Chapter 8
Ari
I should’ve asked Emma Harper who else attends the monthly book club before I agreed to join.
Maybe then I wouldn’t have had to listen to Maggie Devens drone on and on about why she didn’t like this month’s book, The Nightingale.
Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but ever since junior high, Maggie’s opinions have annoyed the heck out of me—whether she’s criticizing Kristin Hannah’s flawless World War II book or tattling on me in high school for ditching math to attend class with Liv.
Maggie’s the one person I wish weren’t still in Autumn Ridge, but apparently, she works at the library with Emma, and judging by the judgmental remarks she keeps making toward everyone, she’s the same as she was back then.
She looks innocent enough—almost like Snow White. Pale, creamy skin that contrasts with her dark shoulder-length hair, but nothing about her is innocent, especially her thinly veiled comments.
“It’s so good you came to book club tonight.
” Maggie sought me out of the crowd once the discussion was over.
Not that it was hard; besides me, there are only six other women here.
“But I guess you probably don’t have a lot of other things filling up your schedule right now with you being single and all. ”
Classic example of one of Maggie’s backhanded comments.
“No, actually, there’s a lot to do for Landrie’s wedding,” I say as I move my chair back to the table it came from and push it under.
“Oh, you poor thing.” A pouty frown tugs Maggie’s lips down. “It must be so hard seeing your little sister get married before you.”
“Not really.” I paste on a perfect smile and lift my shoulders. “Why would you think that?”
“No reason. Your sister was always more decisive than you. But everyone’s timeline is different…
some people just take a little longer to figure things out.
I love that you’re still keeping your options open—kind of refreshing at our age.
At least you don’t have to deal with wedding stress.
” She purposely shows off the diamond ring on her finger by tucking her hair behind her ear. “Silver linings.”
I begrudgingly take the bait. “Oh, wow. It looks like you’re engaged.”
She glances at her ring as if she’s surprised I happened to see it. “Yes, but I’m waiting for springtime to get married. Landrie’s so brave to get married in the fall. The weather can be so volatile.”
That doesn’t even make sense. Vermont is known for its fall. But Maggie has to have a one-up on everyone.
“Is your fiancé anyone I know?” I can’t imagine someone actually falling in love with Maggie. But I suppose there’s someone for everyone.
“No.” Her scoff says she’d never lower her standards and marry a guy from Autumn Ridge. “His name is Timothy VanTussen. He’s an investment banker in Lake Placid.”
Of course he is.
I lift my brows, faking like I’m impressed. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks. You know, if you’re lonely, my little brother is single too. He’s a couple of years younger, but I figure, at this point, you’d be willing to put age aside. Beggars can’t be choosers, you know? I could set you two up.”
Having Maggie Devens set me up on a blind date with her brother—or anyone else, for that matter—is the absolute last thing I would want.
Even if I were desperate, I’d never be that desperate.
“That’s nice of you, but I’m not interested.”
She smiles, letting awkward silence fill in the gaps in our conversation.
Normally, this is when Maggie should ask me something meaningful about myself. But polite rules of conversation aren’t her thing.
“Well, hopefully you won’t be too lonely. Maybe you can get a cat, just to have a little companionship.” Another comment with a knife hidden inside.
“Great idea. You know how much I love having kittens as support animals.”
Her jaw hardens as she thinks back to ninth grade when I snuck two kittens into school and let them out in the library during state testing.
Everyone thought it was funny, except Maggie, who told the teacher on me because the constant meowing was distracting her—and, fine, because she was also allergic and sneezing.
It took the staff one hour to dig the kittens out of the bookshelves. Well worth the week of detention I got.
I’ve had enough of Maggie, so I take a couple steps toward the door. “Emma,” I call over the chatter. “Thanks a lot, this was fun!”
The book part was fun.
Talking to Maggie was not.
I give a small wave, then I escape.
Now, if only I could escape every person in this town and their comments about my love life—or the absence thereof.
It’s getting really old and reminding me why I left this town in the first place.
My mom said to meet her at the Beet and Barrel Cafe after school on Thursday.
She said she had an exciting surprise for me.
I love a good surprise, especially when food is involved.
I’ll never turn down a soup, salad, or sandwich.
Plus, the thought of one-on-one time with my mom sounded nice. Something I never get.
When I arrive, she has a table picked out for us by the window.
“Ari!” She waves me over even though I’ve already seen her and am walking her way.
I glance behind me at the menu. “Should I go order first before I sit down?”
“No!” Her answer is oddly immediate. “You can order later.”
“Okay.” I take a seat, noticing the excitement behind her expression. “What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing.” She shrugs aggressively. “How was your day?”
“It was good. I used the large, colored Lego blocks to teach students how to write a five-paragraph essay. I used yellow blocks for the introductory paragraph, but then I added one blue, one red, and one green block to show how you use three different points in your thesis statement. Then the next paragraph was blue, then I did a red one, a green one, and I ended with another yellow one for the conclusion paragraph. I think the visual went really well.”
Her mouth opens as if she’s impressed. “I don’t know where you come up with these ideas, but that is so good. I mean, does this town even know how lucky they are to have you here teaching at the high school?”
“It’s not that revolutionary. I’m sure you can find a million ideas like it online.”
“No, don’t sell yourself short. You are an awesome teacher.”
“Thanks.” It means a lot to have my mom believe in me. “How was your day?”
“Well, don’t be mad at me, but—”
My shoulders fall. “What did you do?”
“It’s not as bad as it sounds.” My gaze tightens, prompting her to widen her smile. “I invited Archer Kade to meet us here for an early dinner.”
“The stable boy?” Now, I’m calling him that too. “Mom!”
“What?” she says innocently. “He’s a nice young man. What’s the harm in getting to know him better?”
“So this is like a date?”
“I think it might be nice if you want to call it that.”
“Mom!” I groan. “This is why I moved away. You’re too much.”
“That breaks my heart. Don’t say you moved away just because of me.”
“Okay, it wasn’t just because of you, but this kind of blind-date blindside is too much.”
“Oh, come on, we’ve tried it your way for the last nine years, and what has it gotten you? A failed relationship with a man who left you broke and homeless. It’s not a great track record. So I think it’s time we tried things my way, don’t you?”
She makes some good points.
Some.
“Yes, but—”
“Zzzp.” She snaps her fingers and her thumb together in front of my face, signaling for me to close my mouth. “He’s here.” Her expression brightens as she waves Archer over.
His gaze lands briefly on me, just out of curiosity, not out of interest, leading me to believe that—like me—he has no clue he’s walked into a blind-date scenario.
“Mrs. Langford.” He tips his cowboy hat at my mom, and while I’m a fan of his overall cowboy persona, I’m not interested in dating. “It’s good to see you again.”
She wags her finger at him. “I keep telling you to call me Barb.”
“Old habits die hard, ma’am.” As he takes his seat, his eyes naturally roam back to me.
“Archer, this is my other daughter, Ari. I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about her before. She just moved here from Florida. Completely alone. All by herself.” I roll my lips, trying to gather patience. “She teaches English at the high school.”
“Nice to meet you.” He nods a few times then turns his attention back to my mom. “So I’ve never held a reception at my stables before, but if the weather holds, I think it will be really nice. The fall leaves should be beautiful that week.”
Ah, that’s how she lured Archer here. He thinks this is a wedding venue discussion for Landrie.
“Yes, I do believe the stables will be perfect.” My mom’s smile falls, not in a believable way.
“Oh, no!” Suddenly, she’s fumbling with her purse and keys.
“I just remembered I left the oven on. I need to go home immediately and turn it off.” She stands abruptly.
“You two should stay and get to know each other better. Don’t mind me.
” And without another word, she’s gone in the most obvious way ever.
Archer’s brows knit in justified confusion.
“She wanted to set us up on a blind date,” I offer.
This new info causes his eyes to grow wide with panic. “You and me?”
“Yeah, sorry. I didn’t know until I arrived or else I would’ve stopped her.”
“Oh.” He sits back in his chair, stunned.
My expression goes solemn. “Sorry I’m not better looking.”
“No!” He straightens. “You’re very beautiful. I just… I don’t really have time for dating right now.”
“I was totally joking.” Laughter spills out. “Just trying to make a horribly awkward situation even more awkward. It’s a habit of mine.”
His chest falls with relief. “You had me going there for a second.”
“You’re in luck. I’m not interested in dating anyone right now either, but my mom has other ideas, and clearly, she doesn’t know how to stay out of my life.”
“It’s fine. If I still lived in Texas, my mom would be the same way with me.”