Chapter 6
Micah Barrett
River grins at the older woman. “Yes, I am.”
“Oh, goodness. I thought that was you. I’ve followed your career since Kid Logic. I’m such a huge fan.”
River’s smile falters. “My… career?”
The woman doesn’t notice his confusion. “Yes. I’ve seen that toothpaste commercial where you say, ‘Wow, so minty.’ You delivered that line perfectly.
And you were that background dancer in that one music video…
I forget who for. And I loved that voice-over you did for that kid’s educational show about recycling, where you were that talking goat. It was the perfect role for you!”
River’s eyebrows rise. “Oh. I see.”
“Can I have your autograph?”
River nods. “Sure. Of course.”
The woman whips out a grocery list from her purse and flips it over. “There. This is perfect.”
As River attends to his fan, I glance over at Cricket, who is rubbing her arms while still trying to hold the bridal folder and the treats from the bakery. “Here, let me hold those,” I say, taking her things. “You cold?”
“A little.”
I shrug out of my jacket and help her slip it on, tugging it over her shoulders. “There.”
She hugs her arms to herself. “Thanks, Micah.”
“I saw a cold front was coming through.” I look at the sky like it clearly shows a cold front coming in to Willow Shade.
Cricket’s gaze turns sympathetic. “If you get cold, let me know. We can share it back and forth.”
I grin at her. “All right.”
River finishes with his fan, and as she walks away, she turns and calls out, “Oh, and I loved you in that hemorrhoid-cream commercial!”
River turns five shades of red, and I hold in a laugh. That’s the best thing that’s happened since I woke up. I wish I had his face on camera, because I could watch that a zillion times. We walk another block to the town square.
“This is the heart of Willow Shade,” Cricket says, gesturing around the square as we walk.
River nods, still looking a bit shaken from his encounter with his overly enthusiastic fan. “It’s charming.”
“See that fountain?” Cricket points to the center of the square. “The Whitmore family donated it back in the 1980s. They made their fortune in shipping.”
“The colored lights are cool. Has it always been colored like this?”
Cricket shrugs. “No, they added those in the early 2000s. Legend says if you kiss someone next to the fountain after dark, you’ll be together forever.”
I roll my eyes. Of course she’d bring up the kissing legend. For some reason, that irritates me even more than River pretending they were engaged.
River doesn’t say anything about the kissing legend, but he does smile at Cricket in an annoying way that makes me want to smack him.
“And that’s our courthouse,” Cricket continues, pointing to the brick building with the clock tower. “It was built in 1923 and has survived three hurricanes.”
River looks interested. “Wow, three hurricanes? Did they do a lot of damage?”
“Destroyed some houses, but many are still here from the 1920s,” Cricket says. “The homes here are built strong.”
River’s gaze travels over the courthouse. “That’s good.”
“The clock tower chimes every hour,” Cricket goes on, “and you can hear it from anywhere on the island. During the summer, they set up a farmer’s market here every Saturday morning, and the gazebo over there hosts our Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
” She stops. “Wait, that’s going to be this Friday. There’s a parade and everything.”
River grins at her. “We should go.”
Of course he leaves me out completely, which bugs me more than it should. I know he likes her, and I should butt out. He’s obviously a nice guy, not a killer.
Cricket looks pleased. “I’d love to go with you.”
River sighs and looks around the square. “This sounds like a really close-knit community.”
“It is. Sometimes too close-knit. Everyone knows everyone’s business,” I say.
As if to prove my point, an older man walking his dog waves at us. “Good afternoon, Cricket! How’re your parents doing? They’re touring Asia right now, aren’t they?”
“They’re good, Mr. Henderson! Having a blast. Tell Mrs. Henderson I said hi!”
River chuckles. “I see what you mean.”
“This used to be where the old market was, back when everything came by boat,” Cricket explains. “The whole area is decorated for every season—pumpkins in fall, lights in winter, flowers in spring.”
“The steps of the courthouse are where all the high school seniors take their graduation photos,” I add, remembering my own awkward senior portrait session there.
“Including this guy,” Cricket says, nudging me. “Though he spent the whole time complaining about having to wear a tie.”
River grins. “I can picture that.”
Great. Now they’re bonding over my hatred of formal wear. I want to duck out of this day, but I made such a big deal out of coming with them, I feel like I can’t.
As we walk back toward the car, Cricket talks about some of the things we didn’t get to walk by on the island and about the famous annual Willow Shade Festival. I trail along behind them.
I notice Cricket’s walking funny as we near her car. I look down at her sandals and see she’s got a blister forming on the back of her foot. Ouch. It looks nasty.
We say goodbye to River, finally, and get into Cricket’s car. She turns to me and smiles. “That went well, don’t you think?”
I grudgingly admit it did. “Yeah. He’s a nice guy.”
She gives me the side-eye. “So you no longer think he’s a murderer?”
“All right. He’s not. You can date him. You’ve already registered for your wedding. Sheesh.”
She laughs as she pulls on her seat belt. “Good. Because I was going to date him whether you said I could or not.”
“I know. You’ve already made plans for the Christmas tree lighting ceremony. The one we always go to together.”
Cricket stares at me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about it. Do you want to come with us?” Her eyes glint, and I know she’s kidding.
“No.” I huff. “I’ve had enough of hanging around you two.”
She pulls out into traffic. “I’m sure you’ll manage. Why don’t you ask Kiera if she wants to come with you?”
“Sure. Maybe.” I say it, but I don’t mean it. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t like me that way. At least, that’s the vibe I’m getting from her. And I’d rather be wrong than humiliated.
When we enter the house, Cricket motions toward my room. “Gather up your stuff. You’ve got to go home like you’re home from college this week.”
“Oh, right.” I set the pastries we purchased on the kitchen counter with the bridal brochures. As I head to the basement to get my stuff packed, I remember her foot and veer off into the bathroom. I come back with a Band-Aid and some ointment. “Sit first.”
Cricket looks at me funny. “What?”
“Just sit down.” I gently guide her to the couch. She sits.
I take her left foot and undo the strap on her sandal, then I look at the blister. “Dang, girl. This looks painful. You should have taken your sandals off. I would have carried you on my back.”
I see something in the way she looks at me, but I’m not sure exactly what it is. Doubt? Gratitude?
“You would have?”
I shrug. “Of course. You’re my best friend.”
I put some ointment on her blister, then I place the Band-Aid on top and smooth it gently. “There.”
I look up at her, and she has tears in her eyes, but I have no idea why. “What’s wrong?” I turn to sit next to her.
She blinks, and one tear slides down her cheek. “Nothing.”
I cup her face, catching the tear with my thumb. I don’t like seeing her cry. “Something.”
She smiles through her tears. “No. It’s just… you’re sweet. That’s all.”
I have this incredible urge to kiss her, which is ridiculous.
Why would I kiss Cricket? We’re friends.
We’ve always been friends. Am I jealous right now of Mr. Child Actor swooping in and kissing my best friend?
Because I’m sure he’s going to try it on Friday when they’re on the square for the lighting ceremony.
Cricket made a whole point to tell him about the legend and everything.
I’m annoyed that he’s going to kiss her, but why, I’m not sure. I’ve never thought about Cricket getting a boyfriend. Having her first kiss. Falling in love. Thinking about it kind of drives me insane.
I lean forward and place my lips on her cheek, kissing off one of her tears. I don’t know why I do it. It just feels right. I kiss her other cheek and pull back. “Don’t cry,” I say, which is dumb. She’s already crying.
“It’s okay,” she says, looking down. “I’m fine.”
She’s not fine. I can see it as more tears fall down her face. I don’t know what to do, though. I don’t understand girls.
My phone vibrates, and I pull it out of my pocket. Kiki’s calling me.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Hey, Micah, there’s something going on here. I think you need to come home. There are tons of people outside asking for you, and Tobias is kind of upset. Are you at Cricket’s house?”