Complete Me (Book Three of The Kirkland Family)

Complete Me: Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Rose woke up the next morning feeling sad, confused and a tiny bit angry. Mr. Shaw, the man she'd known and loved for ten years, was not Coleman Shaw! Who else knew this? Everyone called him Mr. Shaw. Even his own priest called him that! Could Mr. Shaw have really kept this a secret for all these years?

Why did he never tell her? And what was his name?

Heavy hearted, she dragged herself downstairs to open the store. The Sinatra records could not soothe her conflicted emotions, so she dug through the store's inventory and found a Peggy Lee album. By the third song, Rose cheered up a little and managed to get some work done. She finished filing the weekend's purchases when she realized that Copper was half an hour late. That had never happened before.

But Copper bounced in with a gigantic smile. "I'm so sorry I'm late—" She stopped short. "What happened to your head?"

Rose touched her bandage. She'd forgotten about it already. "Oh, nothing. Just an accident. You seem excited about something."

"Oh, I am!" Then Copper lost her grin. "But you're not going to like it."

"Why wouldn't I like it? You're obviously very happy about something."

Copper swallowed...and started bouncing again. "Remember that fellowship I applied for? And didn't get? Well...I got in!"

"You did?" Rose stood up to hug her. "That's great."

Copper squeezed Rose. "One of the applicants had to drop out at the last minute, and I was next on the list, and we're going to Greece! Can you believe it? Greece! I'm going to see Athens, and then we're off to Italy and France and Spain!"

Jak entered the store and said, "Who's going to Spain?"

"I am!" Copper said with a squeal.

"That sounds wonderful," Jak said and looked at Rose. "What happened to your head, Rosie?"

Rose sighed. "Nothing. I had an accident."

"Did you get stitches?" he asked, peering closer.

"Yes. I'm fine, Jak."

He scowled. "Was Cole involved?"

"No," Rose lied with a smile and turned back to Copper. "When do you leave?"

Copper's smile disappeared again. "Uh...Thursday."

Rose blinked. "This Thursday? That really is last minute."

"I know," Copper said, watching Rose sadly. "I only found out this morning, which is why I'm late. I'm so sorry, Rose. I know this leaves you in a bind, but I may never get another chance like this."

Rose smiled and grasped her hand warmly. "And you are right to jump at it. You will love Italy. It was a favorite of mine."

Copper said, "I can work until Wednesday, Rose—"

"Are you kidding?" Rose said. "You have a lot of packing and preparing to do! And don't you worry about your job. I'll hold it until you get back."

"But that won't be until the middle of August," Copper said. "You can't manage the whole store by yourself for that long."

"I will be fine," Rose said as they walked to the door together. "I want you to concentrate on that fellowship. If you need anything, you let me know, okay? Do you know what to bring?"

"The fellowship committee emailed a list to me, and they're paying for the transportation and hotel stays and most of the meals. I have to pay for the rest."