Chapter 4 #2
Nice meeting you, Vanessa. Sorry you didn’t find your ring . . . Maybe next time. Speaking of which, will you be back in Marietta?
I can’t promise gingerbread iced tea, but I’d love to look around with you.
She glanced over her shoulder at the storefront. Ben was helping an older gentleman near the front window. He looked out and
for a moment their eyes met. Ben smiled and Vanessa did the same. Ben turned his attention back to the customer.
When Vanessa slid behind the wheel again, she realized her heart was pounding. She checked the rearview mirror. Her cheeks
were red, her eyes bright with the thrill of the meeting. And a feeling she hadn’t had since she met Alan more than two decades
ago.
Infatuation.
“Calm,” she told herself. She gripped the wheel and drove off.
But the whole time all she could think about was the handsome stranger.
The man had come into her life suddenly.
Even if just for today. He looked familiar, and then she put it together.
Guardians of the Galaxy. Of course. Last night she and Sadie had watched the movie—one of Sadie’s favorites.
Ben Miller looked just like the lead actor from a popular TV series. Vanessa couldn't remember his name. The same dashing
good looks and boyish charm. His athletic build and the easy way he had with conversation. Even the same green eyes, although
Ben’s might have been even more striking.
Vanessa Mayfield. Get hold of yourself. She sat a little straighter. She was acting like a schoolgirl with a first-time crush. Ben was a nice guy who lived more
than two hours north of her. He had his own life and she had hers. They’d probably never see each other again.
Meeting him was nothing more than a diversion, a wonderful way to begin this next chapter of life. Life without Sadie living
under the same roof.
But no matter how she tried to convince herself, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. And she couldn’t slow her racing heart.
At the first stoplight before getting back on the interstate, Vanessa texted Ben. It’ll be tough without the gingerbread tea, but I really would like to do more antiquing in Marietta. I’ll let you know when
I’ll be back. Oh, and nice meeting you, too, Ben. Glad my missing ring brought me through the doors of your Christmas-in-July
sale.
The second she sent the text, she regretted it.
Why had she been so forward? Glad my missing ring brought me through the doors of your Christmas-in-July sale?
Who said that? The answer was immediate.
Walt Whitman, that’s who. Vanessa smiled.
Whatever the feeling rushing through her veins and heart, she liked it.
Before she could set her phone down, it rang and at first Vanessa thought it might be Ben. Then Sadie’s name appeared. Vanessa
steadied herself and answered the call. “Honey! How was the welcome party?”
“So good! Mom, the girls here are super kind. Everyone is friendly and we already made plans to find our own corner in the
library so we can study together.”
Peace filled Vanessa. Sadie was going to be okay. “I knew it. It’s just what you and I prayed for.”
“Exactly! I just got off a FaceTime call with Hudson, and he said the same thing. He knew it was where I was supposed to be.”
Vanessa liked that. And maybe she was supposed to visit Millers’ Antiques today. The thought took her breath.
“Mom?”
“Yes. Sorry . . . I agree completely. You’re supposed to be there, and honey, you’re going to love it!”
“Thank you.” Sadie sounded concerned. “Are you still driving?”
“I am.” Somehow Vanessa felt caught, like she’d done something wrong. “I stopped at an antique store in Marietta.”
“Oh . . .” The tension in her voice eased. “Looking for your ring?”
“Exactly.” Vanessa focused on the road. “They were having a Christmas-in-July sale.”
“Got it.” She hesitated. “Nothing?”
“Nope.”
“Well, at least it was a fun stop.”
“Yes. Yes, it was.” Vanessa couldn’t keep from smiling. “I saw a few nice things. It’s a great store.” She was careful to guard her words. Something she never normally did around Sadie. “I didn’t buy anything. Just looked.”
“We’ll have to go when I’m on a break.” Sadie sounded distracted now. The conversation about the antique store was behind
them. Vanessa breathed deep, thankful. She wasn’t even sure what had happened.
There was no way she could explain the situation to Sadie.
They talked a while longer about Sadie’s classes and how she and the girls were going to walk the campus to see where they
needed to be Monday morning when school started.
After the call ended Vanessa thought about exactly how fun the stop had been, how meeting Ben Miller had become the highlight
of her day. When she parked her car in front of her house later that day, she felt her heart jump.
On the screen of her phone was another text from Ben. Before reading it, Vanessa lifted her eyes to the blue summer sky overhead.
College wouldn’t change anything between her and Sadie. They would still talk about everything. And in time, if she ever saw
Ben Miller again, she would of course tell her daughter. Because the truth was, Vanessa had, in fact, found something at Millers’
Antiques.
She’d found a new friend.