Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Morning sun glittered over Harluck as I drove into the quaint, mountain town. Miles and miles of open roads and the last of fall colors gave way to brick buildings and a quiet main street. Small trees, still clinging to the last of their leaves, lined the street. The whole town seemed to be surrounded by vast forests, the mountains curving around the architecture like the city was built into it. I remembered from Anna’s research that the Tuckasegee River ran straight through the town center, though I hadn’t driven far enough to find it yet.
As I entered the city limits, a large sign on the side of the road that read “ Welcome to Harluck—Where Wishes Come True ” greeted me.
I’d lived my entire life on the outskirts of Greensboro, so I assumed I was well-acquainted with the beauty of the state I’d grown up in. As I arrived in Harluck, I immediately realized how wrong I was. A sense of calmness and peace emanated from Harluck that was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.
It was as if magic truly existed here.
I frowned as I pulled into the parking lot of the Brookside Inn, feeling my stomach roar with hunger and my eyes droop with exhaustion. It was only seven in the morning, but maybe they’d take pity on a weary traveler, and I could close my eyes for a few hours before setting out on my search to make a wish.
My phone buzzed next to me with somewhere around the forty-seventh text from my parents. I texted them a couple hours ago when I stopped for gas to let them know I might be gone for a few days. I didn’t say where I was going or what I was doing.
I hadn’t realized it until I drove away, but leaving felt like breathing.
I sent my mother a short text letting her know I was alive and safe before turning off my phone and tucking it into my pocket. Stepping out of the car, I breathed in the fresh, crisp mountain air and tilted my head back into the breeze.
Anna would have loved this place.
She would have leaped out of the car and danced through the sunshine. She would have run through the trees and sang her favorite songs.
I looked around slowly, drawing in a breath. Across the street, a cozy diner buzzed with early risers; an elderly couple walked outside hand-in-hand, smiling and laughing. A middle-aged man walked a corgi down the street, and a woman in neon purple jogged in the opposite direction.
The lobby of the inn was full of life when I opened the door to step inside. What sounded like a restaurant was nestled in the back corner, with people overflowing in and out—some with heaping plates of breakfast and others chasing their children. On a brown couch in the middle of the room, a young girl sat on the floor with a puzzle of the United States in front of her. At her side, a white cat slept peacefully. The receptionist argued with what sounded like housekeeping, and a bellman pushed half a dozen suitcases down the hall.
Overwhelmed, I padded up to the reception desk. The squirrely man on the phone waved his hand to let me know he’d be a moment, his voice rising an octave with each word. I offered him a sympathetic smile and crossed my arms over my chest to wait.
“Hi, can I help you?”
I looked up when a woman slipped behind the counter to greet me. She wore a yellow and black flannel shirt and jeans; the sleeves were rolled up around her elbows, revealing an array of tattoos decorating her forearms. I noted a reference to Peter Pan, several trees and ferns, the outline of a cat, and six dragonflies.
She was tall, her hair was the color of caramel, and she had the prettiest green eyes I’d ever seen.
“Can I help you?” she said again when it had been several moments and I hadn’t replied.
I shook myself out of the stupor of seeing one of the prettiest women I’d ever seen, laughing once and clearing my throat. “I’m sorry, I’m exhausted. So, I know it’s like seven-thirty in the morning, but I’ve been driving all night, and I’m desperately hoping you have a room.”
The woman smiled, and I swore the room actually brightened when she did. “Let me check.” She clicked around on the computer momentarily, and I watched the tattoos on her hands, a honeycomb on one hand and a constellation on the other. “You’re in luck, I can pull some strings.”
“Oh, thank you.” My shoulders slumped, and I nearly threw myself onto the desk in relief.
“What brings you to Harluck?” She asked after I handed her my credit card and ID.
I opened and closed my mouth a few times before settling on an uncomplicated answer. “Unfinished business.”
The woman raised an eyebrow. “I haven’t heard that one before. Everyone comes looking to make a wish.”
I wasn’t sure what drove me to tell her the truth, but I did. “My sister died. I’m here to make her wish for her.”
Her lips parted and she straightened, sadness flashing through her eyes before disappearing faster than a shooting star. She shook away whatever saddened her, reaching for a couple of room keys and scribbling a room number on them. She pushed them across the desk toward me and forced a smile.
“Stay as long as you need. And breakfast is complimentary, so please, eat up.”
I reached for the room keys, and she patted the top of my hand before turning away. I stared at where she’d touched me, swearing it felt like my skin burned in her memory.
Briefly, I returned to my car to grab my duffel bag before winding through the cozy inn to find my room. It was spacious, with a king-size bed, a couch, a fireplace, and a view that overlooked the mountains.
I pulled Anna’s note out of my pocket when I sat on the bed, staring at her handwriting. I thought of all the ways to make a wish: breaking a wishbone, seeing a shooting star, 11:11, blowing out candles on a birthday cake, tossing a coin in a fountain, four-leaf clovers, dandelions… The list went on and on, yet none seemed right for Anna’s wish.
Anna would do something extraordinary. Something no one had done before.
I would stay in Harluck until I figured it out.
I woke hours later at almost eleven, my head swimming with exhaustion. I hadn’t even bothered to take my shoes off or get under the covers, instead choosing to collapse on top of the blankets and almost instantly fall asleep. My eyes felt so heavy I had to peel them open, groaning and rolling onto my side. My body longed for more sleep, but a loud grumble from my stomach said otherwise.
Driven by nothing but hunger, I forced myself out of bed and into the shower before changing into a quarter zip and leggings. I didn’t bother to brush my hair again or put on makeup before leaving my room, and finding my way back to the lobby.
Only to find breakfast was over.
“No,” I breathed, my shoulders slumping as I stood in the doorway to the restaurant and watched the employees pack up the last of the breakfast.
“Did you sleep?”
I jumped when the woman from earlier appeared next to me, her green eyes wide and bright.
“I—not enough,” I stuttered. “I tried to make it back for breakfast.” I waved my hand toward the empty room in desolation. “Can you recommend a good restaurant in town? I might starve.”
The woman smiled at me. “Come on, let’s get you some breakfast. Hey, Wanda, hold up! We have a straggler.”
I watched in awe and shock as she walked into the room, waving at the kitchen staff. When she made it halfway across the room, she turned back to motion me along. I could do nothing but follow.
“What do you eat? We have everything,” she said, picking up a plate and handing me a second one.
“I—anything,” I said, still barely able to form full thoughts.
“You pick up a stray, Penny?” The chef, who must be Wanda, asked from behind the buffet counter.
The woman, Penny, smiled at me. “Maybe.”
Somehow, I ended up with a plate overflowing with eggs, bacon, a Belgian waffle, and a bowl of fruit. Penny led me to sit at a table in the corner, and Wanda brought us a whole pot of coffee.
“Thank you,” I said when we sat down. “This is really kind of you.”
Penny’s eternal smile widened. “Perks of owning the place. Free breakfast whenever you want.”
I startled. “You own the inn?”
She extended her hand. “Penny Brookside, pleasure to meet you.”
I took it. “Agnes Fallon.”
“So, you’re here to make a wish?” Penny asked as she dug into her eggs.
“My sister’s wish,” I clarified.
She tapped her fork on her lips in thought. I watched the movement like I was in a trance, unable to help myself. “How does a dead person’s wish come true?” When I flinched, she sobered. “I’m sorry, I can be a little blunt with my words sometimes. I’m sorry for your loss.”
I pursed my lips. “Thank you.”
“Except that doesn’t mean anything, does it?” She continued like I hadn’t spoken. “I’m a stranger in a town you’ve never visited, so why would my condolences mean anything when the pain you’re undoubtedly feeling is unimaginable?” She shook herself out of her rambling and offered me an apologetic smile. “My mama died six months ago, I get it.”
“Anna died in March,” I said.
We shared a long look—the look of two souls who understood each other, even though they’d never met. I saw something all too familiar in Penny’s eyes. Something I wanted to hold onto.
When Penny didn’t say anything else, I spoke. “I found stories of Harluck on my sister’s computer and a note with her wish underneath it. I just wanted to honor her by making sure the universe knew what she wished for.”
“Do you know how you’re going to do it?” Penny asked, biting into a piece of bacon.
I shoved a huge bite of waffle into my mouth while I contemplated my answer. “I don’t know,” I said finally. “Nothing seems good enough.”
Penny licked her lips. “Do you hike?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Occasionally.”
She lowered her fork. “I’ve lived in Harluck my entire life. I’ve made a hundred wishes, and only one of them has ever come true. I’d like to take you to the place I made that wish.”
“Why?” I asked. “You don’t even know me.”
“No,” Penny admitted. “But I know your pain. And I promise, if we get there and you don’t think it’s the perfect place for your sister’s wish, then I’ll help you find something else.”
I watched her for a moment, unsure what it was about her that made me lean forward—that made me want to trust her, to make a wish with her.
“Okay,” I said carefully. “Let’s make a wish.”