me, he doesn’t,” Janey said, unable to contain the bitterness. Then, changing the subject, she added, “By the way, you were the best Friday night. You didn’t miss a beat.” She smiled, then walked over and hugged her daughter. “I was so proud of you.”
As if Robin realized the subject of her mom and dad was closed, she pulled back and smiled. “You really think I did good? And looked good?”
“Absolutely, to both. In fact, I wanted to stand up and yell to everyone that you were my daughter.”
Robin groaned. “Thank heavens you contained yourself.”
Janey’s lips twitched. “And your friend Chad was good, too.”
“Man, was he ever. He’s the reason we won the game.”
“Actually, all of you did your part to bring about the win.”
“Even Mr. Reed was pepped up. He came onto the field as excited as I’ve ever seen him.” Robin’s face and voice suddenly turned anxious. “Darn it, I just wish Chad would call me.”
“He will, darling. You’ll see.”
Robin grabbed her stuff and headed for her bedroom. “He’d better, that’s all I can say. ’Night, Mom.”
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Janey placed a finger against her cheek.
“Sorry.” Robin crossed back to Janey and kissed her where the finger had been. “See you in the morning.” She paused. “Oh, by the way, Dad wants to take me to dinner one night this week.”
Now, as Janey flipped the shop sign to Open, her thoughts remained on Robin and Keith. She was beginning to question her good judgment in returning to Hunter.
The thought of her daughter spending too much time with Keith made her crazy. It wasn’t that Keith had been a bad parent to Robin, because he hadn’t. He had simply been a bad husband, which had left Janey embittered. She would admit that. And, she was jealous of Robin and Keith’s relationship. She would also admit that.
If Keith had wanted to continue to be with his daughter, then he shouldn’t have broken up the marriage.
The buzzer sounded as the door opened. Relieved that she was rescued from her thoughts, Janey smiled and said, “Good morning, Penny.”
Penny Giles didn’t return her smile or her greeting. Uh-oh, Janey thought as the rail-thin woman walked up to the counter and plopped down a sack. “I’m returning this candy.”
“Why is that?”
“It wasn’t the right kind.”
“I have no problem taking it back, as long as you didn’t open it.”
Penny gave her an incredulous look, then snapped, “Of course I opened it. I ate a bite, too. That’s how I knew I’d bought the wrong kind and that I didn’t like it.”
Janey didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Dealing with the public could be a nightmare. But, on the other hand, it could also be a hoot. She never knew what a day would bring. However, a few customers like this one made her want to put a permanent Closed sign on the door.
“Penny, you know I can’t return your money under those circumstances.” Janey’s tone was firm but gentle.
Penny’s lips tightened. “Well, I don’t see why not. You’re supposed to stand behind your product.”
“And I do. If the candy itself was bad, then there wouldn’t be any question, but—”
“Forget it!” Penny grabbed her sack and headed for the door.
Just as she flounced out, another lady walked in.
“Oh, boy, this is going to be one of those days,” Janey muttered.
Hazel Bishop, her part-time helper, gave Janey a perplexed look. “What was that all about?”
“I’ll tell you, but you won’t believe it.”
“When it comes to the public, honey, I’ll believe anything. I’ve worked in retail longer than I care to admit.”
It was that expertise that had landed Hazel the job in the shop. Besides that, she was a neat lady. Though gray haired and round as a silver dollar, she never seemed to run out of energy. She was a widow in her early sixties who needed a little extra cash to supplement her income. When she’d applied, Janey had known instantly that she was the right one.
Janey hadn’t been wrong.
“So tell me,” Hazel said into the silence. “I can’t wait to hear.”
When Janey explained what had happened, Hazel merely shook her head. “This world has more nuts in it than this candy shop.”
Janey laughed out loud. “I doubt that particular nut will ever come back.”
“Ah, forget her. The likes of her are not worth worrying about. Besides, we have too much work to do.”
And work they did. While Janey ran the front, Hazel unpacked several cartons of candy in the back room, then filed the invoices.
The day passed without further incidents. However, Janey couldn’t say that it had been a lucrative one. Business was slow all the way to closing time.
After sending Hazel home, she was about to lock up when another car drove up. It was her old friend Gwen Hopson.
“Get in here, lady,” Janey said, giving her an enthusiastic hug.
It seemed as if she’d always known Gwen, although they hadn’t spent much time together since her return. She couldn’t have made it through her divorce without the woman. Divorced herself, Gwen had managed to cross that minefield with surprisingly few wounds. But then, she hadn’t had children.
Gwen was short and thin with dark hair. And while she wasn’t pretty in the conventional sense, she had an infectious personality and grin. She was a social worker for the local hospital, a job to which she was perfectly suited.
“I’m not even going to come in,” Gwen said, standing just outside the door.
“Pray tell, why not?”
“I want to avoid temptation, but I heard something at work today I thought you ought to know about.”
Janey frowned. “Bad news?”
“Well, it could be—let me put it that way.”
“Shoot,” Janey said.
“Word has it that a candy store’s opening in the mall.”
“Oh, no,” Janey cried, feeling her spirits take a nosedive.
“Now, don’t push the panic button yet,” Gwen advised. “You know how rumors are.”
“Don’t I ever,” Janey said
