Rose Harbor in Bloom by Debbie Macomber Page B

it was doomed.
    “Everyone knows Hailey,” Conner said, interrupting her thoughts. “She stops by here after work most days and we hang.”
    “Hang?”
    “Yeah, you know, talk and stuff.”
    “Of course.” Clearly, Mary wasn’t up on the current teenage vernacular.
    “I’m a year ahead of Hailey. I’m working here to help with college expenses.”
    “Good for you.” Mary had worked her way through school, too, and it hadn’t been easy. Thankfully, she’d gotten a number of scholarships.
    “I’m grateful to get summer work. It isn’t like jobs are growing on trees these days.”
    “I know what you mean.” Mary left him a generous tip.
    His eyes widened when he saw the five-dollar bill. “You need a refill, just say the word and I’ll bring it over to you.”
    “Thanks.” Mary chose a table by the window that overlooked Harbor Street. A woman came by and watered the plants potted in the urns next to the streetlights. Flowers had never been Mary’s forte, and she wasn’t sure exactly what variety they were, but the colors were a vibrant red and yellow.
    “Are you here for the seagull-calling contest?” Conner asked.
    “I beg your pardon?”
    “Cedar Cove has this contest every year. It’s big around here. One year the winner appeared on Jay Leno.”
    Mary smiled. She wasn’t sure how she’d missed that. “Sorry to say I haven’t heard about it.”
    “It’s next Saturday morning on the waterfront. The person who attracts the most seagulls with their call wins. If you’re in town you might want to stop by. It’s a lot of fun, and the farmers’ market is up and running, too.”
    “I’ll make a point of doing that.”
    “Hailey’s down there most Saturdays with her mom. They sell homemade jelly. My favorite flavor is chocolate cherry.”
    “Jelly?” Apparently, there was an entire world of flavors Mary had somehow missed.
    “Sounds weird, doesn’t it? But trust me, it’s the best ever.”
    Such enthusiasm. Mary sipped her coffee. Her cup was still half full when Conner rounded the counter with a fresh pot and refilled her cup. A new customer, a man in greasy coveralls, stopped into the coffee shop. He glanced in her direction and then quickly looked away. Mary was accustomed to that. Not accustomed exactly, but seeing others’ uneasiness at her lack of hair, her obvious battle with cancer, no longer took her by surprise. Nor was she offended.
    He was in and gone within a couple of minutes, with carryout.
    Mary took her time with the coffee, savoring it until it had cooled to the point that it no longer appealed to her. She really didn’t haveany place she needed to be or any place special she wanted to go. That bothered her more than just about anything else.
    Perhaps coming to the Seattle area hadn’t been such a bright idea after all. She wasn’t an impulsive woman, and this entire trip had been decided on a whim. What had she been thinking? This was insane. Yet here she was. And just across the water was George.
    Glancing at the steep climb back to the inn filled her with dread. It was too much. She should have realized that when she’d started toward the waterfront. She’d need to find a ride, a taxi or something.
    Her phone beeped, indicating she had a message. Someone had reached out to her. A friend? A colleague? In her eagerness to free her cell from inside her purse, she nearly dropped it. To her disappointment, the email message was an advertisement from her favorite New York steakhouse.
    Her hand tightened around her cell. With a click of one button the phone number to George’s office showed on the screen. If he knew she was in the area or even close, he’d want to know. Wouldn’t he?
    “He’s married,” she muttered.
    “Did you say something?” Conner asked.
    Her head shot up; his question had alarmed her and taken her by surprise. “Just talking to myself,” she said, while her eyes remained focused on George’s office number.
    “My grandma does