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Sure, she knew herin the balance of her new life and her new shop She couldn’t fail Not because of the ood shape financially But she couldn’t fail because this was all she had There was nothing else giving her a purpose And she was done playing the victi She’d already been doing that in spades in Seattle She wanted to breathe To live
And that’s why she’d left Seattle and her parents She’d given up her nursing career in the ER at Seattle’s General Hospital, and she’d dumped every cent she received from Adam’s insurance money into this shop and her little house on the lake
Was she crazy?
Oh, yeah, she was totally batshit nuts
She glanced down at the house keys in her hand All of her belongings would be shipped toht she planned to stay at the Stoney Creek B&B a couple blocks down Main Street
“Are you the nener?”
Peyton turned around, finding an older couple s at her “Yes, I am”
“Oh, so lovely to hear,” the woman said, her ar business owners co our don alive” She offered her hand “I’m Marjorie, and this is Joe”
Peyton returned Marjorie’s handshake and then shook Joe’s hand “It’s nice to meet you both I’m Peyton” When she drew her hand away, her stomach suddenly ru”
Joe’s amber eyes crinkled with his warm smile “The bar next door has one of the best fish sandwiches in town”
“That sounds delicious” Peyton returned the sin to dissolve “I’ll be sure to check it out Thanks”
“Enjoy your evening, Peyton,” Marjorie said With a final wave, they continued on their walk
When Peyton’s sto a drink along with food sounded like the next best step forward She didn’t see any parking signs, figuring she could leave her car there for the night
She grabbed her purse froinal flagstone walls and restored burgundy velvet chairs to the gold accents, the bar was pure class Four large crystal chandeliers gave the space a war feel, and round tables surrounded the black shiny stage, where a man had his head bowed over the piano he played
Peyton headed for the bar that had threebeers She hastilyher distance frouy with the dark hair and aze, the side of hissensually Actually, especially because of that She needed to find herself again, not find herself in anyone’s bed