Road bike gears?

If you are used to a triple and find yourself spinning the small ring a lot, then you're probably right that a standard double may not offer the gearing you need for hilly riding. 

Some shops would switch out a standard crank for a compact on a new bike for you. 

Is there a tough hill nearby the shop where you could try out the bike on the type of terrain you are worried about?  That would be the best way to see how it feels to you. 

Turtle

I was in the same boat as you when I got my first road bike (for 20 yrs) this year having been on a MTB with triple front rings. I ended up getting a Bianchi with compact crank as mentioned above and have to say I am able to get up any hill on it. I might lose out very slightly downhill but managed to keep up on the flat at 60 km/h last week in top gear. I reckon that is fast enough.

Get the  double, find yourself a hilly riding loop  of about 10 miles and keep working on the hills.

Before terribly long you will not even notice that you don't have a triple and you will no longer need the smallest ring.

Simple

x2

It's a road bike, not a MTB. It's supposed to be different. In the beginning, climbing is harder, but IMO there is just one way to overcome this: to learn to climb with a road bike, not to turn the road bike into some sort of hybrid MTB/roadie.

It's an experience I made (and still make) the hard way. But it will get easier in time. I promise.

Many folks still see a Double crankset as 'the crankset' for road bikes. This, too me, is just tradition. However, practice does make perfect.
On the other hand, why use an axe when you can use a chainsaw? ( I use both)

For one: Try multiple bicycles before you buy one. Hit every LBS within a certain radius and ride every brand of road bike they sell within your price range. Ask questions, take notes, compare and contrast. In the end, you will most likely notice that the brand is different; however, the component groups are generally the same within price ranges.

Double vs Triple: triple can still have the same higher gear;moreover, it has that lower gear you may just need to get up the hill. Some folks just do not have the muscle/endurance to pedal heavy uphill. The triple is heavier. The double does not offer the low gear you may need but it is lighter and more efficient in terms of gear changing.

Compact Crank is a nice option. Sure, you may lose some top end speed only if you race over 30ish mph.

Higher RPM's. Regardless of which you choose, faster cadence will get you up the hill. This goes back to practice.

 I would purchase an off the floor bike with a triple. Why? Because the option is there to use.

On the other hand, if I had a few extra dollars, I would install a compact crankset and use a 12-27 cassette. If I knew that I was a stronger rider or developed into one that did not maintain speeds of 30 plus mph on the flats, I would use a 11-23 cassette. If I was a flat only rider with plus 30 mph...I would go traditional double

Best of luck

I would get the double.  There is much less mechanical issues with them (told to me by two different LBS's). 

I am not the strongest biker and I live in a pretty hilly area.  I ride a Specialized Roubaix with Sram compact Rival and have no issues with any of the monster hills.