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When she was a little girl and the family had come into town, she’d always looked forward to stopping here.
    William must have had fond memories of it too, because as soon as he graduated from pharmaceutical school, he’d returned to Cleary and started working here. When his employer decided to retire, William bought the business from him, then immediately borrowed money from the bank for expansion.
    He bought the vacant building next door and incorporated it into the existing store, enlarging Linda’s work space and adding booths to increase the soda fountain’s capacity. He’d also had the foresight to set aside room for video rentals. In addition to the pharmacy, he had the most extensive stock of paperback books and magazines in town. Women shopped here for their cosmetics andgreeting cards. Men bought tobacco products. Everyone came to catch up on local gossip. If Cleary had an epicenter, it was Ritt’s Drug Store.
    Along with prescriptions, William dispensed advice, compliments, congratulations, or condolences, whatever his customers’ situations called for. Although Marilee thought the white lab coat he wore in the store was a bit pretentious, his customers seemed not to mind.
    Of course there were those who speculated on why both he and Marilee had remained single and continued to share a home. People thought that much togetherness between brother and sister was strange. Or worse. She tried not to let people who entertained dirty thoughts like that bother her.
    The bell above the entrance jangled again. She didn’t turn this time but looked into the mirrored wall behind Linda’s workstation and saw Wes Hamer come in with his son, Scott.
    Linda called out to them. “Hey, Wes, Scott, how’re y’all?”
    Wes returned her greeting, but it was Marilee with whom he was making eye contact in the mirror. He sauntered over, leaned close over her shoulder, and took a whiff of the cocoa. “Damn, that smells good. I’ll take one of those, too, Linda. It’s a hot cocoa kind of day.”
    â€œHello, Wes. Scott,” Marilee said.
    Scott acknowledged her with a mumbled “Miss Ritt.”
    Wes sat down on the stool beside her. His knee nudged hers as he slid his legs beneath the counter. “Mind if I join you?”
    â€œNot at all.”
    â€œYou ought not to be cussin’, Wes Hamer,” Linda said. “You being a role model for kids and all.”
    â€œWhat did I say?”
    â€œYou said ‘damn.’ ”
    â€œWhen did you get to be so prissy? I remember a time or two you letting fly with a cussword.”
    She snorted, but she was grinning. Wes had that effect on women.
    â€œYou want some cocoa too, hon?” Linda asked Scott, who was standing behind his father, hunched inside his coat, hands in his pockets, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “Sure. Thanks. That’d be great.”
    â€œNo whipped cream on his,” Wes said. “He won’t win any points with football scouts if he’s got a gut on him.”
    â€œI don’t think he’s in danger of getting a gut anytime soon,” Linda said. But she left off the whipped cream. Wes had that effect on people, too.
    He turned on his stool so that he was facing Marilee. “How’s Scott coming with American lit?”
    â€œVery well. He made eighty-two on the test over Hawthorne.”
    â€œEighty-two, huh? Not bad. Not great. But not bad,” he said, addressing Scott over his shoulder. “Go on back there and speak to those young ladies. They’ve been all aflutter ever since you walked in. Make sure William knows you’re here.”
    Scott ambled off, taking his cocoa with him.
    â€œGirls won’t stay away from that boy,” Wessaid as he watched Scott make his way down the aisle toward the video section.
    â€œYou cain’t be surprised,” Linda said. “He’s cute as the