The Soldier's Sweetheart

It was a given that he had to go and pick up the papers off the floor. What else was there for him to do, since the Stay-n-Shop missive covered the tip of one of his meticulously shined black cowboy boots?

Samantha couldn’t tell whether or not he glanced at the letter as he scooped it up. He gave nothing away in his expression and his eyes were dark and unreadable. She fought the urge to reach out and snatch the paper out of his hand, and then decided that would be too obvious a move, calling attention to the fact that she was uncomfortable with him reading the letter. Instead, she stood frozen, her hands fisted at her sides.

Without a single word, he turned and reached for the other piece of paper. Samantha quietly sighed in relief when he placed the grocery inventory over the legal missive. He spent a good deal more time looking at the dry-goods register, which made her almost as uncomfortable as the thought of him looking at the Stay-n-Shop letter.

His lips pursed briefly, his right eyebrow twitching once before his expression returned to stone. Had Samantha looked away even for a second, she would have missed the odd mix of emotions that momentarily registered on his face.

He lifted his gaze from the inventory and took a long look around the store, apparently taking stock of what Sam’s Grocery carried, glancing back and forth between the products on the shelves and the list he still carried in his hand.

Was he judging the place? He gave no further indication one way or another of what he was thinking as he perused the shop.

“This is it, then? Your whole dry-goods inventory?” he asked, handing both pages back to Samantha as if they’d been his to begin with. He had a commanding air about him that Samantha didn’t particularly care for. She considered herself a friendly and easygoing woman, but when it came to Sam’s Grocery, she was used to being in charge, and she certainly wasn’t used to being questioned about the state of her dry-goods inventory—especially by a stranger. Add to that the fact that she’d already had a long and stressful afternoon, and she was ripe for contention.

“Yes,” she answered brusquely, not that it was any of his business. “So?”

“I am—I mean, I was—a unit supply specialist in the Army. I’m not sure how well that experience is going to segue into working for a small-town grocery, but I’ll do my best. You’ll find I’m quite diligent in my work habits.”

“Yeah—about that.” She jumped in before he had the opportunity to elaborate on why he was qualified for this job—the one he mistakenly thought was on the table for him, or worse yet, thanks to her capricious brother, believed was already a signed-and-sealed deal. She was still a little unclear on that point. “I’m not quite sure I understand which position, exactly, you think we have open. As you observed, Serendipity is a small town, and this is a family grocery. We don’t have much occasion to hire help here.”

Clearing his throat, Will glanced behind him. Samantha followed his gaze and thought she saw a slight shadow flitting across the sunshine pouring in through the glass window, but she quickly brushed it off as nothing. It was probably only some animal scavenging for free treats.

“I guessed this was a family-operated business by the name on the sign outside. You’re Samantha, the owner of the place and Seth’s sister. That’s the reason I asked specifically for you.”

“Yup, that’s me. My parents, Samuel and Amanda, recently retired and left the grocery to me,” Samantha explained. “It’s something of a legacy.”

“Indeed.”

Was he being condescending? Samantha’s hackles rose until she met his earnest gaze—not warm, by any means, but sincere and intense.

“And do you do this all by yourself, or do you have other employees?”

“I have a woman who comes in and prepares the fresh deli products—you know, potato salad and cooked hens and the like. We sell baked goods acquired by the local café. My parents come in a couple of days a week to help out.” She gestured to the rest of the store. “Other than that, you’re looking at her—manager, stocker, cashier and bag-person,” she said, relaxing a little. Maybe if she smiled at him he’d lose some of the somber tension from his face.

Smiles were supposed to be viral, right?

“Seth spoke of you often,” Will commented in the rich, quiet manner that Samantha was beginning to realize was his normal tone of voice—not at all what she’d expect from an Army guy, based on what she knew of her brother.

“I’m sorry I can’t say the same,” Samantha said, regarding Will with new eyes. “Unfortunately, Seth neglected to mention you.”

“He said you work too hard and never get a break, and frankly, he’s worried about you. That’s part of the reason I’m here—to take some of that burden from you.”

As he spoke, Samantha noticed that Will’s lips naturally turned down at the corners—they didn’t lend themselves to an easy grin.

“Seth and I realized we could assist each other in what could possibly be an advantageous relationship for both of us,” he continued. “Besides, you know your brother—once he gets something in his mind, it’s hard to convince him otherwise.” Will shrugged one shoulder. “So here I am.”

“I see,” she replied, though in truth, she didn’t. The way Will was speaking, it almost sounded like he was here against his better judgment.

It was definitely against Samantha’s. She wished Seth was here so she could knock him in the head. What was he thinking, sending someone who was probably a slap-happy, risk-taking adrenaline junkie to fill what was, for the most part, a repetitive and predictable position?

A slow job. Not that an employment opportunity really existed, but even if it did, nothing in Serendipity moved fast, nor did it change much from day to day. She couldn’t imagine how Will would adapt to such sluggish surroundings.

Wasn’t that part of the reason Seth had enlisted in the Army in the first place? To remove himself from a situation that would have eventually bored him to tears or sent him to the insane asylum? Samantha couldn’t see how he expected that Will would fare much better. This soldier had seen combat. Working day in and day out in the grocery would be the polar opposite.

But maybe that was the point. Maybe that was exactly what Will was looking for. Someplace quiet to get away from the memories of war.

Great. Now how was she going to politely turn the man away? Like she didn’t have enough problems already, trying to deal with the ever-increasing threat of a big-box takeover.

The bell rang over the door and her parents entered, their faces eager with anticipation. They rushed forward all at once in a gibber of exclamations, trying to be heard over each other to be the first to welcome Will to Serendipity.

Samantha reached for the Stay-n-Shop missive and tucked it under the counter.

“You must be William,” her mother said, stepping forward to embrace the poor man, who looked dreadfully uncomfortable with the public show of affection. He froze at attention like a statue, his arms stiff at his sides.

Her mother, with bountiful curves and a frizzy head of blond hair, was a good foot shorter than Will. At her tallest, she didn’t even reach the middle of his chest, but that didn’t stop her from exclaiming loudly and squeezing him in what others might consider an excessively friendly manner.

To Samantha, it was just her mother being her usual outgoing, jovial self, not noticing how uneasy she was making Will and chattering on as if nothing was amiss. “Seth has told us all about you. We’re so delighted you’ll be staying with us.”

Seth had told them about Will? And he’d be staying with them?

Two more shockers in a long day full of them.

Just lovely. Not only had Seth somehow arranged for Will to have a job at the grocery—apparently with her parents’ knowledge and concurrence, and without a word to her—but now he’d be staying with them, whatever that meant.

Happily, whatever they were referring to, it didn’t involve her, not directly anyway, since she lived in her own apartment close to the store. Her parents’ house was empty most of the time, as they were working on their retirement dreams—building a bed-and-breakfast. They’d recently purchased some land along a gentle creek and were renovating several old cottages situated close to the water, but the cabins weren’t yet ready for habitation. Seth’s room was vacant, but surely her brother would never agree to such an arrangement. Many of his personal belongings were still in that room, untouched, souvenirs from his boyhood saved like a time capsule for when he was home on leave.

“It’s good to meet you, son,” her father said, extending his hand to Will.

“Thank you, sir,” Will answered, clearly more comfortable with her dad’s welcome than that of her over-affectionate mother.

“It’s Samuel,” her father corrected in his typical booming bass. “And my wife here is Amanda. The only ‘sir’ around these parts is my pop, Grandpa Sampson, whom you’ll meet later, after you’ve settled in. We’re glad you’re here, and we’re grateful to God for your help, both in the store and with our cabins. They’re in dire need of repair before we can offer them to guests.”

“I’m happy to be able to help you folks out and appreciate your offer of lodging, at least until I can get permanently settled.”

So that’s what it was, then. Room and board in exchange for his carpentry skills. Not such a bad idea, though she still wondered why no one had bothered to mention to her that Will was going to show up at her doorstep and demand a job.

Okay, maybe that was putting it a little harshly. Will hadn’t exactly burst in and demanded a job. More like he’d simply assumed it was there—which, apparently, it was.

A simple “you’ve got a gorgeous ex-Army guy coming to work for you” would have been nice.

Samantha chuckled at her private joke. After the day she’d had, she either had to laugh or she was going to burst into tears. This was a lot to take in, and in a short time, too.

She pinched her lips, fighting the emotion surging through her chest, trying to sort out the mixed-up messages her heart was sending her brain and working not to give in to the indignant sense of betrayal she was experiencing.

Had everyone purposely kept her in the dark?

That stung more than she cared to admit. Why would her brother—never mind her parents—keep something this momentous from her? Did they not trust her? Did they think she wouldn’t welcome Will with open arms?

She glanced at her parents, now speaking in soft tones with Will, and wondered if anyone would miss her if she slipped out of the store for a few minutes. She needed to vent to someone, preferably Alexis and Mary, whom she was certain would see her side of this situation.