“If you’re leaving, what’s the plan with Arlo?” Autumn asks, and once again, she throws me for a loop. She’s tough as nails, and her voice carries like a shotgun. “Test-driving the men in Silent Springs before moving on?”
“Is this an interrogation?” She makes me uncomfortable, and yet I know she isn’t wrong. If the roles were reversed, I’d feel the same way about someone being interested in my brother.
Who is also coming here for Thanksgiving.
“Do you want it to be?” Autumn counters.
“Ladies, put a cap in it.” Kenzie flutters her hands. “I’ve had enough of this small town today, so don’t make it worse. And Autumn, what the heck does it matter? You jump on any stranger coming through this town and ride him for a few days before going back to your bar. Little miss commitment-phobe.”
“Fine.” Autumn crosses her arms and sits back with a defiant expression on her face, telling me this isn’t over.
Look at me making friends.
I glance at Bloom, who avoids my gaze.
Best friends.
“So, back to the library,” Bloom begins. “I hear you are bringing back story time.”
“When?” Paris sits up, her eyes wide and more energized than the entire time I’ve been here. “How long? Will you take my child? Take. Him!”
That explains the frazzled mom look. I try to casually glance at her hand, but there’s no ring, and I swear she sees it. “Wednesdays. I’m thinking midmorning before nap time?” I form it as a question, because I hadn’t really thought about the time yet.
“Perfect!” She bounces in her seat.
“I buried Paris’ husband behind the B&B,” Autumn remarks, and I swear she says it to be funny, but it comes out hard, as though she put him there herself. She also terrifies me.
I have so many questions. Like, is this perfect little town hiding serial killers? For some reason, that makes sense.
“Autumn!” Bloom hisses, her perfect princess mask falling.
Oh, I need a conversation change.
“She didn’t kill him, you know,” Paris adds, resting her chin in her palm, tapping her crooked and broken nails against her chin. “He died by falling off a swing.”
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say he did not, in fact, die by falling off a swing and Paris does not want to talk about it.
“So, Bloom.” I turn to her, trying to dissolve the tension in the air. “Why Bloom?”
“Arlo put you up to that, didn’t he?” Her crystalline eyes shimmer with love and a small pang pierces my heart. “He gave it to me.” Her rosy cheeks flush further as she glances away.
“Oh.” That’s all I’ve got, and I still didn’t get an answer.
“He gave it to her when we were tots,” Autumn explains, her voice softening for once—probably because she isn’t looking at me. “Her birthday is in the spring. I mean, there isn’t a hugestory behind it.” She dismisses the notion with a flutter of her fingers.
Bloom, Bridget, whatever she wants me to call her, squints at Autumn. “I will have you know he calls me Bloom because our first kiss was under a blooming cherry blossom tree on my birthday.”
“Bloom. Settle.” Kenzie sips her drink again. “If I knew I’d have to keep working, I’d be at home with my Netflix subscription, chilling with myself.”
“Did you just insinuate—” Paris begins.
Autumn cuts her off. “She did.”
“Am I wrong?” Kenzie asks while chewing.
“Let’s start over.” Bloom clears her throat before turning to me. “Welcome to Monday night, Wren. I hope your stay here is more welcoming than we are.”
“Thanks,” I say, but I don’t feel that word, because she insinuated I’m not staying.
