Because this breakup was not going as planned.

Lendall was standing on the other side of the door, also stunned—and a little sick to his stomach—that he had just ended things with Gayle.

He jumped when Gayle punched the door with her fist. And again when she kicked it.

And then he felt a wave of anger surge through his body. And it made him do something he hadn’t done in who knows how long: he locked the door.

Gayle heard the cylinder of the deadbolt click into its locked position.

And she gasped.

And stared at the door.

And wondered if Lendall had just locked her out.

She opened the storm door and grabbed the knob of the main door and tried to open it.

But couldn’t.

Because Lendall had locked her out.

Which wasn’t a big deal, because Gayle had a key to Lendall’s house. And Lendall knew she had the key. So locking the door was merely a symbolic gesture.

But—an effective one.

“Lendall?” called Gayle weakly.

Lendall heard Gayle. And was so irritated with her that he slapped the switch to the porch light off.

Which left Gayle stunned and alone and locked out (kind of) and in the dark.

Lendall couldn’t believe that he had ended things with Gayle.

And he couldn’t believe that he had locked the door—and turned out the light.

But he didn’t know what else he could have done.

All Gayle seemed interested in doing was being angry at him. And being done with him.

And now Gayle and Lendall were done.

And Lendall didn’t want them to be done.

Because he felt like they were just about to get started.

Oh, if only she would look inside the small maroon velvet pouch he had given her, maybe she wouldn’t be so mad at him.

Maybe she’d be happy with him, even.

“Lendall?” Gayle called gently. She was leaning her forehead against the wooden door, hoping Lendall would answer her. But he didn’t. “Lendall?” she repeated.

Lendall went to the door and almost unlocked it and went back out onto the porch to comfort Gayle.

But then didn’t. And just stared at the door.

Gayle stared at the door, too.

And then she turned and went to the porch railing and leaned on it and looked out over the starlit potato fields of Norsworthy’s Potato Farm toward the horizon.

And she sighed.

And thought.

And then turned and took a few steps toward the door.

Which Lendall was still standing on the other side of, trying to figure out what Gayle was doing.

And when he heard those few footsteps coming toward him, he hoped that Gayle was going to ask him to let her in. Or maybe use her key to let herself in so they could talk and make right whatever was wrong.

But Gayle didn’t think that what was wrong could be made right.

So she took Lendall’s house key out of her jeans pocket.

And bent down and laid it on the doormat.