2. Chapter 2 #2
“Oh!” Mike exclaims. “That’s really, really, great.”
I turn my gaze to him. Everything this man says is weird. And now I’m freaked out that he knows where I live. That both he and Olive do.
“Why don’t you make Harper a regular corn dog and hot cider, I’m going to show her around. Is that okay with you?” Ava asks me.
Her smile is bright and friendly, and I smile back at her despite myself. I obviously don’t know her, but if I’m going off this interaction alone, she puts me much more at ease than Mike and Olive.
“Yeah, sounds good.”
She bounces on her feet. “Perfect.”
The odd couple gets to work on my order, and a minute later I’m saying a half-assed goodbye to them with a corn dog in one hand and a cider in the other. I swear I feel their eyes on the back of my head as we walk away, but I don’t turn to look.
After we’re a good distance from them Ava exhales. “Sorry about them. I swear the people in this town can be a little too much sometimes.”
“Does that include you?” I ask as I sip my cider. The flavor bursts on my tongue, and I have to keep myself from moaning. Definitely fresh, like Olive said. It automatically makes me feel better and more at ease, reminding me of when I had cider here as a kid.
Ava grins like she knows I just put one of the best things I’ve ever had in my mouth before answering. “Sometimes. Though I like my too-muchness.”
“I usually say the same about myself.”
“Then you understand.”
We walk past a few more stalls until she points to a picnic table. “Want to sit so you can enjoy your food and we can chat?”
“Sure.”
Once we’re seated, I take a bite of my corndog and find that its good too. It’s hot, the hot dog is juicy, and I swear the cornmeal tastes freshly milled. I don’t know how I would know that, but the flavors are insane for something battered and deep fried.
“At least Mike and Olive can make good food, right?” Ava asks.
“Really good,” I reply, after another bite. “So fresh.”
“Everything you eat here in this town was grown, harvested, and processed by people here. It’s what makes Silas Valley so unique.”
“I think I read on the town's website that you have award winning crops.”
Her brows raise and she smiles. “I like that you’ve done your research.”
“I wanted to know a little bit about the place I was moving to,” I say.
“I’ve been here my whole life, but that sounds like a smart idea. You were thorough in your emails about the farmhouse.”
“Sorry if I was a little annoying with all my questions.”
“Not at all,” she chirps. “Have you found it to your liking so far?”
“I did have an issue with the boiler, it was missing propane.”
“Oh shit, I’m sorry. I thought I put in a full one.”
“It’s fine, I got the heat to work. It was a fun little challenge.”
She pauses, smile growing wider. “I like you, Harper. I like people who can get shit done. Independence looks good on people.”
“It does make life easier, especially when you live on your own.”
“Very true. In all seriousness, you have my number and email. If you need anything at all just let me know. I don’t live far from the farmhouse. I can be over in no time.”
“Thanks. That’s kind of you.”
“I’ll admit, my kindness may come with a price.”
I cock my head. “Oh?”
She laughs. “Nothing bad, but I’d love to be your friend. This place is lacking in cool people.”
“And you think I’m cool?”
“I mean, aren’t you?”
I laugh. “I guess I can be.”
“I looked you up when you applied for the place, you’re cool.”
My pulse thumps faster. “You did?”
“It’s how I knew what you looked like.”
“I didn’t even think of that,” I say. “I was just happy to be saved from Mike and Olive.”She wets her lips. “I know it sounds kind of creepy, but it was just run of the mill landlord stuff. I ran your credit report, of course, but I did a general search. I saw your social media.”
For a second I think she means my work handle @HarlowHex—a name I made up when I drank too much wine and watched Practical Magic one too many times. But there’s no way she could have easily found that. I don’t attach my real name to it or my face.
I clear my throat. “Oh?”
“Yeah! Sorry, again. It wasn’t supposed to be stalkerish.
Only to see if you would be a good fit as a renter.
We have a lot of the same tastes in music, and it seems like food, too.
” She eyes my half-eaten corn dog before looking back at me.
“I’ve also got some tattoos. Though you can’t see them in this outfit. ”
I shift in my seat. “And those are important qualities you require of your renters?”
She huffs a laugh. “No! Selfishly, I wanted someone who I thought I could get along with. And it made me feel like I could trust you to treat the old place right. The last renter left it a mess, and I had to replace some flooring. It took me nearly a year to make it right.”
“That’s awful.”
“It really was. So, you can see why I wanted to be cautious about who I allowed in. I can’t trust just anyone with a historic house.”
“Historic?”
“Oh yes! The town’s founding family, the Mortimers, it was their home.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep.”
“And you don’t want to preserve it?”
She shrugs. “They wanted people to continue to enjoy the home and the fruits of their land. Or at least, that’s what my family says.”
“Are you related to them? Are you the mayor or something too?”
She laughs. “No, no. Nothing like that. I got tasked with taking care of the house after the last person who did it passed away.”
Tingles work up my spine, and I look behind me. There’s nothing there, just another scarecrow decoration on the side of a tent.
I crumple up my wrapper. “Ava, can I ask you about the scarecrows? I came to this festival once when I was a kid and I remember them being used as decor, but is it like a mascot or something?”
Her eyebrows shoot to her forehead. “You’ve been here before?”
“When I was twelve.”
“And you wanted to come back?”
“Does that mean you don’t like it here?”
She shakes her head. “No, no, I love my town. But it’s not for everyone. It’s more of a place you visit for a few days.”
“I’m hoping I stay longer than that. I really loved it when I was a kid, and I’ve always felt drawn to come back.”
Ava taps her fingernails on the table. “Most people say they feel drawn to big cities.”
“I grew up in one. I think I’m going to like the quiet.”
“Hmm, it is quiet here—” screaming kids interrupt her as a man dressed up in a scarecrow costume chases them, and both of us laugh.
“Okay, it’s quiet here most of the time. This is as busy as the town gets,” she assures.
“And the scarecrows?” I ask again.
“Did you see the one out at the farm?”
“Yes, I did.”
“The Mortimers made that one. It’s lasted the test of time.”
“It belonged to them?”
“It did.”
I shift in my seat. “It’s in good shape from what I can tell.”
She swallows before she says, “We take care of Silas.”
My stomach flips. “You named him after the town?”
“The town was named after him.”
“Really?”
She dips her chin. “Before it was named Silas Valley, this area suffered from a lack of good harvests. There was a drought, and most of the fields were overrun with pests. The Mortimers made Silas and put him in their field. That’s when everything changed.
Since then, we’ve been known as Silas Valley, and you know about our award-winning crops. ” She winks.
“Interesting,” I say.
“Our town loves our origin story. Hence, all the scarecrow decorations. It’s a nice way to honor our history—and Silas.”
A flash of something chilly passes through Ava’s eyes, but when she blinks it’s gone, all warmth now.
“So that’s that!” she chirps.
“It’s—well, it’s—”
“Too much?” She huffs a laugh.
I shrug. “It’s kind of fun. And I guess it makes sense—” I yawn before I can say more.
“I think that’s my queue to stop monopolizing your time. I’m sure you had a long day.”
I yawn again and nod. “I have.”
“You should get some rest.” She stands and I follow, throwing away my trash.
Ava walks me toward the exit of the festival, and she stops under the banner, facing me. “We have a small Halloween get-together tomorrow after dark for the locals. You should come. All my good friends will be there. I promise they won’t be as awkward as Mike and Olive.”
I mull it over for a few seconds. Ava does seem chill, and I’d like to make friends here.
“Sure, I’ll come. Should I wear a costume?”
“I’m glad you said something, you definitely should.”
“I’ll see what I can throw together.”
“You know,” she looks me up and down. “I have something that will look perfect on you. I’ll drop it off tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure I can find something.”
Excitement lights in her eyes and she bounces on her feet a bit. “Oh, it’s totally fine. I want to! And like I said, it will look killer on you.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
“Are you going to tell me what it is?”
“It will be a surprise!” Before I can respond she waves at me and walks away in the opposite direction of the entrance, calling over her shoulder, “It was nice to finally meet you, Harper.”
Then she’s gone in the crowd.