His Small-Town Family. Lorraine Beatty

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ to be opened.

      The familiar surroundings eased the slight tension from his shoulders. The stockroom was a good place to start. He was comfortable here. He could do his job with little interference. One thing his new boss had mentioned made him uneasy. Waiting on customers. Dealing with people face-to-face had never been his strong suit. It was why he’d lived his life behind a camera lens. No chance for emotional entanglements that way. But he was jumping the gun. There would be time to worry about that later.

      Ethan reached for the box cutter on the shelf and slit the seam of the closest carton. Spiral notebooks. It was spring. School would be out soon. Maybe Nicki was planning ahead for back-to-school sales. Prying off the packing slip, he verified it against the contents, then moved on to the next box. He glanced at the assortment of pricing tools hanging above the worktable. He’d have to speak with his new boss about price points for the merchandise.

      His lips moved into a smile. The activity reminded him of his college years working at the discount store. The Lord had come through for him again. There was absolutely nothing in Latimer’s Office Supply that would remind him of the Middle East or suicide bombers or innocent victims in marketplaces.

      * * *

      Nicki winced at the sound of the heavy pot being set down on the counter. Her mother was not happy. The nice, quiet Saturday evening meal with her parents had ended in an argument. Nicki had avoided telling her mom about Ethan as long as she could. But when she asked her straight-out when she planned on replacing Charlie, their longtime employee who had recently retired, Nicki had had no choice but to come clean.

      “You hired a stranger to work in our store? Some vagrant off the street?”

      “Myra, calm down, dear. Nichelle has good instincts about people.”

      Good thing her father knew how to handle her mother because she surely didn’t. They had never been able to communicate. Her brother, Kyle, had been her mother’s favorite, always able to charm her out of a bad mood with a wink and a smile. The perfect child who could do no wrong in her mother’s eyes.

      Opening the packet of formula, Nicki poured it into the baby bottle, attached the cap and shook it. Hard. Kyle had been special. She’d adored her older brother and missed him terribly. His death in Afghanistan two years ago had left a huge hole in all their lives. Especially her father’s.

      “Allen, she hired a full-time employee, some stranger to work our store. He could rob us blind. Or worse.”

      A twinge of concern inched its way up Nicki’s spine. Her mother wasn’t wrong. She had hired a stranger. But her father was right; she did have good instincts about people. Except when she married them. Then she was a complete idiot. She’d fallen for Brad’s charm and his wealth, blithely ignoring the little twinges of doubt until it was too late. But her impression of Ethan was different. She had some questions about him, but she just knew he wasn’t a crook.

      “Mom, I called Jim Barrett and he vouched for Ethan.”

      Her mother huffed and shook her head. “I don’t like this.”

      Nicki exchanged glances with her father. “Mom, I need help at the store. I can’t run it alone. You have to take care of Dad, and he’s got weeks of recovery ahead. What would you like me to do?”

      Her mother turned to glare at her. “What do you know about this man?”

      “He’s experienced in retail and he can work the hours I gave him. That’s all I need to know right now.” She’d been impressed with Ethan. He’d worked diligently, caught on quickly and only approached her a couple of times with questions regarding the pricing of the merchandise. He looked her in the eyes when he spoke and left the stockroom neat and tidy at the end of the day.

      “For all you know, he could be the one robbing the stores downtown.”

      Allen Latimer peered over his glasses at his wife, a sure sign he was becoming irritated. “Myra, let the girl do her job. She has her hands full with our granddaughter and our business. Don’t make things worse.”

      “Fine. But if one thing is missing from our inventory...” She turned back to the sink, her shoulders stiff with displeasure.

      Nicki moved to the baby bouncer on the counter and unbuckled her fussy daughter’s safety strap. She took the little girl into her arms, cradling her close and kissing her cheek, reveling in the new-baby smell. She gave Sadie her bottle, smiling at the sweet little sounds she made as she ate, gently bouncing her as she walked into her parents’ living room and settled down in the rocker.

      She looked forward to this time of day, holding Sadie in her arms as she ate, talking to her, sharing her big plans for their future. From the moment the nurse had placed Sadie in her arms, she’d realized she’d found what she’d been looking for all her life. Something that gave her purpose and happiness—being a mom.

      The only thing missing was her independence. She’d planned on striking out on her own once Sadie was born, but that plan had been complicated by her father’s kidney transplant and a mountain of red tape with Brad’s estate. As soon as she took care of things here, she’d find a job and leave Dover behind.

      Nicki glanced up when her dad stood beside the rocker. He gently stroked Sadie’s little head.

      “She’s beautiful. Like her momma.”

      Her daddy had always been her biggest cheerleader. She didn’t like keeping things from him, but after realizing the dire financial situation Latimer’s was in, she’d called her friend Gary Palmer to go over the books for her. She hadn’t told her father what she’d done for fear of upsetting him. She didn’t want to risk a setback. Still, her concern warred with her conscience. What if keeping her dad in the dark only upset him more?

      “Dad, about the business...”

      Her dad patted her shoulder. “I know. Business has fallen off since Office Mart opened over in Sawyer’s Bend. But I’ve made arrangements to transfer some funds to get things back on track. I meant to do it sooner, but then the transplant donor was found, and I never followed up. You do what you think is best for the store. But let’s keep this between you and me. I don’t want to upset your mother.” He rubbed his forehead. “You know, pumpkin, we’re happy to have you back home, and that little darling is our treasure, but I never planned for you to have to take over the store. I’m only sorry this health thing of mine has messed up everything.”

      Nicki’s heart ached. “Oh, Daddy, you haven’t messed anything up. I’m glad I was here to help. Besides, I like having something to do every day.” For too many years, she’d been denied that choice.

      Her father eyed her closely. She could never deceive him. He always knew when she was keeping things hidden, and right now she was hiding a lot.

      “Nicki, honey, why did you come home so suddenly, and why didn’t you bother to attend your own husband’s funeral?”

      Shame and guilt washed over her. She focused her gaze on Sadie, who had nearly emptied her bottle. How could she explain the past two years to her parents? They would never understand. Her mother thought Brad had hung the moon. Wealthy, charming, handsome and successful. Everything she’d hoped for her daughter. How could she tell her that Brad had turned out to be a white-collar criminal, that he’d died in a plane crash while attempting to flee the country? And how did she explain that she was broke because Brad’s assets were tied up in a federal investigation?

СКАЧАТЬ