Maybe tomorrow morning I’d stop by Chapter & Crumb. Just to pick up one of those rolls. For Maggie.
That was the excuse I told myself, anyway.
I wouldn’t stop by just to see Lila.
6
Lila
By the time we made it to The Public House that night, my reputation as a competent adult had gone extinct along with the dinosaurs.
Sage and Chloe werethrilled.
“I still can’t believe you actually wore that thing,” Chloe said, half-laughing into her cider. “In public. With witnesses.”
“It was supposed to be fun!” I protested, grabbing a fry from the basket between us. “The big reveal for book club.Jurassic Parkmonth! It was thematic and creative and?—”
“—and hilarious,” Sage finished, smirking. “Especially when you tackled our brother in front of half the town.”
I groaned. “Please don’t remind me. I wanted to crawl into the nearest fern and die.”
Chloe wiggled her eyebrows. “I mean, if you weregoing to fall for someone, Easton’s not the worst landing pad.”
“That’s yourbrother!” I hissed, blushing clear to the roots of my hair. “You’re supposed to be horrified, not matchmaking!”
Sage grinned, unrepentant. “We’ve been trying to get him to lighten up. You might’ve accomplished more in five seconds than we’ve managed in five years.”
“Yeah,” I muttered, taking a sip of my drink. “By embarrassing myself in front of the entire shop, and the whole book club. Not to mention your brother who no doubt believes that I need psychiatric help.” There was no doubt Easton Holt was wondering if I was a little bit crazy.
“Oh, come on,” Chloe said, leaning forward. “He caught you. That’s practically a meet-cute.”
“It was a concussion waiting to happen.” Still, it hadn’t been my fault the zipper had caught. Well, I had been pushing it with that cheap suit. I needed a new one. I chewed the inside of my cheek.
They both laughed. I couldn’t help joining in, though my cheeks still burned. The Public House was cozy tonight. It was all full of familiar noise, a country song playing softly near the bar, and there was the smell of wings. And I had my girls.
For a few minutes, I forgot about the dinosaur suit and the way Easton Holt’s arms had felt steady around me, even if he was scowly.
We talked about my book club plans, Sage’s shop, and the doctors at the clinic where Chloe worked in Alder Valley. It was an easy rhythm—one that came from yearsof friendship and surviving the ups and downs of small-town life together.
Until the air shifted, and I felt a weird prickle at the back of my neck. Someone was watching me.
At the far end of the bar, a man sat alone, nursing a beer. Older, ball cap pulled low. He wasn’t talking, wasn’t even pretending to glance away when I caught his gaze. His stare was flat, steady, invasive.
I forced my attention back to the table, voice a shade too bright. “Anyway, if one of you could make sure I’m buried in something dignified if that video circulates again, I’d appreciate it.”
Chloe’s eyes widened. “There’s video?”
“Maybe,” I teased, sliding out of the booth. “Hey, I’m going to head home before I fall asleep sitting up. You two stay and order another round. I’m going to get going. I’ve got an early bake day tomorrow.”
“You sure?” Sage asked, worry flickering in her eyes. “It’s late. We can wait and walk back together.”
“It’s only a few blocks,” I said, smiling like I meant it, trying not to glance over at the bar. “And I’ve survived wilder things today. Like the T-Rex suit debacle.”
That drew another laugh, and I waved them off, pulling on my coat as I stepped outside. Wildwood Meadows at night was peaceful, with streetlights glowing like small lanterns and the smell of rain on asphalt.
Halfway down the block, I heard it. An engine. Low and steady, creeping along behind me. I told myself not to be ridiculous. People drove down Main Street all the time.
Except it wasn’t passing.
