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let herself out of the building. Unsure of what to do next, she stood for a long moment, gazing up and down Main Street as if she expected one of the businesses to lure her in. Finally she looked across the street to the newspaper office. Tommy had seemed quite eager to do an interview with her, but would it be pushy to go over there uninvited and expect him to make time for her? Probably so. It might also seem a bit desperate, like she was pursuing him. And since when did Susanna Elton pursue men? If anything, she was usually holding them back at arm’s length. Plus, for all she knew, Tommy Thompson was happily married with four kids and a dog at home.
    Putting him out of her mind, she stopped by Cards-n-Stuff and browsed a bit. Next she popped into the florist shop and bought a mixed bouquet of fall-colored flowers. Rose thought purchased blooms were a waste of money, but Susanna liked supporting the local businesses. Then she stopped by the Shoe Inn to see if the Cole Haan pumps she’d ordered two weeks ago were in yet.
    “I’m so glad you stopped in,” Lauren exclaimed. Lauren owned the store and made customer service her top priority. “They arrived with the late UPS yesterday. I left a message at your office, but I suspected you’d already gone home.”
    Susanna tried on the pumps, which were gorgeous, and walked around the shop to make sure they were as comfortable as they were attractive. “I love them,” she finally proclaimed.
    “They look stunning on you.” Lauren smiled.
    As Susanna was paying for them, Lauren asked about the new business in the Barton Building. “It’s not shoes, is it?”
    “No, I don’t think so.” Susanna put her debit card back in her wallet.
    “Do you know what it is?”
    Susanna wasn’t sure what to say. Proclaiming it a Christmas shop might be premature. Especially after seeing those boxes of junk in the back room.
    “Would you even say if you knew?” Lauren’s brows lifted.
    “I think Matilda is trying to keep it under wraps for now. Maybe she’ll have a grand opening when the time comes. One thing I can assure you is that she is hard at work on it. I know she wants the shop opened up in time for Christmas traffic.”
    “Cindy at the Clothes Horse is worried it’s going to be another clothing store. We really don’t need another one, you know.”
    “I don’t think Cindy needs to be worried either.”
    Lauren grinned as she handed Susanna the receipt. “Judging by Matilda Honeycutt’s interesting wardrobe, I think you’re probably right.” She chuckled. “The Cut-n-Curl probably doesn’t need to be too concerned either.”
    Susanna smiled politely. “No, I expect not.”
    “Sorry,” Lauren said. “I didn’t mean to sound so catty. You should hear the talk around town.”
    “I do hear it,” Susanna said. “Bits and pieces anyway. Maybe I’m just not used to small towns yet, but some of it seems a little mean-spirited to me. Matilda is a very sweet person.”
    Lauren leaned forward, lowering her voice since another customer was just coming in. “How well do you really know her?”
    Susanna considered this. “Not that well, I suppose, but I do like her. My mother-in-law is working for her.”
    “ That’s your mother-in-law?”
    Susanna tried not to look too alarmed. “Rose Elton is my mother-in-law. Have you met her?”
    “In a way.” Lauren looked uncomfortable.
    “Rose has a bit of a temper.”
    “A bit.” Lauren put the shoe box in a bag.
    “Did you have a run-in with her already?”
    Lauren smiled stiffly. “Actually, my husband did.” She quietly told Susanna about how Rose had come in a couple days ago. “She wanted a cheap pair of shoes, you know, to work in and get dirty and toss out.” Lauren glanced around to see if anyone was listening. “Well, you know we don’t carry that sort of thing in here. Larry tried to explain that to her and—oh my. Do you want to hear more?”
    “That’s okay,” Susanna said quickly. “I can