Chapter 19
“Lucy, dear! What wonderful timing you have.”
Claire and I exchange a look as her grandmother motions for us to join her at the table. We’re at Jitters, and Alice isn’t the only one in her usual spot today.
“How so?” I ask as Claire leans in to hug Alice before sitting beside me.
“Well,” she replies, peering over her glasses at us. “Agatha here was just saying she saw you at the game the other day.” Agatha, a member of Alice’s knitting club, nods to corroborate the story.
“Oh, yes I was there.”
Please leave it at this, I will. It seems unfair to enter a conversational trap before getting the caffeine that’s only steps away. I need that caffeine.
“And you weren’t alone,” Agatha adds with a wiggle of her feathery white eyebrows.
There it is. I look over at Claire once more, who is already watching me intently. She’d have every right to be smug right now, to point out that I should have been better prepared for this.
Instead, she looks as worried as I feel.
“I went with a friend,” I tell them.
“A handsome man friend, according to Aggie here.”
“Yes, one I don’t think I’ve seen around town before.”
The older women lean forward in unison. Then Alice gets right to the point. “Who is he?”
Damn, I need that caffeine. Because how am I supposed to think of a clever answer for the village’s busybody? My palms start to sweat, and I try to covertly rub them along my thighs under the table.
“Oh, he’s…”
To my horror, my mind is utterly blank.
“He’s a travel writer.”
My head whips toward Claire. What did she just say?
“A travel writer?” Alice echoes thoughtfully.
“Yes, he’s trying to fly under the radar, get the real Ellicottville for his magazine. It’s a big one, and they want to highlight the town ahead of ski season.”
“How wonderful for Ellicottville,” Agatha chimes in, clapping her hands together with glee.
“But remember”—Claire lowers her voice, causing the other women to tilt closer still—“he doesn’t want anyone to know. If word gets out, they might pull the article.”
“Oh, we can’t have that.”
“No, we can’t,” I agree, finally finding my words again. “We’re trusting you ladies to be in on this secret with us.”
Agatha makes the motion of zipping her lips. But it’s Alice we have to worry about. I focus my attention on her instead.
“His secret is safe with us,” Alice assures me, “as long as you get him to agree to help the town. With his article, he can really promote our quaint way of life. Maybe it will scare the hotel off with enough protest to change things.”
I snort. “I’ll have to mention that to him.”
“Okay, we should get our coffee and get going,” Claire jumps in, rising and pulling me up with her.
“You do pass along that idea, Lucy.”
“I certainly will.”
There’s no line, and we make our way to order just to find Jenny turning around with two drinks in hand. “Your usuals,” she tells us with a smile.
“You’re an angel, Jenny,” Claire says as we accept the cups.
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Hey, are you free later? Want to join us at Pumpkinville?” I ask, popping the plastic lid off my cup.
“I’d love to, but my closer called off. I’m here for the long haul.”
The sound of the front door jangling open catches Jenny’s attention, and she looks up to wave at the new customers entering. We bid her a quick farewell and move down the line where the extra sugars await.
“Trying to get even more buffers between you and Jake tonight?” Claire passes me a coffee stirrer and raises an eyebrow. “You know it would be okay to go just the two of you. Levi and I could end up with conflicting plans if you want to throw caution to the wind.”
“Absolutely not. I need you there,” I scold. “It might feel like a date if we’re alone.”
“Would that be so bad?”
I deposit the stirrer in the garbage and press the lid down on my coffee cup.
Then I turn for the door and step outside before responding.
“I’m afraid it wouldn’t be bad at all. That’s the point,” I explain as we start up the sidewalk.
“It’s not a date, and whenever I’m alone with Jake I seem to lose my sense.
I don’t want to forget why he’s in town. ”
“To write an article?” she teases.
I bump her with my shoulder. “That was some quick thinking on your part.”
“I know. But honestly, while I’m still against the hotel being built…” Claire shoots me a hesitant look as we stop at the intersection for our street. “I think the other night, when he dropped by, it was nice seeing you happy like that.”
“I’m happy.” My words sound hollow, even to me. What I am is distracted, preoccupied, and wrapped in self doubt—ever since Whitcombe Gallery came into my life.
“Sure, we have our moments when we can get you out of that head of yours,” she says gently, giving me a little nudge with her elbow, “but the way you’ve seemed since he came to town, it’s different.”
I’ve felt different, but I hadn’t realized anyone else noticed.
“All I’m saying is, keep an open mind about what this could be.”
The crosswalk signal blinks to the pedestrian figure, prompting us forward. Then with only a few steps until reaching the other side, I feel Claire’s hand wrap around my arm, her nails digging into my flesh through my sweater.
“Or I take that back and instead demand that we run his ass out of town.” Her words are laced with venom as she drags me to hide behind the SUV parked nearest us. “Who does he think he is, two timing you?”
I follow her line of sight to the next intersection down, where Jake is coming from Monroe with a beautiful blonde woman. She looks big city pretty. Perfectly manicured, and model-like thin. Not to mention those long legs of hers strutting confidently alongside him.
A mammoth lump lodges in my throat, and I fight it down to point out, “He’s not two timing me because as we were just talking about, he’s not dating me.”
“Lucy, stop being so logical and admit that at the very least, he’s been extremely flirtatious and leading.”
I watch the glamorous woman throw her head back in laughter, and can’t deny the bile rising in my throat. “We don’t even know who she is,” I mumble, clocking the designer handbag dangling from her arm that probably cost as much as my Subaru.
She doesn’t look like the type he belongs with. Not with his old truck and casual attire and indifference about a slobber covered tennis ball being pressed in his hand from an eager dog.
“We can go find out.”
“No,” I say quickly. “Let’s just go home.”
Claire lets me lead her on our way until they’re out of sight. “We’re cancelling his invite for Pumpkinville, though, right?”
“No, we aren’t. But we will double down on the mission.”
“Fine, but I’m chucking a pumpkin at his stupid handsome face tonight.”
A surprised laugh escapes me. “As long as you don’t make it obvious that you’re aiming for his stupid handsome face.”
“Deal.”
She loops her arm through mine, and I drop my head to her shoulder as we walk towards home. There is a smile on my face, and I want to say, see, Jake isn’t the only one that makes me happy.
It’s half past four when the phone rings. “I’ve got it,” I call out to wherever Claire’s at upstairs—her closet or mine.
With a few quick steps, I bound into the kitchen and grab the handset from the wall. “Hello?”
“Lucy? It’s Jake. I hope it’s okay I looked your number up in the book.”
His voice still has its usual effect on me, causing warmth to swirl in my core despite the knot that I’ve been carrying around all day.
“That’s what the book’s for,” I reply, praying that I sound normal enough.
His chuckle carries over the line, and I lean against the wall and let myself indulge in it without an audience for once.
“True enough, but I’m glad I caught you before I headed your way. I was wondering if maybe my sister could join us tonight?”
“Your sister?” My voice hikes up in surprise.
“Yeah, she blew into town this past weekend. She’s having problems with our parents and needed a friendly place to lay low. I just don’t know for how long… anyway when I told her I was going out, she pressed me for details.”
I listen intently, as that knot in my stomach loosens for the first time since Jitters this morning. That was his sister we saw. He doesn’t need to be the bad guy in my story after all, maybe.
“And when I mentioned that we were going to a pumpkin patch, she couldn’t believe it. I figured with Claire and Levi being there… I wouldn’t ask if it was just us.”
“Jake,” I interrupt his endearing rambling.
“Yeah?”
“Of course she can come, I’m looking forward to meeting…”
“Taylor.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting Taylor, and hearing all your most embarrassing stories that only a sister would know.”
His groan sounds like it rumbles from deep in his chest. “Never mind. This was a horrible idea.”
“See you two soon,” I say cheerfully.
“Yeah, alright. Be there in a few.”
I hang up the phone feeling ten times lighter than I did only minutes ago. “Claire,” I call upstairs as I head to find her.
“Yeah?” Her voice sounds like it’s coming from my room.
I take the stairs two at a time. “You won’t believe what I just learned.”