Clara gave her usual warm smile as she made a stiff exit from the car. "Hi. I thought I'd drop by and see how you were doing. I haven't seen you in a while."
Megan pushed a stray curl away from her forehead and smiled. "I'm getting to be a regular hermit. Justin says I should get out more, but I came here to take a break from the miseries of social life."
Clara nodded and they walked toward the house, talking about the damage from the storm. Megan offered Clara some iced tea and they talked for almost an hour before Clara surprised her with a calculating question and matching expression.
"You and Justin are seeing a lot of each other, aren't you? Are you getting serious?"
Megan shrugged. "We enjoy each other's company and we have a lot in common. I don't know what you call serious."
Clara tipped her head to the side and gave Megan a wizened smile. "Oh, come on now. You've talked endlessly about him and said absolutely nothing about your fiancé."
Megan gaped at her. "I don't have a Fiancé." She blushed. "Well, not any more, anyway. How did you know about him?"
He called the store three times in the last week. When I ask him if I can take you a message, he says no, to just wait until you come into town and have you call him."
So he hadn't accepted her rejection. Her stomach was knotting up in a ball. Next week was her last in the cabin and she dreaded going back to face him again. Why couldn't he accept no for an answer? Well, let him keep calling. She wasn't going to call him. He could wait another week to talk to her. She wasn't going to let him muscle in on her time.
"Is something wrong?" Clara was watching her with a strange expression.
Megan shook her head. "No, I was just wondering why he was calling." She patted Clara on the shoulder. "I'm sorry he keeps calling you. I'll come into town tomorrow and call him." It wasn't Clara's problem and she could hardly leave it to her to handle.
Clara arched her brows. "If he's bothering you, I can give him his walking papers. It won't bother me a bit. He sounded kind of like a snob to me."
Megan laughed. "I suppose he is...kind of. Anyway, I'll talk to him. I don't think it would do any good for you to say anything anyway."
"Persistent, huh?"
"Annoyingly so."
Clara stood and picked up her purse. "Well, what ever you want. I'm going to have to get back to town. I've got to get a roast in the oven - company coming tonight."