Chapter 23
Founders Square is bustling with people, the bulk of Main Street closed to traffic for the entirety of the evening.
Along the route, residents have set up booths with everything from homemade soaps to crocheted scarves.
There are stations for face painting, bobbing for apples, pumpkin carving, and more.
It’s also an excuse to hold two hilariously ridiculous events each year.
The first being a pie eating contest won by the coach of the West Side High Warriors six years in a row—actually, make that seven now since he won this year’s contest earlier.
Then there’s the main event of the night—the Mr. Cedar Vale Auction.
The seniors on the CVU East football team are required to participate, which explains why the guys are grumpier than usual.
They know that they’ll have to leave me alone for the auction, and they’re not thrilled with that. But it’s all for a good cause.
The Harvest Festival is the official welcome to the fall season, an ode to time past when farmers would begin the process of ensuring their crops would get them through the coming winter.
The money raised will help struggling families who don’t have enough food during the upcoming holidays.
And let’s be real honest for a moment… Any excuse for the residents of this town to get together and act like fools always gets full support of the council.
Regardless, it’s one of the many traditions that I missed in the years I was away, and to be here now brings back so many of the good times Dre and I had.
Speaking of my twin, I check my phone for the umpteenth time.
Lately, his responses have been few and far between.
I’ve been chalking it up to hockey season getting ready to start, but something tells me there’s more to it than that.
I was hoping he’d be here tonight so I can corner him and get him to tell me what the hell is up with him.
“Hey, you okay?” Carson asks, slipping his hand into mine as we make our way along Main.
“I’m fine, hot shot.” Smiling up at him, I bump his hip with mine. “You ready to be auctioned off to the highest bidder?”
His nose scrunches up. “I swear to Christ, if Gertie wins, I just might have to fake my death and go into hiding.”
“I don’t know. I’ve heard she really goes all out and buys dinner and everything.”
“Dinner, you say? Well, now. That can’t be all bad, right?”
Roscoe steps up on my other side. “Mickelson said that last year, she won his auction and spent the whole time drilling him about whether his grandfather was single, if he had any allergies, and if he was more of a top or bottom kinda guy.”
Carson grins. “Lucky for me, Grandpa passed years ago, but you know whose is still alive?”
He and Roz glance back at Owen, who gives them the finger.
The three of them laugh and rib each other about the other potential winners as we continue to wind our way through the crowds.
“You holding up okay under the prying eyes?” Owen asks, nudging Roscoe out of the way.
I smirk. “You act like I’m not a pro at this by now.”
“But this is our first time out in public as a real unit.”
My eyes whip to Carson. “Is that why you’ve all been walking on eggshells around me? Did y’all forget I grew up here too?”
They share a sheepish look. “Guess we were just worried it might be overwhelming, though I’m not sure why.”
“After all, everyone in town already thought this was real before it truly was.” Roscoe grips Owen by the collar of his shirt, shoving him behind us, and slips his arm around my back. “Just act normal, and they’ll never suspect we’re not faking it anymore.”
I laugh as I wave at people I know and pretend not to notice others I’d rather not be forced to talk to.
“Well, now. Look at those happy faces!” Bea from the tavern says, walking over and ignoring the boys long enough to give me a hug. “These guys give you trouble, honey, you know where to find me.”
Carson pouts dramatically. “Geesh. And here I thought you liked us.”
She pats his shoulder. “Awww, I do, baby cakes. But I like her more. Us girls gotta stick together around here.”
“Amen,” I agree, offering my hand for a high-five.
Roscoe drops a quick kiss on the top of my head, tugging me into his side. “Let’s just hope Maggie or Gertie didn’t just witness that, or we’ll find ourselves outnumbered in no time, boys.”
Bea laughs. “Y’all better hurry over to the sign-up tent. They’re getting ready to start in fifteen minutes.”
She walks off, stopping at other groups along the way. As the ringmaster of the event, she enjoys the guys’ discomfort a little too much.
“Where the hell is Cassidy?” Carson mutters, looking over the crowd.
“You guys, I’m right in the middle of a crowd of people. Literally nothing can happen to me here—not that I even think Frederick would be ballsy enough to risk it.”
Owen turns me to face him, his hands gripping my shoulders. “Just promise us you’ll keep your eyes out for anything that feels off. We have to head to City Hall to get signed in. Wait for us by the fountain, and we’ll find you there when it’s done.”
“Go on. I’ll find Cassidy, eat my weight in sugary goodness, and be right here waiting for you later.”
One by one, they give me a kiss which draws more than a few curious stares that I ignore, then they stalk off, whispering amongst themselves. More than once, one of them turns and checks over their shoulder like I might’ve vanished into thin air.
I would roll my eyes, but the fact that they care enough to be worried about me is a novel feeling.
Instead, I meander through the crowd, stopping to talk to a couple of classmates I haven’t seen since my return.
I’m just about to head for the roped-off seating area meant for the auction when Bea stops me.
“Oh, thank fuck. Someone I can trust. Annika, can you do me a huge favor?”
“Of course. What do you need?”
“I left the gavel for the auction behind the bar. Can you run across the street and grab it for me? I’ve got ten minutes before everything is supposed to kick off.”
Laying my hand on her shoulder, I smile. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you. Be back in a few minutes.”
“The front door is locked so people don’t stumble in off the street. Head to the back door.”
“Got it.”
Rushing through the sea of people, I dart across Main Street and over to the tavern. The back entrance sits around the corner, and thankfully, she left the light on. In no time at all, I’m grabbing the heavy wooden gavel from behind the bar.
“Jesus. This thing weighs a ton.”
When I turn around to head back out, Frederick is blocking the entrance I just came through. He’s in a black button down and khakis, but his hair is disheveled and there are dark bags under his eyes. He looks like hell, but I really don’t give a damn. I’m tired of him and his shit.
“What are you doing in here?” I ask, letting the gavel fall to my side. I really don’t think he’s dangerous, but I’ve also never seen him quite like this, so I figure it’s better safe than sorry.
“They never leave you alone. I saw an opportunity, so I took it. I just want to talk to you.”
My sigh is long and exaggerated. “Frederick, I’ve already told you. We’re over. There’s no going back. I’m right where I belong.”
His jaw clenches tight, his eyes flashing with anger as a mean smile curves his lips. “You know, Annika, when you left me, you said something about never wanting to be chained to me and the lifestyle that I live.”
“Yes, I did. I refused to be nothing more than the quiet, respectable woman on your arm in public while you paraded your neverending line of cheap whores around in private. I was tired of your constant barrage of insults, I was tired of all the fake people I was surrounded by, and I was, quite frankly, tired of you.”
His nostrils flare, but he manages to keep his temper mostly under wraps.
“That ball and chain you were so disgusted by would have at least been covered in diamonds, darling. Have you stopped to think about what you have to offer those boy toys you’re dragging down in exchange for their dreams?
Your shoddy little bookstore in this incestuous little town?
A tiny apartment above a doctor’s office?
A lifetime of everyone knowing your every move? Pot, meet kettle.”
A sick feeling begins to unfurl in my belly as my brain tries to wrap itself around the point he’s trying to make.
“What are you talking about?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” he hisses, starting to take a step closer before stopping himself.
“You are chaining them to a life that will eventually make them miserable, just like you accused me of. We’re a lot alike, you and me, putting our own selfish wants and desires above others. ”
“I don’t know what you mean,” I whisper, my chest beginning to ache with each breath.
“They’ve got offers to the big leagues, Annika darling.
Lives of fame and fortune that they’ll be giving up to stay here in this podunk little town with you.
No fancy cars or lavish houses. No bank accounts with more zeroes than that little store of yours will see in a lifetime.
They’ll turn it all down for a chance with the girl from their past that once got away.
” He slowly closes the distance between us, evil eyes trailing over my face.
“Then one day, they’ll realize she’s more broken than they knew.
How long do you think they’ll stick around before realizing you're not worth the cost of their dreams? Eventually, they’ll start to resent the choice they made and all they gave up.
They’ll start to resent you the same way you resent me.
Maybe they’ll stay and you’ll all grow old and miserable together, or maybe…
just maybe…they’ll up and leave one day just like your parents did because you are so unloveable that no one can be around you for long without hating themselves in return. ”