1. Piper
PIPER
Danielle Pepper Fan Club
Dana Holden: Anyone done with Danielle’s newest book yet? I need to talk!
Comments:
Trina Dunn: I’m not gonna lie, I might have to stop reading. She’s talented, but some of her stuff seems so unrealistic.
Dana Holden: It’s a romance book. It doesn’t have to be realistic!
Trina Dunn: I mean, sure, but it’s all just so childish. Like I get the vibe the author hasn’t done any of this before.
Judy Cohen: Just because someone hasn’t done something before doesn’t mean they can’t write it. And isn’t this supposed to be a fan club? Take your critique to review sites like everyone else.
Trina Dunn: Defensive, are we? You know I’m right.
“For a town named Strawberry Springs, there’s a surprising lack of strawberries. And springs, for that matter.”
My best friend Joey set down a box as I shook my head. He’d been quiet on the drive here, a new habit that had started ever since the day I announced I’d signed a lease in a small town and wouldn’t be staying with him anymore.
“What? Are the buildings supposed to be strawberry shaped or something?” I laughed. “I think it’s cute.”
Joey sighed. “Yeah. I guess it is, if you’re into that sort of thing. But the springs. Where are the springs?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to hunt them down.”
“Don’t get in random water, Piper. That’s a terrible idea.”
“I know, I know. I have some common sense, you know.”
“That remains to be seen.”
My smile fell and Mitch, his fiancé, turned to him sharply with a glare. The tension that I was hoping to avoid was now back, and the last thing I wanted to do was fight with Joey.
We were in my new apartment, and both he and Mitch could see how beautiful this place was. It was freshly renovated, smelled like coffee from the shop downstairs, and had enough space where they could stay when they came to visit.
But the issue wasn’t with the space.
It was with the location.
When I’d seen it on TV, I wanted to be there more than anything. The small-town life seemed so much easier for me to handle. There were fewer people to contend with, and it seemed as if they all cared about each other.
Plus, it was adorable. The town square had multicolored buildings all organized together like a piece of art.
It was obvious that this place was cared for, something that the show mentioned had only happened in the last few years.
According to old street images I found online, this place looked like it had seen better days only nine years ago.
Now it was the place of dreams.
“I know you’re worried,” I said. “I am too, but I’m a big girl now. You guys have done a lot for me, and I can’t take advantage of that forever.”
“It’s over an hour away from us,” Joey said.
“We talked about this,” Mitch replied, running a hand through his dark hair. “We can make it here in less time.”
“But it’s still too far away.”
I got why he was worried. Ever since college, which had massively blown up in my face, he’d been my protector.
I’d relied on him a lot over the years. I could see myself relying on him forever if I let myself, and that was the issue. I had to grow up at some point.
My therapist thought that moving out was the way to do it. I needed to rip off the Band-Aid and live on my own.
It was scary. No, terrifying.
But so was everything else. My anxiety made it feel like tiny, normal things were the end of the world.
“You saw how cute this town was on Renovating with Love,” I reminded. “The two of you said it was the perfect town for someone to live in.”
“For one of your books maybe. I didn’t think you would . . .” Joey stopped, eyeing the way I looked at my feet. The last time we’d disagreed, I’d felt terrible. I didn’t want to call this off, but I didn’t want to fight with him either. He sighed. “But at least it’s not too far away.”
I looked up. “Exactly. It’s just a test.”
Joey wasn’t smiling, but he wasn’t fighting me.
I needed that.
My brave face wouldn’t last forever. This was the right thing to do, but I felt like I was one wrong move away from crying.
After this, I wouldn’t know how each day would be. I would be on my own, and I had to figure out how to exist—something I should have done a long time ago.
“I’m sure this’ll be a change,” Mitch said. “And you can always call us if you need us.”
Joey didn’t say anything until Mitch elbowed him. “Yes, please call us. For anything.”
That was exactly what I needed to hear. “Thanks, guys.”
“And you’re sure you don’t want help unpacking?” Joey asked.
“I’ve got it,” I said. Inwardly, I imagined my therapist cheering for me. She told me not to let them linger and to start being on my own the second I could. “I don’t have that much.”
Joey’s brow furrowed in the same way it did when I announced I was moving.
“You guys still have to return the moving truck we rented,” I continued. “And go all the way back to Knoxville. I can do this.”
“It’s a lot for just you to do.”
“But I want to do it,” I reminded him. “That’s what all of this is for, learning to do things on my own.”
“She’s right,” Mitch added. “And we should go now before you never want to leave.”
Joey scoffed and crossed his arms. For a second, he pouted, and I wondered if he would put up a fight that I wasn’t prepared to push back on.
Then, he looked at his fiancé. “I hate it when you have a point.”
“Sorry, but I know you.”
“I’m worried about this.” Joey turned to me. “I’m worried about you.”
“I’m gonna be okay.” My voice shook and I cleared my throat. “I can do this.”
“You sound like you’re trying to convince us and yourself.”
I tried not to let my lip tremble. He was very right.
Mitch brushed his hand on Joey’s shoulder. “She’ll call us if she needs us. And even if you don’t, I’ll be checking in on you at least. That book won’t write itself.”
“Right. My job that I love.” I sighed and Mitch frowned. “How could I forget?”
When I first started writing romance novels as a teenager, it was the thing that kept me going. Then I grew up and published them, and it became my career. That was the reason I could afford anything.
I did love writing, but lately, it felt like a dream I would never achieve. Somewhere along the way, writing had become a chore and not a passion. Nothing inspired me to put words on the page.
It didn’t help that some of my fans saw it too. They knew I was a fraud. They knew I’d never been touched and was just dreaming.
That was another reason I had to do this.
“You’re the one who decided to move while in the middle of writing your next work,” Mitch reminded me.
I’d seen the apartment and jumped on it, but it had been perfect when I found it.
Plus, it was way cheaper than I expected.
My second-floor apartment had its own door around the back of the building. I had my own parking spot, and the two units in nearby buildings weren’t lived in.
If I wanted to people-watch, as I usually did, I had two windows facing the square where I could see what was going on without being in the rush of things.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime deal, but I would have to get to work if I wanted the novel to be done in time. Mitch might have been my friend, but he didn’t accept excuses as my agent. He’d also gotten me some very nice book deals, so I wouldn’t complain.
“I’ll get it done. Don’t worry.”
“I am very worried,” Joey said.
I rolled my eyes. “That’s just your usual, Joey.”
He gasped, putting a hand on his chest. “How could you?”
“It’s simply the truth.”
“Yeah, yeah. Just like I know another truth. If you’re suffering here, you’ll try to handle it on your own.”
“Who, me?” I scoffed. “I’m an open book.” They both gave me a flat stare. “Fair enough. If I struggle, I’ll call.”
“And you’ll remember to eat three meals a day?”
I let out a sigh. My habit of forgetting to eat was not something I needed to be reminded of. Each question made me feel less and less confident in my decision. “Yes. I’ll do my best. You guys got me plenty of food.”
My fridge and cabinets were stocked with a month’s worth of groceries. I should be fine while I settled in. I was determined to do everything right, and that included not forgetting to eat.
“Air hug time,” Mitch said. “Just like we practiced, Joey.”
“I know how to air hug,” he griped. “It’s the leaving that’s the issue.”
We put our arms in the air in the only hug I could give, and shortly after, Mitch dragged Joey out of the apartment.
I was left completely alone.
The only sounds were my own breathing and the ambient noise of the square below me. After a few breaths, I slowly turned around and took it all in once more.
This was the first time being on my own in . . . my whole life. Unless I counted the times Dad would disappear, but I would always wait by the door, wondering when he would be back and my misery would return.
These walls were mine. I could do what I wanted here and no one could stop me.
Well, other than me.
With a sigh, I went to the front windows and looked out over the square of Strawberry Springs.
Even behind a pane of glass, I could tell that it was better in person.
Instead of busy streets like I saw in Knoxville, there were only a few people out and about.
When they would pass someone on the road, they would either smile or stop and chat.
“This is scary,” I said to myself. “But this is what I need to do. Rip it off like a Band-Aid.”
I imagined what my therapist, Scarlett, would say. She would give me a smile and nod. “Yes. You have some hard goals to accomplish, but you’re determined. I think you can do this.”
“I can do this.”
Looking over my apartment one more time, I tried to imagine it. My eyes closed as I pictured getting out of the house, running errands like it was nothing. While shopping, I could run into a cute guy and ask him on a date.
My daydream was ruined when I ran straight into a box.
“Unpacking,” I muttered. “Right. I still need to do that.”
As I opened the first box, I tried to make a plan in my mind.