No Vacancy (The Aveline Series Book 2)

Chapter 16

PENN

I lookedover Darcy’s shirt as she placed Bernie in a ball and sat him on the floor. “A Metallica fan, huh?” I asked, surprised by her choice of music. It was true what they said: you couldn’t judge a book by its cover.

“No, I bought this at a thrift store for my Joe Dirt costume one Halloween.” She paused. “I did win second place in the contest that year, which was pretty cool.”

“Who won first place?” I asked.

“Freaking Mac Mason went as Gollum from The Lord of the Rings.” Darcy led me to the kitchen and began pulling out the ingredients for grilled cheese. “It was a great costume, though. I think he worked on it all year. He deserved the win.”

“You know, I’ve never seen that movie,” I admitted, and Darcy flung around to face me.

“Seriously? What is wrong with you?”

I lifted my shoulders. “I don’t know. I didn’t think anything, but now I’m questioning it.”

“You’ve never seen The Lord of the Rings? Like any of them? The Hobbit?” Her hand was on the counter, the fridge wide open.

“Not one of them, no. I never had any interest.” I leaned against the doorway that led from the kitchen to the living room. “Should I?”

She turned back to the refrigerator. “Abso-freaking-lutely. Honestly if you want to stay in Aveline, I think it should be a requirement...” She paused. “Speaking of Aveline...why don’t you tell me what you are really doing here? And I don’t mean your terrible cover story. You need to spill, or you can just march your butt right out that door because I don’t even care if I have to make the sandwich myself.”

I felt a sting of whiplash trying to figure out how we went from Lord of the Rings to my business in Aveline in one breath. That had escalated quickly, and I wasn’t sure how to respond.

I had already decided I was not telling Darcy, of all people, what I had planned. At least not fully. I didn’t need her running around the town trying to wreak havoc on my plans, which was exactly what she would do. I needed to come up with something believable...and fast.

“It is the truth. I don’t understand why you think it would be so crazy for someone to come to Aveline looking for a quiet place to live. This town is full of charm.”

She scoffed. “I know Aveline is full of charm. I’ve lived here my whole life. But so has everyone else—well, with a few exceptions for those who married someone who has lived here their whole lives. Do you get it? People don’t just show up here, except—”

“For a few other people; yeah, I get it.” I cut her off, thinking quickly. “Well, spoiler alert. I am here for the charm. I’m even looking into buying a store that’s for sale.”

I wasn’t sure where I was going with this. I obviously wasn’t going to tell her I was planning on securing the store so my boss could tear it down and build a nice, corporate-looking hotel in its space. No, I needed to figure out another reason why this person I was pretending to be would waltz into Aveline and want to buy a store.

Her eyebrows pulled together as she set the mayonnaise onto the counter. “Oh, really? And where is this store you’re planning to buy?”

“Why do you have the mayonnaise?” I inadvertently ignored her question, confused why there were cheese slices, bread, and a bottle of mayo out for grilled cheeses.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s better than butter on the outside, but don’t change the subject. Where is the store?”

“It’s some run-down hardware store.”

Darcy’s face remained straight, and I wasn’t sure if it was confusion that was written all over it. I couldn’t imagine she didn’t know what I was talking about, but I trudged on. “You know, the one down on—”

“I know the hardware store. Although I don’t see how it’s run-down, to be honest,” Darcy chimed in.

“Well, I haven’t actually seen it yet—” I started, opening my mouth to speak more, but she butted in.

“What are you going to do with it?”

I shrugged, “I don’t know yet. I’ve always wanted to open a restaurant, and I was hoping this would be the place to do it.”

“You just said you don’t cook,” she said, “Why would you open up a restaurant?”

Shit, this is getting out of hand.

I cleared my throat, biding a few minutes to think. “No, I don’t cook, but my...”

Think, Penn, think!

“My best friend is a chef, and his wife is pregnant, and they want to settle down somewhere quiet as well, so you know. I’m the business; he’s the food. It’s a partnership.” I stopped talking abruptly, hoping she couldn’t see right through my lying.

But Darcy only looked down and shook her head. “No.”

“No?” I questioned.

“No. Aveline is not the place to do it, and that run-down hardware store is never going to be a restaurant.”

I was taken aback by the tone in her voice. It was unusual. Darcy had been aggressive with me since the moment I met her, but now her voice was downright angry.

“Is there a reason Aveline wouldn’t like a nice restaurant?”

She peered up at me, a darkness in her eyes. “Because I will do everything I can to make sure you don’t get that store.”

I ran my hand over my jaw, wondering what her problem was with restaurants and perfectly nice people. When she figured out I actually wanted to flood Aveline with tourists, she would murder me in my sleep. I didn’t even think she would feel remorse about it. “And why is that?”

“Because I don’t trust you,” she replied, nonchalantly.

“And you think the owner is going to not sell his store just because you don’t trust me? With absolutely no evidence as to why? Are you sure about that?”

She crossed her arms and popped out her hip. “Yeah, I do. I happen to know him really well.”

I was growing irritated, and I couldn’t hide my frustration. “And he just listens to whatever you say?”

“Not always, but on important things he does.”

She was holding the butter knife now. I hadn’t even seen her pick it up, and I wondered if she planned to make the grilled cheese herself or if she was planning to chuck it at me.

I arched an eyebrow. “Maybe you overestimate your charm.”

She laughed slightly. “Trust me, it has absolutely nothing to do with charm.”

I tilted my head, trying to figure out what kind of relationship she and this store owner had that her opinion would mean that much to him. “Oh, yeah? Then what is it?”

She shrugged. “Mostly it’s because he is my dad.”