8. In One, Honey
In One, Honey
Cara
Happily, I wake at the decent time of ten a.m. I didn’t mean to fall back to sleep, but my revelations were pretty exhausting last night.
Today is a new day, the first of my new life, and I’m going to grab it with both hands.
I push myself out of bed and head for the bathroom. I do what I need to do in there, then open my case and find myself some clothes. It’s hotter than I was prepared for, so I pull out a sundress I’ve never actually worn. I smile at the purple fabric with wee little pink flowers all over it. It’s very sweet.
I dress, pull my hair into a ponytail and slip my feet into my trainers before grabbing my bag and heading out.
I have no idea where I’m going. Missy dropped me off right outside the bar, but her babysitter had called, saying her son was throwing up everywhere, so she had to bolt off. I didn’t see anything else of the town, and I have no idea how to get back up to the house, but I’ll figure it out. I have to.
I’ve barely made it across the car park between the cabins and the bar when I spot Zoe, the bar manager, maybe owner, unloading some boxes from the boot of a car.
‘Morning.’ I say as I approach, and she turns to me, smiling.
‘Oh, hey, good morning. How’d you sleep?’
I shrug. ‘Okay, jet lag, and I think my neighbors had a bit of a party, so it was a mixed bag.’ I smile to let her know I am still a satisfied customer.
‘They did? Oh man, I am so sorry. I should have left you my cell number. Those guys are becoming a pain in my ass.’
I chuckle.
‘It’s okay, really. I was going to ask them to turn it down, but I was awake anyway, so it was no harm done.’
She straightens and fixes her gaze on me for a moment.
‘Where are you headed?’
‘Oh, um, I need to get something to eat, and then get some groceries, a sim card, and to find the bank.’
‘Ah, well, you won’t find the bank open on the weekend—that will have to wait until Monday. Everything else, you’ll be just fine. First off, the diner has an amazing all-day breakfast you should check out.’
‘Oh, that sounds great.’ I nod and turn to walk away, then realize I have no idea where I’m going. ‘And where exactly will I find that?’
Zoe laughs, then closes the boot of the car.
‘Tell you what, gimme a sec to load in these boxes and clear my schedule, then I’m all yours. I’ll be your personal tour guide.’
‘Oh, you don’t have to do that.’ I exhale the words, my relief evident and in contrast to my protests. The idea of having someone show me around calms the nerves I hadn’t realized I was feeling.
‘Uh uh, we don’t get a lot of newcomers around here out of season, and once they all hear about you, they’ll be on you like bees ‘round a honey pot. I want to be your first official friend in Forest Falls.’ She beams, and it’s a playful, fun smile that I can’t help reciprocating.
‘Okay, that would be amazing. Let me help you with these.’ I step forward, grab a box, and let my new friend show me where she wants it.
The walk through town was lovely. People smiled and said good morning to Zoe and to me by association. I noticed them looking at me with curiosity, but Zoe and I were so caught up in conversation that I hardly took any notice.
The town is so cute with its historic buildings, ornate moldings, different colored render, and cute little awnings over the windows and doors of the businesses.
When we reach the diner, my stomach grumbles so loudly that Zoe turns to me and laughs, then pushes open the door.
‘Merv, two all-day breakfasts, stat. This girl’s about to cause a quake.’
I would usually be so embarrassed by that sort of comment, that sort of attention, but Zoe’s demeanor is so friendly and fun that I just laugh and follow her to a booth.
‘This place is great.’ I cast my attention around the diner. It’s clearly an old building, but the décor is modern and sleek. I was expecting something straight out of the movies, all retro and roller skates, but instead, it sort of feels a bit like a pub. The long wall that runs the length of the building is bare brick, the others are wood paneled and painted dark blue, and there are framed photos of people inside and in front of the diner, spanning across what looks like decades, all black and white, and adorning all the walls. There’s a fancy coffee machine behind the counter with a barista who would be more suited to a city coffee shop than this sleepy little town, with her tattooed sleeves and bright pink Faux-Hawk. ‘It’s not at all what I was expecting.’
‘We get that a lot.’ Zoe nods, a smile curving one side of her mouth. ‘Tourists come by here all summer, stay out at the campsites by the lake, rent out my cabins, or the couple of guesthouses in town. You got here just in time. In about six weeks, this place will be crazy busy.’
‘With tourism comes the need for fancy coffee,’ I muse, and she nods again.
‘Exactly. Most of the summer services we offer are just for the season, but the coffee stays year-round, and boy am I glad about that.’
‘Ladies.’ An older man in a shirt that says ‘Merv’ on his chest and ‘Merv’s Diner’ across his back places two plates down in front of us, and my mouth waters.
‘Oh, my goodness.’ I breathe, my stomach growling even louder now.
‘Dig in,’ Merv laughs, and I notice him squeeze Zoe’s shoulder affectionately as he walks away.
‘You heard the man.’ She picks up her cutlery, and happily, I do the same.
‘Oh, my god. I won’t need to eat for a week.’ I lean back against the leather seat and put my hands on my stomach. Zoe mirrors my posture.
‘Good, right?’ I nod, and she drops her napkin onto her plate. ‘Okay, what’s next on the list?’
I reach into my bag and pull out my pad.
‘Oh my, you have an actual list.’ She reaches across the table and grabs the list. ‘Okay, the bank we can’t do, sim and groceries we can, and I know the best brand of tea, trust me. Get to know the town,’ she grins and makes a big tick motion in the air with her finger, ‘ check . Oh, find a contractor?’
‘Mmm,’ I swallow my sip of orange juice and nod. ‘Yeah, I need to find someone to carry out renovations on my house. I was planning to stay there, but when I got there, it was a wreck. I asked your happy-go-lucky pal when he walked me to the cabin, but he said he couldn’t help.’
She laughs loudly. ‘You mean Doug?’
I nod, yes. ‘He got a bit weird about it, and his face dropped even more, which I wouldn’t have thought possible. Honestly, everyone in this town seems so happy and welcoming, but he clearly did not like me at all.’
She laughs again. ‘Yeah, that’s Doug. He’s an asshole, but we like having him around.’
‘Well, I can understand why,’ I say without meaning to. My eyes widen, and I feel the heat of embarrassment on my cheeks as Zoe leans forward in her seat and raises her eyebrows. ‘I just mean, um, well, he’s not the happiest man I’ve ever met, but he’s, well…’
‘Nice to look at?’
I let a small laugh out and chew my bottom lip, then nod, yes.
‘What are you ladies laughing at?’
A woman in uniform, who looks a lot like Zoe, stands at the end of our table.
‘Chief,’ Zoe says brightly, then turns to me. ‘This is Cara, she’s new in town. Cara, this is the chief of police for our sweet little town, Bree.’
‘Hey,’ Bree holds out a hand to me, and I take it happily as she smiles at me. ‘Welcome to Forest Falls.’
‘Thank you.’
‘To answer your question, we were laughing at Cara’s observations of Doug.’
‘Oh really?’
Bree slides in next to Zoe in the booth, and once they’re side by side, it’s clear to see, they must be sisters, as they’re almost identical. Their eyes are the same hazel brown color, Zoe’s shoulder-length platinum hair hangs in loose waves, and Bree’s dark brown locks are scraped back into a neat bun at the back of her head. Bree’s skin has the glow of being sun-kissed, and I guess with her job, she must be outside more than her bar owner sister. Surprisingly though, it’s Zoe who has freckles peppering her nose and cheeks.
‘Yes, she noticed his usual happy persona,’ Bree snort-laughs, ‘and that he’s too pretty for his own good.’
Bree throws her head back and laughs loudly, and I feel like I missed the joke.
‘You don’t see it, do you?’ Zoe asks me, smirking in a way that makes me a little uncomfortable. I shake my head, no. ‘Picture Bree or me with a beard.’
‘And without our glowing smiles,’
‘Our sunshine personalities.’
Oh, my god. There’s that heat again.
‘He’s your brother,’ I breathe, wishing the ground would swallow me whole.
‘In one, honey.’ Bree winks and stands from the booth. ‘You’re right, though. He is a grumpy asshole, and as much as it pains me to say it, he is a handsome son of a bitch. He knows both of those things and does nothin’ about either.’
I don’t really understand that, but with a to-go cup of coffee pressed into her hand, Bree simply turns and strides from the diner.
‘I’m so embarrassed,’ I say quietly, my gaze dropping to the table.
‘What, why?’ Zoe’s tattooed hand lands on mine, and I look up to meet the kind, caramel eyes that I now see are pretty much identical to his.
‘I insulted your brother and talked about him in a way I never should have to his sisters.’
‘Cara, sweetheart, there’s not a person in this whole town who hasn’t insulted Doug, well, except one, and I promise it’s all justified. He needs to remove the stick from his ass and quit walking around town like looking he’s chewin’ on broken glass, but he won’t, and we won’t stop calling him out for it. As for the other thing, meh, don’t worry about it. Who knows, maybe you could be the one to remove the stick.’
My eyes widen, and I swallow hard as she simply winks and taps her fingers on my notepad.
‘Now, tell me what pissed him off so much about these renovations you have planned.’
‘Well, it was when I told him which house was mine.’