Reid stared at her. “What are you talking about? Walker left because it was his job.”
“And why did he go into the Marines in the first place?”
“To screw with Gloria.”
“I know that’s what everyone says, but I don’t believe it. I think there’s way more to the story. Walker has always held himself a little apart from everyone. Maybe this time will be good for him. Maybe Elissa will be good for him. I really liked her and Zoe.”
“They were all right.” Elissa had been pretty and easy to talk to, which he liked in women he wasn’t going to sleep with. Otherwise, conversation was a waste. “You’re wrong about Walker. He doesn’t hold back.”
“What do you know about him?” Penny asked. “What do you know about his dreams? His fears? His deepest, darkest desires?”
“We’re guys. We don’t talk about that stuff.”
“Exactly. You have me to talk to. Cal has me and Dani. Who does Walker have?”
“I don’t know. His buddies from the Marines?”
“Have you met any of them? Does he bring anyone around?”
He felt uncomfortable with the questioning. What was it about women and feelings? “Leave Walker alone. He’s fine.”
“He’s not, but I’m hoping he will be eventually.”
“THERE ARE MESSAGES!” Zoe said excitedly as Elissa climbed out of her car after work. “Me and Mrs. Ford listened to two of them when they called and there are even more.”
“That’s great,” she said as she closed the car door and bent down toward her daughter. “Don’t I get a hug?”
“Oh, Mommy.” Zoe hugged her quickly, then pulled on her hand. “Come on and listen.”
Elissa allowed herself to be dragged into the house. Sure enough, her normally quiet answering machine blinked excitedly. There were six messages and when Elissa played them back, they were all about ordering jewelry from her.
Apparently Dani and Penny had done more than just wear her creations, they’d talked about them. In the past ten days, Elissa had sold more than a dozen pieces and booked three at-home jewelry shows. If this kept up, she could actually start buying more expensive materials and open a savings account.
“You’re famous, Mommy!” Zoe said with delight. “Everyone knows your pretty work.”
“I guess so.”
The phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Elissa Towers, please,” said an unfamiliar female voice.
“This is Elissa.”
“Oh, hi. I’m Marcia Bentley and I’m in charge of booking people into the Labor Day Crafts Fair we have every year. Are you familiar with it?”
Was Marcia kidding? It was the biggest craft show in the state. Elissa had gone several times, mostly to get ideas, and she’d been overwhelmed by the variety and quality.
“Of course,” she said quickly. “It’s wonderful.”
“I’m glad you think so. One of my regulars has a family emergency and won’t be able to make it. I’ve heard so much about your work that I wanted to offer you her spot. It’s on one of the main aisles, very close to several food and drink vendors. Are you interested?”
Elissa sank onto a kitchen chair. Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “Of course,” she said, barely able to speak from the shock of it all. “I’d love to be a part of the fair.”
“Good. If you’ll give me your address, I’ll get the contracts to you right away. You can sign them and send me back a check.”
Marcia filled in a few more details, then hung up with a promise to get the paperwork out that day.
When Elissa hung up, Zoe danced impatiently. “Who was that, Mommy?”
“A lady about the big Labor Day Craft Fair. She said I can have a booth.”
Zoe grinned. “That’s good, right?”
“It’s the best.”
Her daughter yelled with excitement, then ran through the open door in the kitchen to share the news with Mrs. Ford.
Elissa stayed in her seat and waited for her brain to stop spinning. This was incredible. Okay, yeah, the cost of the booth would set her back some, but she would more than make it up the first morning. Her biggest problem was inventory.
She got up and crossed to her workbench. Her finished jewelry was in boxes on an upper shelf. She would need several hundred pieces for that show—which meant hours and hours of work and using her emergency credit card to buy supplies, but it would be worth it. She could easily clear a couple thousand dollars and have enough money to pay off the bill when it arrived.
Talk about a lucky break. Or was it luck? Did Penny or Dani have anything to do with the invitation? Or Walker? She wouldn’t be surprised if it was him. This was exactly the sort of thing he would do.
She found herself wanting to share her good news with him, only he wasn’t home. These days he put in long hours at Buchanan Enterprises. She hadn’t seen him in nearly a week. She missed him. Funny, six weeks ago she’d barely known who he was. Now everything seemed to remind her of him.
Ever since she’d run away with Mitch and had ended up in Los Angeles, she’d accepted that her taste in men sucked. But now, with Walker in her life, she wondered if that had changed. Had she at last found a good one? A man she could trust to always be there for her?
Because that’s what she wanted—someone she could depend on to stick with her no matter what.
“YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THIS,” Elissa said stubbornly as she locked her front door. “You’re busy. Go run your company.”
“I’m coming,” Walker told her. “You don’t know what’s going to happen.”
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Bobby’s a kid.”
“He’s a guy and he’s eighteen. Anything could happen. You haven’t seen him in a long time. You don’t know anything about him.”
Walker had a point, if only a small one. “Fine. Waste your time pretending to be my bodyguard.”
“It’s my time to waste.”
He led the way to his SUV and held open the passenger door. Zoe and Mrs. Ford had
