Chapter 32
Nosy – an understatement with regard to the inhabitants of Winter Falls
Amonth later
Mercy
“The mail’s here,” Uncle Mercury shouts. “You better run out there and check if your young man wrote you today.”
I glare at him. “You’re not supposed to know about the letters from Gibson.”
He chuckles. “You swoon whenever you receive one. It’s not hard to figure out.”
“I don’t swoon,” I grumble and rush outside to the mailbox.
Rain, the mayor who also happens to be the mailperson, is waiting on me. “There’s another one.”
“You’re not supposed to snoop in my mail.”
She snorts. “All I did was read the return address.”
Now, it makes sense how Uncle Mercury knows about the letters. Rain has been tattling to everyone in town. Sometimes I wonder why I chose to stay in this small town.
I raise my eyebrows. “And tell everyone in town about the letters?”
She shrugs. “We’re concerned about you is all.”
Concerned my ass. They’re taking bets on when Gibson will return and whether I’ll forgive him. Apparently, the residents in this town will bet on anything.
Rain pats my hand. “I know it feels as if everyone in town is a busybody but I promise you everyone is concerned. It’s no small thing to get sober.”
I blow out a breath. “No, it isn’t.”
“We’re on your side, Mercy,” she says before hopping on her bike and peddling away.
My eyes itch as I watch her. No one’s ever been on my side before and now a whole town is? It’s enough to make a girl cry. I blink my eyes and force the tears away. Uncle Mercury won’t know what to do with himself if he sees me crying.
“You ready?” Indigo shouts as she stops next to me in a golfcart. Virginia, Leia, and Leia’s daughter, Isla, are with her.
I glance down at the letter. I want to read it before we go to today’s festival.
“Hurry up, Mercy,” Isla shouts. “Mom is being mean and says I can only stay out for a few hours.”
Leia sighs. “Your bedtime doesn’t disappear because there’s a festival in town.”
“Dad says it does.”
“Your father is a pushover,” Leia mumbles.
I shove the letter in my back pocket. I’ll read it when I’m alone. Now is the moment to spend time with my friends. The friends who have gotten me through the past month while Gibson’s been away.
I sit on the back of the golfcart. “I’m ready.”
“You can read Gibson’s letter while I drive us,” Indigo suggests.
“No,” Virginia insists. “She’s not going to read the letter out loud so you can get inside information to place your bet.”
I groan. “Cash will probably know when Gibson will return before me. Ask him and place your bet.”
Leia grins. “She’s not interested in betting on when Gibson will return. She wants to know if you’re going to forgive him.”
“Do you love Uncle Gibson, Mercy?” Isla asks.
Good question. I fell in love with the Gibson he showed me. The fun guy who made me laugh but was also there for me when Uncle Mercury got sick. The man who showed me what real passion is in the bedroom.
But do I love Gibson now? The man who struggles with demons and uses booze to numb his pain?
I shouldn’t. I should know better than to love a man who deals with addiction every day.
But I’m not giving up on him because he’s addicted. It’s not who I am. I will stand by Gibson and lift him up when he stumbles. Be his strength when he runs out. Love him even when I want to kick his teeth out.
“You love him,” Isla announces.
“How do you know?”
She rolls her eyes. “You have the same mushy look on your face when you think of him as Mom does when she looks at Dad.”
I bump her shoulder. “How did you get this smart?”
“Dad says I get it from him but he’s lying since he’s not my bio dad.”
“You’re smart.”
She beams at me. “I’m the smartest of my class.”
“Good for you.”
“We know Mercy loves Gibson. She’s been walking around all mopey for a month without him,” Indigo says and I stick my tongue out at her. “The question is – will she forgive him?”
Of course, I forgive him. Maybe I’m a walking doormat or an idiot or can’t stop making the wrong decisions about men, but I don’t care. A man who’s willing to go to rehab – and stay – and sends me letters of apology every day deserves to be forgiven and given a second chance.
But if he ever calls me bitch again I’m hitting him over the head with a wrench and burying him in the forest where no one will find him.
“Forgive him for what?” Isla asks.
I glare at Indigo. I’m not explaining what happened to a twelve-year-old. “Thanks.”
“Oops! Sorry.” She doesn’t appear sorry at all.
“I hope your children are exactly like you.”
Virginia smiles as she rubs her belly. “I hope my baby takes after Dylan.”
“Virginia already said I can babysit her baby,” Isla says. “I’m going to be the best babysitter.”
I ruffle her hair. “I bet you will.”
We arrive downtown and Indigo parks the golfcart.
“What’s today’s festival all about anyway?” I ask as we walk to Main Street.
I’m surprised when I scan the area and it’s not completely packed with people. Usually the Winter Falls’ festivals attract tons of tourists. It’s how most of the businesses in town manage to survive.
Indigo starts to answer but doesn’t get a chance before Sage calls out.
“Did you get a letter today?” she ask as she marches toward us with her gossip gal entourage – Feather, Petal, Cayenne, and Clove – trailing her.
“Did you get a letter today?” Sage repeats her question once she reaches us.
“Good afternoon, Sage. It’s lovely to see you, too. I’m well. Thanks for asking.”
Petal giggles. “I love a sassy heroine.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m not a heroine in one of your sexy romance books.”
“How would you know?” Feather asks. “You never come to sexy book club.”
Clove purses her lips at me. “And you promised you would.”
I wag a finger at her. “I never promised. If I had promised, I would have been there.”
Good thing I didn’t promise because I always keep my promises. But I haven’t had time to attend book club. I’ve been working on building my business, Wheely Great. There have been loan agreements to review, purchase agreements to read, and years of administration Basil ignored to try and organize.
Plus, the actual business of restoring classic cars. I was worried about finding customers but it turns out Basil had a long waiting list. I don’t have to bother with customer recruitment for years.
Cayenne studies me. “I think she’s going to forgive him.”
I sigh. Of course, the gossip gals surrounded me because they want to butt into my life.
Feather smiles. “Of course, she’s forgiving him. He’s been sending her love letters every day for a month. Any woman would forgive him.”
“The question I want to know the answer to is,” Sage leans in close. “Will she give him a second chance and when?”
I hold up my hands. “Why is everyone all up in my business today?”
Cayenne snorts. “This is our first chance to bother you. You usually have your head stuck under the hood of a car.”
I frown. “I thought you gossip gals were all for equality between men and women. There’s nothing wrong with having my head stuck in an engine.”
“There is when you’re using work as an excuse to avoid us,” Sage says.
“I wish I could use work as an excuse to avoid them,” Virginia mumbles next to me. “But the library is a public place.”
Cash, Dylan, Fender, and Jett stroll over to us. My stomach falls and sadness fills me. It’s always difficult seeing the band without Gibson with them.
I hope he comes home soon. He hasn’t mentioned when he’ll be released, so I’m assuming it’ll be another few weeks. I miss him but I want him to have the best chance of staying sober, which means being away from me. Too bad visits aren’t allowed.
“Jett!” Isla shouts and runs to him. He picks her up and whirls her around.
“How are you doing, squirt?”
Fender glares at him. “She’s my daughter.”
Jett rolls his eyes. “Don’t be a daughter hog.” He sets Isla on the ground. “Bake Me Happy has chocolate chip cookies on sale. You want one?”
“You can’t bribe my daughter with cookies,” Fender grumbles.
“Can I go, Dad? Can I?” Isla bats her eyelashes at him.
“One cookie and you’ll come back here,” Leia says.
Isla and Jett skip off. I frown after them. Jett’s been avoiding me since Gibson went into rehab. He’s never warmed to me but he’s Gibson’s best friend. I don’t want Gibson to have to choose between us.
Cash crosses his arms over his chest and glares at the gossip gals. I step back. I don’t want to be involved in this confrontation.
“You promised you’d stay out of it.”
“We are,” Sage claims.
“Can’t we watch?” Feather asks.
“Watch what?” I ask. I guess I want to be involved after all.
“Nothing,” Cash grunts.
“You’re having a confrontation over nothing?”
“My sassy girl hasn’t changed one bit.”
Hold on. There’s only one person who calls me sassy girl. I whirl around and gasp when Gibson waves at me.
“Gibson!” I scream and run to him. He catches me in his arms. I want to enjoy the feel of his arms around me, his warmth surrounding me, but I have questions. I push away from him.
“You’re out! Why didn’t you tell me? When did you get back? Why didn’t you ask me to pick you up? I would have.”