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Millie cleared her lungs with a long sigh, but it didn’t help What kept her head spinning and belly churning the most, what turned her inside out, was that she didn’t want Seth to not like her But he had to dislike her in order to divorce her, didn’t he? Divorced people didn’t like each other—at least she assumed they didn’t She’d never known a divorced person
“Do you like the lamp?” Mr Jenkins asked
She spun around, and walked to the counter “Yes, it’s very pretty, but I have no need for it” Pointing to the shelf behind hiht her eye earlier, she asked, “Could I have one of those tablets, and a pencil holder and lead?”
“Do you like to draw?” he asked, stepping onto a stool to reach the paper
“Yes, I do” There was no reason to explain that she hadn’t spent s she used to do Lack of money Lack of tiht now, she needed to draw Needed so to occupy her mind
“I have this new lead holder” The shopkeeper held up a er than her miniature ones at home “The men swear by it They say the size is much easier to use I have smaller ones if you prefer”
“No, actually, I’d like to try the larger one, thank you I’ll need a box of leads, as well”
“Anything else?”
“No, that will do” She pulled open the top of her wrist bag “How much do I owe you?”
“I’ll just put it on thethe boots, paper tablet and pencil set in a small crate
“I’d rather not I’ll just pay you”
He was shaking his head “Can’t do that, Mrs Parker The ot much hair left to lose If you wanna pay someone, pay your husband” Jenkins turned then and shouted over his shoulder, “Wind, come carry this for the major’s wife”
Short of arguing, insisting she’d pay for her supplies and causing undue distress for the shopkeeper, Millie closed her bag and hooked the string over her wrist “I can carry the crate There’s no need to trouble anyone”
“Wind likes doing it,” Mr Jenkins said as a young boy, no h a blanket-draped doorway next to the long set of shelves behind the counter “Don’t you, boy?”
“Haa” The child nodded “Yes”
“Here then, follow theWe’ve got a lot of freight to put away”