Chapter two. Ginny looked up as the bell over the door jingled and she smiled warmly at her grandmother.

GINNY LOOKED UP as the bell over the door jingled and she smiled warmly at her grandmother.

" Good morning, Nana. How was your walk? "

" Oh, it's a beautiful day out, Ginny." Louise walked around the counter and tossed her purse on the bottom shelf, nudging Ginny out of the way. " I told you I would put these out this morning."

Ginny had been pricing the freeze-dried meals that they kept in stock for the backpackers that swarmed the mountains in summer. She let Nana take over and went to get herself a latte from the espresso machine. She proudly touched the side, rubbing off a smudge with her thumb. It was the first thing she added when she had purchased the general store last fall. Coffee was one of the few things she missed about Seattle.

" Want one? " she asked.

" No, thanks. I just had some juice. Oh, Ginny, I met the most interesting woman this morning, " Nana said.

" When? " Ginny asked absently as she pushed the button for steamed milk.

" Out on the trail, by the lake, " Nana explained. " An artist. I watched her work, although I'm sure she didn't know I was spying on her."

" Spying? Why? "

" Well, I didn’t want to disturb her. She had this large pad and a handful of colored chalk things and her hands just flew over the paper." Louise sighed heavily. " I wanted to ask to see it, but once she stood up, I lost my nerve."

" What do you mean? " Ginny took a sip of her coffee and smiled contentedly. Nothing like good coffee.

" Well, she was... imposing. Taller than most women. And her eyes. Oh, Ginny, the most odd color of blue I’ve ever seen. Seemed to look right through you."

" What's her name? "

Nana looked up and frowned. " Kara Morgan. Ever heard of her? "

" Kara Morgan? I'm not sure. Wasn't there an article earlier this year about her in Northwest Magazine? "

" I don't remember. You know I never actually read those articles, " she said and smiled sheepishly. " I just enjoy the pictures."

Ginny smiled, too. " You and me both. So, she's here painting? "

" I suppose. She's renting the Dobson place until October. I was certain the Dobson's were only going to be gone a week or so. At least, that's what I heard. I wonder if they are having problems? " she mused. Then she looked back at Ginny. " But anyway, I told her to come by. She's a little older than you, but I told her you didn't have any friends here your own age."

" Nana! "

" Well, you don't. You keep saying you have nothing in common with the people around here."

" I'm sure I would have nothing in common with an artist, either."

" You designed ads. That's art, " Nana said emphatically.

" I hardly think what I did for the marketing firm could be called art, Nana."

" Well, she wasn't overly friendly anyway. She may not even stop by."

Ginny shook her head and sipped from her coffee. It was true. She had made few friends since she had moved here. Most of the locals were older and those that were close to her own age were married with small children and she certainly didn't have anything in common with them. So far, she had been content having Nana as her only friend.

The bell jingled again and Mr. Arnold came in carrying his poodle under his arm.

" Good morning, ladies, " he said, bowing slightly at his waist.

" Why, Mr. Arnold, how are you today? " Nana greeted him and Ginny was again amazed at how Nana had taken to running the store. But then, Nana had lived most of her adult life here. These people were her people. It had taken several months for them to warm up to Ginny, despite the many summers she had spent here as a child. But now, after nearly a year, she felt almost like a local.

She gave a humorless smile to her reflection in the glass behind the counter. So far removed from Seattle, but hardly a local here. Sometimes, she did miss her fast-paced job in the city. And sometimes, she missed the people there.

Like Phil, she thought, but she didn't want to think about him right now. He had been calling again, hinting that he was coming for a visit and she had been putting it off. He would want to talk marriage and after being away from him the last eight months, she was fairly certain that she would not marry him. Only she didn't have the heart to tell him. Or Nana. She had hoped her absence would end things with Phil, but still, he called.

" Ginny? "

" What? " she asked, pushing her thoughts aside for the moment.

" Would you slice Mr. Arnold some ham? Just a half-pound."

" Of course.”

The day took on its familiar routine. The morning filled with locals and a handful of strangers. The afternoon would be spent catering to the tourists and vacationers who had slept in and were late getting out to enjoy the warm day. Jessica, the high school student who helped during the summer months, came in at noon and Ginny escaped for a quick lunch, taking her sandwich out to the park like she did everyday.

With elbows leaning on the table, she tossed a corner of her bread to the chipmunks that came to beg. She wondered if they waited for her every day or if they just happened to be out and about when she was eating. She sighed. Was she lonely? Not really, although she did miss her friends in Seattle. Their phone calls, like their letters, were getting less frequent as time went by. But it was her own choice to move out here. She had been closer to Nana than to her own mother and when her grandfather had passed away, only a few months after her mother, she had used her family inheritance and bought the store, feeling her grandmother would need someone to look after her. She knew now that Nana was just fine, but it was as good an excuse as any to get away from Phil. She should have just told him she wasn't ready to get married, but after four years, it was time to do something. They couldn't just continue dating and Phil wanted children and she dreaded telling him she had no desire to be a mother. She secretly feared she would end up like her own mother; loving one child so much, her first and scarcely noticing that she had another, waiting for her attention as well.

But she pushed those thoughts aside. She didn’t want to think about her sister. And with their mother gone, she seriously doubted she would ever see her again.

Kara applied background colors to the canvas, adding gray to soften the dark sky. She had decided on the morning scene, with deer and all and she worked right through lunch, finally stopping when her stomach demanded attention.

She took out the tofu she had brought with her from Seattle and sauté ed it with vegetables and put the pasta on to boil. She opened a bottle of wine and went out on the porch while her dinner cooked. The crumbled pack of cigarettes beckoned and she lit one, inhaling deeply and letting the smoke out slowly. She needed to savor every one. She had vowed she would quit and she was down to five a day. At the rate she was going, a few more months and she would quit altogether.

" Right, " she murmured. She had been stuck on five for the last month or so.

She stretched her long legs out, the wineglass hanging loosely in her hand and she gazed out at the forest. It was quiet here. No close neighbors to disturb her work.

She had come to Chiwaukum one weekend in May with a friend and had seen endless opportunities for her work. The surrounding Wenatchee National Forest was littered with small lakes and offered a wonderful view of Glacier Peak, hovering over them at more than ten thousand feet. On impulse, she had inquired about renting a place for the summer. The local real estate agent had called her barely two weeks ago about the Dobson cabin and she had snatched it up. She usually traveled during the summers, camping or staying at local resorts while she sketched, then spent the winter putting her ideas on canvas. But she had tired of that and the thought of working in solitude and the quiet of her own cabin all summer had been too tempting to pass up. She had not really closed up her cottage on Bainbridge Island, though. She was only a few hours from Seattle. She could always go back.

She finished her cigarette and brought her dinner out to the porch. The evening was cool, but clear and she ate while she watched the colors of sunset settle on the forest, her favorite time of day.