Chapter 11 #2
That explains the frazzled mom look. I try to casually glance at her hand, but there’s no ring, and I swear she sees it. “Wednesdays. I’m thinking midmorning before nap time?” I form it as a question, because I hadn’t really thought about the time yet.
“Perfect!” She bounces in her seat.
“I buried Paris’ husband behind the B&B,” Autumn remarks, and I swear she says it to be funny, but it comes out hard, as though she put him there herself. She also terrifies me.
I have so many questions. Like, is this perfect little town hiding serial killers? For some reason, that makes sense.
“Autumn!” Bloom hisses, her perfect princess mask falling.
Oh, I need a conversation change.
“She didn’t kill him, you know,” Paris adds, resting her chin in her palm, tapping her crooked and broken nails against her chin. “He died by falling off a swing.”
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say he did not, in fact, die by falling off a swing and Paris does not want to talk about it.
“So, Bloom.” I turn to her, trying to dissolve the tension in the air. “Why Bloom?”
“Arlo put you up to that, didn’t he?” Her crystalline eyes shimmer with love and a small pang pierces my heart. “He gave it to me.” Her rosy cheeks flush further as she glances away.
“Oh.” That’s all I’ve got, and I still didn’t get an answer.
“He gave it to her when we were tots,” Autumn explains, her voice softening for once—probably because she isn’t looking at me. “Her birthday is in the spring. I mean, there isn’t a huge story behind it.” She dismisses the notion with a flutter of her fingers.
Bloom, Bridget, whatever she wants me to call her, squints at Autumn. “I will have you know he calls me Bloom because our first kiss was under a blooming cherry blossom tree on my birthday.”
“Bloom. Settle.” Kenzie sips her drink again. “If I knew I’d have to keep working, I’d be at home with my Netflix subscription, chilling with myself.”
“Did you just insinuate—” Paris begins.
Autumn cuts her off. “She did.”
“Am I wrong?” Kenzie asks while chewing.
“Let’s start over.” Bloom clears her throat before turning to me. “Welcome to Monday night, Wren. I hope your stay here is more welcoming than we are.”
“Thanks,” I say, but I don’t feel that word, because she insinuated I’m not staying.
You aren’t, a voice whispers in the back of my head, and while it isn’t wrong, it doesn’t feel right, and that bothers me most of all.
Light chatter picks up as I struggle to keep up.
These women have lived here their entire lives, using that time to form a bond I might never obtain.
Autumn bought and restored the bar. Paris is a single mom to four-year-old Kayden, and she also threw in a story about werewolves attacking her husband, so she’s definitely in denial there.
Kenzie really runs this entire town, but Ernie is the actual mayor.
She isn’t, they just called her the mayor because she fixes all of Ernie’s mistakes.
And Bloom… I don’t know what to make of Bloom.
She’s kind, she well and truly is kind, and that makes it worse because I like her.
If I removed the entire part where she is actually Arlo’s ex, I’d really like her.
But I can tell just by the way she lights up and love shines in her eyes when she says his name that she still loves him.
It makes me feel like the other woman, and that’s something I promised myself I’d never become.
I only have one drink, and two hours drift by, neither fast nor slow, so I’m chalking that up as a win.
Their steady banter sends a pang to my heart, and watching them, I realize just what it could be like to have girlfriends.
“So next week?” Bloom asks me.
“If she’s still around,” Autumn mutters.
“Sure,” I agree, just to irritate Autumn.
“Fabulous, Wren. I’ll walk you out.” Kenzie drags me up and out the door and into the crisp night. Luckily, I don’t fall over this time. “Don’t let Autumn bother you,” she says as we walk a few paces away from the bar.
“She isn’t wrong,” I admit, though the words lie heavily on my tongue.
“Doesn’t matter if she’s right or if she’s wrong. She’s looking out for Arlo and Bloom. They are her best friends.”
“That explains that.” I shove my hands into my pockets, feeling ever the outsider that I am.
“After they broke up…” Kenzie shakes her head. “Look, they aren’t my reasons. But know they didn’t break up because they didn’t love each other, they broke up because they wanted different things.”
“Thanks.” It’s all I can say because a ball forms in my throat.
“See ya next week.” Kenzie turns and walks down the dark road without a care. A moment later, she pulls out something short and thick, and with a jerk of her wrist, it grows… into a baton.
Well, that could have gone multiple directions.
Feeling defeated, I spin and head back to the B&B quicker than when I left it. I enter silently, all the lights out in the old home. Floorboards creak under my feet, and Cooper rounds a corner in the dim light, his fluffy tail vibrating as he twines around my legs.
I lift and cuddle him to my chest, needing something familiar, something friendly. A light down the hallway catches my eye, and careful of my steps, I make my way toward the sitting room. The glass doors to the room remain open with a single lone bulb illuminating the area.
Arlo sits in a high-back chair with his head tilted to the side and his feet up on the ottoman, and there’s a full glass of whiskey beside him on the end table. But what gets me is the open book on his chest with my copy of The Name of the Wind.
Once more, something inside me clicks. Slipping off my shoes, I pad over to the throw blanket, carefully cover him up, and mark his place in the book. He doesn’t stir, let alone wake as I back away.
They didn’t break up because they didn’t love each other.
The words swirl in my head, reminding me I’m just an outsider—one who agreed to a date with this incredible man. Feeling unsure, I make my way back upstairs to peek in on Lark.
Her red hair spills across the pillows, her face angelic in sleep. Whole and safe. My heart twists at the promise that Arlo kept. Making sure my girl was okay.
I try to tell myself we don’t belong here, and yet I’m not so sure of that anymore. Then I remind myself of Bloom and Arlo.
I never want to be the other woman. I should probably tell him no to that date.