The Courage To Love

  ***

  After he picked up supplies at the wholesale warehouse, Sean took the long way back to town. For days his mother had been driving him nuts. Every time she saw him, she asked if something was bothering him. In the past she’d done the same thing, but it hadn’t annoyed him like this. He’d never been one to share his concerns or problems. He solved them himself, as well as all the problems that had effected his family since his father’s desertion.

  But he’d never had a worry like this one. His mom’s reaction to finding out his dad was in town worried him more than anything. She seemed so content these days. She saw friends again and occasionally visited Charlie and her husband in Virginia. It had taken a long time, but she was more like the mom he remembered. Under no circumstances did he want to risk all the progress his mom had made.

  Which brought him back every time to whether or not he should confront his father and find out what he wanted before he reappeared at the house.

  Sean pulled into the parking lot at Quinn’s Hardware. He recognized a few cars and guessed Mr. Quinn must be in the store today. Rex Bryan and George Dahl only came in the store to bullshit with Mr. Quinn. More than likely they’d be gathered around the back table where the Quinn’s kept donuts and coffee.

  The bell over the door rang when he pulled it open. From the register, Jessica waved hello as she rang up a customer.

  “Sean.” Tony Bates, a good friend and the town administrator’s son, greeted him when he stopped in aisle six. They’d both lived in town their entire lives and had graduated together.

  “Tony. How have you been?”

  “Good, but apparently not as good as you. Who’s that hot little number you’ve been escorting around? Heard you and Brendan got into a fight over her at the block party.”

  He’d all but forgotten about the incident at the block party. He should’ve known that everyone else hadn’t.

  Sean grabbed the bag of grout he needed off the shelf. “Her name is Amelia and she’s a guest.”

  “Where she’s from?” Tony followed him toward the register, his own supplies in hand.

  He didn’t miss that Tony hadn’t even asked if she was from town. Not a single person moved into town that the Bates family didn’t know about, especially if the newcomer was a young beautiful woman. “California.”

  Tony handed over his credit card as he spoke. “I hope you’re showing her some North Salem hospitality.”

  Sean understood Tony’s sexual innuendo loud and clear and, judging by the way Jessica rolled her eyes, so did she.

  “He never does subtle,” Jessica commented once Tony left.

  “Tony doesn’t know that word.” He placed his own supplies on the counter. “Is your grandfather here today?”

  Jessica nodded. “In the back with Rex and George. He’s been trying to come in two days a week now. I still think it’s too much for him, but you know him. He won’t listen to anyone.”

  Two years earlier, Mr. Quinn took a fall from a ladder and broke his hip. He’d spent months in a wheelchair. Now he was able to walk with only a cane, but the accident had slowed him down. “Tell him I said hello.” Sean knew better than to get involved in one of their conversations. The last time the three older men had dragged him into one, it had taken him an hour to extricate himself.

  Jessica’s smile confirmed his decision. “Will do.” Her smile faded as she handed him back his credit card. “Um, Sean…” Jessica rolled her lips together.

  Sean waited. Thanks to their shared past, Jessica sometimes sought him out for advice much the way a younger sister would a brother.

  “Yesterday your father came in.” Jessica naturally had a soft voice, but now it came out more like a whisper as she leaned forward.

  The credit card cut into his palm.

  “He talked to Grandpa for ten or fifteen minutes, and he asked me about you and Charlie before he left.” Jessica’s voice stayed low and her eyes reflected the concern he heard. “I didn’t tell him anything that everyone doesn’t already know, but I thought you should know.”

  “Thanks for the heads up. Don’t tell my mother, Jessie. She doesn’t need to know.”

  “I won’t, and I’ll ask Grandpa not to say anything either, if he sees her.”

  Sean grabbed the bag off the counter. “Thanks.”

  Outside he slammed his truck door closed. What the fuck? First the no good bastard showed up at the house, and now he was visiting the Quinns. Who else had he talked to? News spread through town like wildfire. If his father kept making stops into town, it was only a matter of time before his mother found out. Whether he wanted to or not, he’d needed to confront his father and put an end to his visits.