Chapter 10
PENN
I hada feeling Darcy Miller was going to give me a run for my money. For more than one reason, but the main one being she would not let go of her suspicion that I was not in Aveline for the reasons I had claimed.
She was right, of course, but I wasn’t going to tell her that.
“I told you what I’m doing.” I picked up a muffin and took a bite, hoping to change the subject. “Who made this? It’s amazing.”
“It’s from The Baking Tin, but don’t deflect. I don’t buy that you’re here to settle down.” She had moved from the fruit and was picking at her sandwich, tearing it into pieces before she placed it in her mouth.
“And why is that? Aveline is a nice place. Why wouldn’t I want to settle down here?” I challenged her, still savoring the muffin made from Heaven.
“Aveline is a speck on a map. A tiny, unremarkable speck. People don’t seek us out. You are either born here, or you stumble upon it. No one has ever come looking for it, and I have a hard time believing you had a friend who came through here and remembered it enough to tell you to come check it out. Honestly, how stupid do you think I am?”
It was probably true. I had never heard of Aveline and likely never would have if my boss, Max Prescott, hadn’t found it first. He stumbled upon it in a Google search for small towns with land or businesses for sale, and I had seen the light bulbs and dollar signs going off in his mind. It was my job to come and buy the building.
I shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you. All I know is I’m definitely thinking about staying now that I’ve had a taste of these muffins.”
Darcy’s eyes squinted as she studied me. “Hmm. . .okay.”
I wiped my hands together. “Okay then. So, that’s it? Interrogation over?”
“Yeah, it doesn’t matter anyway,” she replied, taking a bite of her own muffin.
I smiled, sifting through the rest of my winnings. “Oh, yeah? And why is that?”
“Because you haven’t been to a town meeting. You’ll never make it past The Black Widows. Not with a pretty face like that. They’ll have you peeling out of here like Jimmie Johnson.” She chuckled to herself.
I raised my eyebrows, curious to know who she was talking about and how she remembered the names of so many racers. “The Black Widows? Who are The Black Widows?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. That is, if you really do want to stay around here.” Darcy began packing up her half of the prize, placing her items into the basket. She handed me a plastic bag. “Here you go. For your stuff.”
“Who says you get the basket?” I asked, taking the bag from her.
She stood up, the basket hanging in the crook of her arm. “Me.” Then she walked out of the barn, leaving me and my sack watching her go.
I decided to walk around the town to get a better feel of what Aveline had to offer. It was a gorgeous spring day, one where you could feel the heat from the sun shining on your face, and the town was busy. People were cleaning up after the Jelly Bean Festival, couples walking hand in hand, and kids running around, still dressed in what I presumed were their church clothes.
It was wholesome. To be honest, it felt like another world. Walking around this town felt like I had stepped back into a time where things were simpler and less cluttered. I looked around, and people were talking to each other, cell phones were virtually nonexistent, and you could hear windchimes in the distance. A woman was sweeping the sidewalk outside of the bookstore just as a gentleman stepped out of the market and hollered something to her, which made her giggle before he retreated inside.
I had grown up in the city and lived there my whole life. I didn’t know anything except noise and fast walking, but there was something pulling me into the wholesome nature of this small town.
For the first time in my life, I could see the appeal of simple.