Chapter Two
Lydia
“Are you sure you should have sold your car?” my best friend asked.
I turned to Melanie and laughed. “No, I’m not sure of anything any longer, but it’s a small town, and I’ll be living right in the middle of it, so I can’t imagine it will be a problem. I can walk to the laundromat, the stores, and bars.”
“Bar,” Lydia chuckled. “There’s one bar because, let me remind you, you’re moving to the middle of nowhere.”
“True.” I stretched my feet under the dashboard and let out a sigh.
“What about when you realize you weren’t meant for small-town living and you’re running down Main Street screaming your head off for someone to get you out of there?” Melanie gripped the steering wheel and glanced at me. “Bet you’ll wish you had a car then.”
I laughed, hoping she wasn’t right, as I looked out the window at all the beautiful scenery. The tall Douglas firs stretched toward the sky like they were trying to reach heaven, and the thickets of wild blackberries grew along the highway in a tangled mess.
“Five minutes until destination,” the GPS chirped.
Melanie gasped, sounding horrified. “How can we be arriving anywhere in five minutes? We’re in the middle of nowhere.”
I chuckled and nodded. “Reckless River is pretty small.”
“I guess so.” Melanie looked at me. “Are you sure about this?”
“You mean buying a building where the claim to fame is a river, quitting my job, and hoping for the best?”
“Yeah… that.”
I smiled and took in a deep breath, feeling the air hit every cell of my body as if I were trying to remember what it was like to feel alive again.
Ever since my mom’s death, everything felt like…nothing.
I was numb, and nothing about the city was waking me up, so I hoped the change of scenery would do just that.
“I’m going to miss you like crazy,” Melanie said as the GPS instructed her to take the next exit.
“Same here. This isn’t going to be easy.”
“But I’m only a phone call away.”
And I knew she meant it. “I can’t thank you enough for driving me all the way up here.”
“You're so close to the Canadian border, you could probably just walk there.”
I grinned and nodded, knowing just how true that was.
But this was for the best. I was doing it for myself and for my mom.
She wanted me to have a chance to do what I loved and to have some financial stability.
And while I felt like I hadn’t hit any of those on the head yet, buying the Ludlowe’s building was my first step toward financial freedom.
Or ruin.
Honestly, it could go either way at this point.
It was partly why I sold my car.
My mom had left me a small life insurance policy, which I didn’t even know about, a meager savings, and a note that told me to never give up on my dreams.
The next thing I knew, I was buying a block of old buildings all hooked together. The renters were solid, and the leases lasted another four to eleven years, so I shouldn’t have to worry about losing tenants.
Plus, it would also allow me to finally put my interior design degree to good use.
Within a year of graduating, it became painfully clear to me and my mom that supporting myself as a designer would take a miracle. But I had lucked out and found a job at a wallpaper company. My job was to look into my crystal ball and determine what trends would be coming in the wallpaper industry.
And that was how I came to know Melanie. There was no way I could afford an apartment by myself, predicting wallpaper futures, so I found a room to rent, and I just happened to luck out with who.
Melanie and I had hit it off immediately, and I’d lived there for the last five years. But it was time for me to spread my wings.
“Is that the town?” Melanie asked, tipping her head and squinting as we turned off the highway.
“No, that’s just the gas station. Keep driving.” My heart thudded a little faster in my chest.
This was really happening. I was officially the owner of a small building complex.
“Well, listen…” She glanced at me as we drove onto a country road. “If you decide you made a mistake, we can always find some property management place to take over, and you can move back in with me. I’m not looking to fill that spare bedroom until I know this is truly what you want.”
I laughed and shook my head. “You’re too good to me, but I’d also rather not run into my ex.”
“I’m merely being practical.” She gave me a sideways look. “And I’d take care of your ex. You know that.”
I laughed and nodded but steered the conversation away from anything too heavy.
“The Ludlowes told me that all the tenants seemed welcoming and receptive to the sale. They understood the Ludlowes wanted to finally enjoy retirement.” My voice trailed off.
“But?”
I cleared my throat. “Except for one. I guess the guy who owns the bar isn’t exactly thrilled with change. They thought it was better if I just met him in person.”
“Oh, interesting.”
“I hope it’s okay. I’m not trying to run anyone out or change their business model. I just want to spruce the place up a little bit.” I glanced at Melanie. “It’s why I sold my car. I have a pretty good idea about what it will cost, and let’s just say that I need every penny I can get.”
“So is the guy single?”
I laughed and shook my head. “For all I know, the guy is eighty. I mean, the place looks like he should be eighty.”
“Ah, shoot. And here I was hoping you’d fall head over heels for the bar owner and live happily ever after painting walls and hanging chandeliers with the love of your life.”
“Right. Because that’s always how things work out.” I laughed and shook my head. “My mom might zap you with a bolt of lightning if she thinks you’re trying to marry me off.”
The one thing I always grew up knowing was that you couldn’t count on men for much. They had a habit of copping out when things got rough or if they happened to see a new shiny object. I’d learned that lesson young with my dad when he cheated on my mom and left us. The hardest part of the whole thing was that she never kept me from him. He kept himself from me, and the last time I saw him was when I was around eight.
“True,” Melanie said, smiling. “Your mom was incredible, Lydia. I know she’s proud of you.”
“I hope so.” A knot tightened in my chest, and I looked out the window. “But everything just feels kind of pointless without her.”
“I know, hon. But you’re doing exactly what she wanted you to do.”
“And what is that?”
“To keep on living and pursuing your dreams.”
As we rounded the final bend, the trees opened up like curtains pulling back on a stage, and there it was .
Reckless River.
Melanie slowed the car to a crawl and blinked like the town might vanish if she didn’t look hard enough. “Wait… where’s the rest of it?”
I grinned and pressed my hands to the dash, my heart skipping. “This is it.”
Melanie’s eyes scanned the stretch ahead of us. “No, seriously. Where’s the rest of it?”
“This is Main Street,” I said, barely containing the thrill bubbling in my throat. “Isn’t it perfect?”
She didn’t answer immediately. Probably because she was busy taking in the brick buildings with faded painted signs, the wood-framed storefronts with crooked window displays, the little bookstore with a chalkboard easel out front that read, Buy a book and stay a lifetime . Next door to it was a café with flower boxes under each window and a little old man drinking coffee on a bench, as if it was the most important thing he had to do all day.
There were no parking meters. No honking. No high-rises or delivery trucks. Just a slow-moving pickup truck with a dog hanging out the window, and a woman on a bike pedaling past in a sundress with a basket full of fresh flowers.
“It’s like we drove into a postcard from the 1950s,” Melanie said, squinting.
“Exactly.” I couldn’t stop smiling. “It’s peaceful. It’s charming. It’s mine. ”
“Well, part of it is yours,” she teased, but her voice had softened. “Okay… I’ll admit. It’s got a vibe.”
“It’s got soul ,” I said, watching as we passed the tiny library, a barber shop with red-and-white stripes painted around the door, and a two-story brick building with green shutters that looked like it belonged in a Hallmark movie. “I love it.”
I pressed a hand over my heart. “This is exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
She made a small sound that was half-skeptical, half-supportive. “You’re either about to thrive or completely lose your mind. No middle ground.”
“Sounds on-brand,” I said brightly.
She turned the corner at the blinking yellow light. There was no traffic light, just the one lonely blinker, and we rolled past a bar with a rusted metal sign hanging above the door.
The Rusty Stag .
I didn’t realize I was staring until Melanie asked, “Please tell me that isn’t it.”
“Oh, it’s definitely part of the building.” I pointed out the window. “I own that stretch.”
“That place looks like it survived a brawl and decided to escape to the woods to lick its wounds.”
“A little harsh. I’d like to call it character,” I said, though the brick facade, peeling paint on the trim, and the crooked neon beer sign did make me nervous for half a second.
Only half.
Because something about this place, the whole street, the quiet charm, the mountain air, it all felt like possibility.
“Welcome to Reckless River,” I whispered.
And for the first time in a long time, it felt like I was coming home.