“We’ll deal with him if he shows up.” Dealing with the online stalker had strengthened Veronica’s belief that they could stand up to bullies together.
“Mmm,” Veronica said as she sipped her coffee and then peeled the paper off of her cupcake. “Cassie, how am I supposed to eat this gorgeous creation?”
Cassie giggled and said, “Just take a giant bite while it’s still fresh. Enjoy, folks,” she added as she went behind the counter to tend to another customer.
“Nika, how would you like to spend Thanksgiving at Grace’s? She’s invited the three of us to come over. Your Grandma Kate will be there, too, so I’m told.”
Veronica licked at the icing on her cupcake, distracting him with her slick, pink tongue, and then said, “I’d like that. I think I actually feel the holiday spirit coming on. That hasn’t happened since I can’t remember when. Do you have any Christmas decorations at home?”
Hank nodded. “Yes. There’s a bunch of decorations in boxes at home. If you’d like, you can go through all of it and see if you’d like to put any out on display. My mother’s Christmas village is also stored in the second bedroom.”
“Your mom?”
Hank nodded. “Yeah, she passed away about ten years ago, right after my dad.”
Veronica frowned and said, “Any other family?”
Hank shrugged. “Cousins here and there around the country but no one who’s really stayed in touch. You and Travis are my family now…and Divine, of course.”
Veronica blushed as she pulled the cupcake apart and gave him a bite and said, “I would love to decorate your house for Christmas.”