“I tend to take that for granted.”
“Work in a bar for a while, and you’ll get acquainted with an entirely different set of smells.”
Maxie laughed.“No thanks.”
She’d take working with flowers any day, although it had its own drawbacks.She rubbed her thumb over the healing pricks on her finger.She was sure bartending was an exciting job, but even as a florist she never knew what the day would bring.Or who.
“Morning, Maxie.Looks like you’re about set up.”
She turned at the sound of her name, but nobody else was in the booth.She looked at Roxie questioningly, but knew she hadn’t been the one talking.
“Those yard ornaments are great.”
Lexie’s voice drifted through the tented booth’s walls.She’d volunteered to set up things outside.“Actually, I’m not—”
The visitor talked right over her.“I heard you were at the Iguana last night with Sheriff Ford.”
Oh no.Maxie recognized that voice.
Roxie tried to peek around the corner.“Oooh, this should be good.Lexie could totally pull off the triplet-switch thing.”
Maxie knew that.It was what had her worried.She wiped her hands on her apron and hurried to break up the conversation.Becky from the coffee shop was one of the town’s biggest gossips.
“You’re no fun,” Roxie called after her.
She had too many secrets to spill to consider having fun.
“Hi, Becky,” she called as she popped outside.The sun was still low enough on the horizon to make her squint, but she could see the back of her neighbor’s curly blonde head.“You’re here early.”
The woman turned, surprised to be interrupted.“Well, when you’re in the coffee game— Oh, hi.Maxie?”
She nodded.“Is your booth nearby?”
“Right over there.”Pointing, the barista found herself looking at Lexie again.Confusion settled onto her heart-shaped face.
It wasn’t the first time it had happened.People had been staring all morning, and it was bound to get worse once Park Art actually opened.
“This is Lexie,” Maxie said, stepping over to her lookalike’s side.
The lines of puzzlement on Becky’s forehead deepened, but then her eyes cleared.“Oh, you must be one of Zac’s cousins.”
Maxie’s jaw dropped.
“Once removed.”Lexie had a bemused smile on her face as she held out her hand.“It’s nice to meet you.I saw your shop.It’s cute.”
Becky shook her hand with enthusiasm, but her gaze kept darting back and forth between the two of them.“Martin said you had visitors in town.”
Yes, Shimwell would have.Maxie raked a hand through her hair.He and Becky were fast friends and, really, the two comprised the hub of Indigo Falls’ rumor mill.If one picked up a piece of fresh news, the other would have it as fast as the airwaves could carry it.She wondered how long it had taken Martin last night before he’d been on the phone texting.
Cousins.Sheesh.As if there wasn’t enough confusion already.
She took a wire butterfly from Lexie and stabbed its holder into the ground.She could hear Lexie fighting not to laugh.Still, a giggle escaped when she said goodbye and went into the booth with Roxie.The mirth only intensified when those two were together.
Catching Becky by the arm, Maxie pulled her farther away.
“Wow,” the coffee girl said, glancing over her shoulder.“What an amazing coincidence.”
One in five hundred thousand, actually, at least according to Wikipedia.It was one of the many things Maxie had learned yesterday when she’d been scouring old papers and skipping around the web.
