Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Shane, who had to admit that his day was little more than wandering between the different eateries of Magnolia Shore, was wholeheartedly enjoying his lunch of coffee and a French dip sandwich at the Main Street Diner.
It was a good thing that this town was so walkable, like he’d said to Garrett right before he’d said the thing he shouldn’t have said that he was trying hard not to think about.
It wasn’t the worst way he had ever revealed one of his sister’s secrets, as he had accidentally told Colin Porter that she had a crush on him in the eleventh grade, but it wasn’t ideal.
Still. Garrett was an adult. He wouldn’t run snitching to Eleanor… or tell the whole school, which was what Colin Porter had done, the snot-nosed little punk. Eleanor had been mad at him for a month, but it had put an end to the crush, at least.
He took a bite of his French dip, which was incredible.
It helped that he had walked up and down the beach for a while.
He didn’t know if it was the walking or the shivering that had worked up the appetite, though.
He would not be admitting that to his sister either.
She would tease him mercilessly for losing all of his Midwestern cold-bearing abilities.
He was about halfway through the sandwich when Diana came in the diner. She looked as fashionable as she always did, but there was a flatness to her that suggested that she was feeling a bit less than her usual chipper self.
Even so, she stopped by his table on the way to the pick-up counter.
“Shane, hey,” she said warmly.
He dabbed at his mouth. “Diana! It’s so fun how I am always running into people in this town.”
She laughed. “Yeah, you get used to it, but it’s definitely nice. I guess the downside is that you never want to pop out to the grocery store in your sweats or whatever.”
“That might be specific to the fashionable boutique owners in town,” he suggested.
She struck a pose playfully, but only held it for a second, as if the effort was too much in her current state.
“Sorry,” she said, brushing back her hair and rolling her eyes in a self-deprecating fashion. “I’m out of sorts today.”
“No apology necessary,” he assured her. “Want to vent a little?”
She took the offered seat across from him, collapsing tiredly onto the old vinyl booth.
“I am supposed to be doing inventory right now,” she said.
“And that’s bad enough, honestly, but for some infuriating reason, my computer keeps crashing.
I thought I had solved the problem, but I was…
not correct at all. Anthony tried to help me yesterday, but while he’s a great accountant and an amazing cheerleader, he’s not exactly tech-minded. ”
“You know,” Shane said, “I know somebody who could probably help you with that.”
Diana’s eyes lit up. “You do? Who?”
He put down his sandwich and pointed both thumbs at himself, which caused her to press her hands to her cheek with a laugh.
“Oh, right! Yes, duh, silly me. I knew that. But… You’re sure you want to help me out?” she asked. “I know you’re on leave from work.”
“You would actually be doing me a favor,” he said. “I might not be feeling super gung-ho about my work these days, but I do still like computers, and after all this time away, I’m ever-so-slightly missing doing something in the computer department.”
“I feel like I am somehow still taking advantage of your goodwill,” Diana said, “but I am also totally desperate, so I’m going to agree anyway. Name the time and place. Also, name your favorite treat of choice, because I will be providing snacks for this, since you really are saving me.”
Shane gestured down at the sandwich, which was almost completely demolished.
“I’m pretty full on treats right now, but I can stop by whenever you’re ready. I’ve got nothing but time.”
“Is now too soon?” Diana asked hopefully.
“Not at all.”
Shane paid his bill while Diana picked up her takeout.
She tried to purchase his lunch as well, as a thank you for the computer help, but he waved her off, assuring her that he was happy to be of help.
This was true enough. His fingers were practically trembling with excitement about getting back at a keyboard.
A few minutes later, they arrived at Diana’s boutique. She took down a sign that announced she’d stepped out for lunch and would be out imminently, then led Shane over to her computer.
It took him four minutes to figure out her problem. Not that he was bragging or anything, but he was pretty pleased with that. It had to be a personal record.
“Basically,” he said as the computer rebooted following his quick programming fixes, “your inventory software updated in a way that made your anti-virus software think that it was a bad bug. I just made sure to greenlight the inventory program on the protection program, and voila. You’re all set.”
Diana pressed her hands to her head.
“I mean this in a totally normal and platonic way but, oh my gosh, I love you. I love Eleanor for being the reason you came here. I am so happy that I love everything and everyone. You are a hero. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
He laughed at her exuberance. “You are more than welcome.”
“Now I just have to do about a bazillion hours of inventory,” she said wryly, although the smile was still broad on her face.
“I don’t know if you’ve decided when you’re going back to San Francisco, but you should consider advertising your computer services if you’re going to be around for a little while longer.
We don’t have somebody local who does this kind of stuff, which is what got me into this pickle in the first place.
I was calling around, but all the folks in the surrounding towns were booked up.
And I know there are local businesses who would definitely be as grateful for your services as I am. ”
The refusal was on the tip of Shane’s tongue before he stopped to really consider the idea.
Fixing Diana’s computer had been downright fun.
And he was looking for a new direction to take his career.
He didn’t know if doing tech support was the kind of thing he wanted to do long term…
but then again, wasn’t that the point of trying it out?
To see if he liked it? To see if it was a possible avenue for what came next?
“You know,” he said thoughtfully, “I’ll give that a think. Thanks, Diana.”
“I’m motivated entirely by selfishness,” she teased. “I thought I was going to be stuck here all night doing inventory. Now I’ll only be stuck here half the night.”
He gave her an amiable laugh, then poked around the shop a little as she dove into her inventory.
It was mostly idle curiosity. Diana sold a few items for men, and she had a tiny nook for kids’ clothes, but most of her inventory was dedicated to women’s items. He was just about to head out, maybe to wind his way back around to Eleanor’s bookshop for a while, when something caught his eye.
He reached out and stroked a gentle finger down the light pink cashmere sweater. It was just like the one that Winnie had said her mother always wore.
He was carrying it to the cash register before he fully realized what he was doing.
Diana glanced up.
“Oh, I love that brand of sweater,” she gushed. “I have it in about four colors. It’s so soft, and it pairs with just about anything.” She paused. “Although, if it’s for Eleanor, I’m not sure that’s her size.”
Shane cleared his throat, feeling awkward for the second time that day. “It’s, uh, not for Eleanor,” he said.
If Diana noticed his discomfort, she was too polite to say as much. She just shrugged.
“Got it. Okay, hang on, let me save what I’m doing…” She clicked around on her computer for a few moments, then rang up the sweater for him before wrapping it carefully in tissue paper and putting it in a bag that was branded with the store’s logo.
“Here you are,” she said brightly.
“Thanks, Diana,” he said. She was already busy at work at her computer again, but she shot him a quick wave goodbye.
Shane wandered back out into the cool autumn air, his bag clutched in his fist. He wasn’t entirely certain that this gift wasn’t too much, given that he and Winnie had only spent time together a few times, and never in a romantic capacity.
He hoped it wasn’t… and he wondered about the hope that maybe they would find things a little cozier between them the next time they met.