took her package from the counter, then paused to give Henry a kiss on the cheek that had him blushing.
“Congratulations!” she told him.
Back in her own shop, she straightened up and checked end-of-the-day receipts as she watched for Aidan to come home. Oh, she wasn’t admitting, not even to herself, that over just two short days, she’d figured out his schedule, but the truth was she’d all but memorized the time of day when he took off in the morning and the time when he generally returned. Those quick glimpses had to satisfy her, though, because she was not—absolutely not—going to pursue him or open her heart to him.
Today, however, the second she saw him crossing the town green, she opened the door and waited to catch his eye, then beckoned him over. There was one thing she needed to say.
“You did a very good thing today,” she told him, trying not to gape at the way his T-shirt stretched across his chest or the way his worn jeans hugged his long legs.
He looked surprised by the compliment. “What did I do?”
She forced her attention back to his face. “You made a young man start to believe in himself. Or maybe I should say in his athletic promise.”
“I did that? In one very brief team meeting? Who are you talking about?”
“Henry. I happened to be next door when he came in after school and told Shanna about being named team captain. Even if it’s only a token title just for now, you made that boy’s day. He knows he’s smart, but sports are still new to him. He was never encouraged to play anything before he came to live with Shanna and Kevin. If you’re even half as good at motivating the other players, your team will win the state title next year.”
Aidan laughed. “I think it’s way too soon to get carried away. Having a good leader as captain is a long way from putting a strong team on the field.”
“Why did you choose him?” she asked curiously, then frowned. “It’s not because he’s Mick’s grandson, is it?”
“Absolutely not. I made the decision before I even realized that. He took some initiative at the team meeting that spoke well of his leadership abilities. The other boys responded well to what he said. I made a snap decision, though I did make it clear the title could be temporary.” He frowned. “He does understand that, right?”
“No question about it,” Liz confirmed. “Still, Henry’s a pretty serious kid who’s had some tough breaks in his life. You gave him a real boost in confidence today. Seems to me that’s the mark of a great coach, not that I have a lot of experience determining what it takes to be an effective coach.”
“Thanks for saying that,” Aidan said. “I know I understand a lot about playing football and I have a whole notebook filled with plays and game strategy, but working with boys this age is new to me. For all their bravado, their egos are still pretty fragile. I’m not so old that I can’t remember what that was like. I don’t want to do anything to shatter their confidence and self-esteem. I think that’s as much a part of my job as turning them into decent players.”
“Well, I just wanted to tell you the impact you had on one boy today,” Liz said, backing away. “Have a good evening, Aidan.”
She turned to go inside her shop to finish closing up and was surprised when he followed her.
“How was your day?” he asked, glancing around. “I see you got those toys on display. Are you going to be ready for the flood of tourists by Friday?”
Liz sighed. “I hope so, but there’s no way of telling. I’ve never run a business like this before.”
“You mean one that depends on seasonal tourism?”
She smiled sheepishly. “I mean any business. I used to teach elementary school, which is one reason I know a little bit about motivating kids.”
Aidan looked surprised. “Boy, when you make a change, you do it in a big way. What made you decide to open a pet store?”
Though she’d had to come up with an answer for a lot of people over the past few months, she still took a moment to frame one for Aidan. “When I decided I wanted to make a fresh start, I decided to embrace it wholeheartedly.”
“Didn’t you enjoy teaching?”
“I loved it, but if I’d just changed cities, it wouldn’t have felt like that much of a change.” She didn’t want to mention that being around young children would have been a stark reminder of the family she’d longed to have, the one she’d anticipated being just around the corner, only to discover that it wasn’t in her husband’s plans at all.
“I grew up with pets and I thought it would be fun to have a store, so I could meet new people all the time. I deliberately chose Chesapeake Shores because it’s a tourist town, yet it’s small enough to get to know your neighbors well.”
“Any regrets?”
She laughed. “At the end of almost every month all winter when I was trying to balance the books,” she admitted. “But I’m eager for summer and the onslaught of customers everyone has been promising me. The other business owners have provided a real support system, so I’m far from discouraged. I came here for a change and a challenge. So far I haven’t been disappointed.”
“Are you always this upbeat and optimistic?”
She frowned at the question. “You say that as if it’s a bad thing.”
“Not at all. I’m a big believer in choosing to look at the bright side, but not everyone can pull that off.”
“It is a choice, isn’t it?” she said quietly, thinking of the weeks after her husband’s death when bright spots had been few and far between. If there had been any at all, she’d chosen not to see them, deliberately wallowing in her pain.
And then a very wise friend had suggested she could decide whether to live her life mired in grief, self-pity and regrets, essentially ending her own life right along with her husband’s, or whether she wanted to live as fully as possible. She’d started making plans for the future the next day, eventually choosing a path that excited her in a way nothing else had for weeks. Perhaps even longer, if she were being entirely honest.
Aidan seemed to be studying her closely. To her shock, he reached out and touched a gentle finger to what she knew were shadows under her eyes.
“What put these there?” he asked.
Shivering a little at the tender touch, she backed away a step and forced her brightest smile. “No idea what you mean.”
He gave her a skeptical look. “Seriously?”
“Hey, don’t you know it’s never polite to point out that a woman looks as if she hasn’t slept in days?” she asked brightly. “I have about a million lists of things to do running through my head. That’s not nearly as effective for getting to sleep as counting sheep.”
“No, I imagine it’s not,” he agreed. “Maybe you need to take a quick break, get your mind off all those details for a little while. How about taking a walk around the corner to O’Brien’s? I hear Nell trained the chef, so the food’s bound to be good. I’m getting sick of my limited culinary
