Expecting to see the aftermath of her rushed packing job, and her confrontation with Marcus, she was only partly surprised by the tidy shop. Annie. She wouldn’t have left a mess for Claire, especially after what happened with Natasha. There were times when Claire knew she didn’t deserve the unconditional trust. Headed for the front counter, she checked the message machine. Nothing. There had been no message at home either. She expected Annie to at least leave a voicemail telling her that Eric was gone. Claire wished him all the best—she just didn’t want to have to face him again to say it. Kneeling, she pulled out her portable file box, set it on the counter and rifled through her various signs for the “Closed Until Further Notice” sign. She had it printed, along with the standard signs, hoping she would never need to use it. But this time, once she walked out that back door, she didn’t expect to return. Slipping the sign in front of her sliding Open/Closed sign, she took a final look through the front window.
