Employee of the Moth (Harmony Glen #19)

Chapter 1

JULIET

I didn’t know it was possible for someone’s entire life to implode in the span of three weeks, but as it turns out, it’s completely possible.

I know, because it happened to me. First, the library branch where I worked announced it was closing—the central library decided to build a new branch five miles away, rendering our little location redundant and me unemployed—then my boyfriend Braeden dumped me, then my roommates informed me that they were in a relationship and moving in together…

somewhere else. Leaving me unable to pay for the three-bedroom apartment I’d lived in for five years.

I had no choice but to pack up and move in with my mother, who had turned into one of those social media crackpot conspiracy theorists when I wasn’t looking.

The whole thing was exhausting and the living situation with Mom was utterly untenable, so I did the only thing I could: I texted my cousin Maggie and begged her to let me crash with her.

Which is how I ended up here: walking down Main Street in the charming town of Harmony Glen, New York, a quaint place that looks like someone plucked it off of a postcard.

It’s a cold day, but that doesn’t take away from the charm of the old-fashioned buildings with plate-glass windows and striped awnings.

The planters in front of the businesses are mostly empty, but I imagine they’re bursting with multicolored blooms in the spring and summer.

This street alone has a library, a bakery—which has the whole street smelling like fresh bread—and a florist shop, all tucked neatly between the lake and a conservation area with a river.

Even in the bleakest month of the year, Harmony Glen has a Norman Rockwell-wholesomeness that you don’t see much anymore.

I get why my cousin moved here. And Maggie, rock star that she is, arranged for me to stay in a furnished apartment above the town’s hardware store, which is where I’m headed. I have a loose appointment to meet her partner, Gabe, and get the info on the place he owns.

Harmony Hardware is a few blocks away, across the river, but I wanted some time to orient myself and get a feel for the town before I went there.

So, I figured a walk would do the trick.

I’ve just passed the gorgeous florist, Bloom you’d think there might be some sort of online application system, but whatever.

I don’t mind. In fact, I kind of like it.

I’ve been called old-fashioned a time or two, after all.

I fill everything out quickly, including my brand-new address, and then finish my sandwich.

Grabbing my coffee, which is in a convenient to-go cup, I make my way back to my beautiful blue Bronco.

On the way, I drop off my application at Moonbeam Books, then move the Bronco to the parking place behind the hardware store.

When I moved out of my mom’s house—what a nightmare staying with her was; she actually took my ex Braeden’s side in our breakup!—I dumped most of my stuff in a storage unit and threw the rest in a mishmash of suitcases and duffels.

Which I now have to haul up the stairs.

I could go ask Gabe for help, but I don’t want to bother him. Besides, I’m a strong, independent woman now. I can do this.

It takes me two trips, which I only manage by hanging bags all over me. I spend the rest of the afternoon unpacking and getting settled, then swinging by the general store next door—called Mack’s Snack and Pack—to pick up a few additional pantry staples and a bottle of cheap wine.

After some pasta and a couple of glasses, I decide to call it a night. I shower, change into my pajamas, and collapse onto the bed.

All in all, my first day in Harmony Glen went pretty well.