Sealed with a Kiss Read Online Free PDF Page A

of hope.
    â€œEven if he did believe it, he’d only transfer his anger from me to Grandmother. I won’t give him the ammunition to do or say anything to soil her reputation.”
    â€œAfter the second chance she’s given him, he’ll forgive her anything, don’t you think?” Lacey insisted.
    Forgive anything? Tara hadn’t mastered that herself.
    No matter how distant, she would never forget the angry words that still resonated in her grandmother’s elegant dining room.
    â€œHow could you hurt him that way? How could you do this to me, Grandmother?”
    â€œListen to reason, child. You have your whole life ahead of you and I won’t have you waste it on the son of my housekeeper.”
    â€œThat’s so unfair! He’s respected in his position at the college. The kids love him and I love him, too. But you’ve ruined everything.”
    â€œThat’s where you’re wrong. I’ve simply steered you both in different directions. If, as you insist, it’s God’s will for you to be with Sam, you’ll find one another again one day. But you’ll both spend time growing up first.”
    â€œI’ll never forgive you for this!” Tara had swept her arm across the oak sideboard, sending silver and porcelain crashing to the hardwood below. She’d stared through hot tears at the shattered treasure, turned and run up the stairway.
    Now Tara’s gaze sought the gouged floor where the hand-sculpted Asian vase had met its demise. “How can I expect Sam to forgive her when I spent the last nine years punishing her myself?”
    â€œYou have to find it in your heart, Tara. I watched Miss Miriam volunteering so much of her time, giving away so much to charity, trying to atone. And I was the one person in town who understood why she did it. Don’t let regrets steal your joy, too. Promise me you’ll pray about it, okay?” Lacey asked.
    â€œI’ll put that on my prayer list along with the funds for the books I have to order.” Tara changed the subject.
    â€œIs that what you decided to add to the antiques? Books?” She narrowed her eyes as she thought it over. “I like it.” Her head bobbed agreeably.
    â€œThanks.” Tara smiled, grateful for some encouragement. “I stopped at Shoppers’ Mart to get somemagazines this afternoon. Standing in that dark little aisle it suddenly occurred to me it was the only place in town to buy something to read.”
    â€œThere’s the campus bookstore,” Lacey reminded.
    â€œAnd as long as I want a textbook or a paperback those two places are fine. But to thumb through a special-event cookbook or a gardening guide or a biography of a musician I’d have to drive to Dallas,” Tara pointed out.
    â€œWhat do you think Frieda Walker will have to say about you taking business from the college?”
    â€œOh, I wouldn’t dare compete with the textbooks and classics she sells on campus. I’ll carry contemporary genres, popular magazines and international newspapers. Maybe even a computer or two for research and online chatting.
    â€œAnd here’s something else I’m considering.” She clasped her palms together beneath her chin in nervous anticipation of her only friend’s reaction. “What if I set up a coffeehouse in one corner of the store to give the students someplace new and trendy to hang out?”
    â€œThat’s perfect! They’ll love it.”
    Tara’s heart lifted at the thought of something that would bring the younger crowd into her business. “We’ll serve all those great flavored coffees and they can visit with their friends like the kids do in the big chain stores. I’ll use the antiques as display background for the books and collectibles and everything will be for sale.”
    â€œI’ve got to hand it to you, girl, you’ve thought of something for everybody,” Lacey