"You've had three," Nicky shouts back from behind the display of baked goods. I've been hanging out here because my own home has turned into a brothel. My brother and I moved out for a few months, and our parents reverted back to teenagers.
It's disgustingly adorable. More than that, it's a reminder that I am still single and now back in New Hope with no prospects of a relationship in sight. Even Brandon here has found love. He’s getting married in a few months.
"I don't need this cookie judgment." I need a sugar high right now. New Hope is big on holidays and celebrating them, andlove is now in the air with Valentine’s Day around the corner. These cookies are very needed at the moment.
"Says the judgy one," Brandon smirks.
"I'm not judgy; I'm gossipy, okay?" Which I need to catch up on. I’ll need to swing by Kindred’s. That is the fastest way to catch up on New Hope’s gossip. She is the all-knowing, powerful one in this town. I’ve looked up to her since I was a kid. She’s a huge sweetheart who would give you the shirt off her back but would also douse you in glitter if you did her dirty.
I was in the city for almost a year to finish school. It's a few hours away, and it wasn't always easy to come back home, and to say I was homesick was an understatement. This place becomes a part of you.
"Did you get a boob job and not tell me?" Katherine, my childhood best friend, asks, dropping down in the chair across from mine.
“It's the bra, and you know it.” I am tiny all around, but a good push-up bra can do wonders.
“If I had pictures that I looked this good in, I'd encourage a smear campaign."
“I should probably delete the account, but sometimes the tea is so good there when people slide into my DMs looking to catch their partner being disloyal.”
The first thing I always tell them before I agree to do it isIf you feel the need to test him, maybe you shouldn't be with him to begin with. He must be doing things that are raising red flags in your mind.
“I didn’t come to only talk about your tits.” A few people flick a glance our way, not locals. The bakery is a hot spot for tourists. It’s not only the sugary sweets. It's the hot chocolate that everyone is always craving.
“Would you rather we talk about yours?”
Katherine grabs her boobs. “What’s wrong with mine?”
“Nothing.” I laugh. Brandon walks by, placing the cookie down on the table before slipping out of the bakery. I pick it up and break it, giving half to Katherine.
"Thanks, I need this after what I overheard."
"Overheard?"
"All right, I might have been listening extra hard to the mayor and sheriff talking. It's not my fault their voices carry."
"You're right. It's not your fault." I nod in agreement. "What's going on? Did someone steal Mittens again?" Mittens is the local town cat that everyone is always trying to adopt.
Mittens is from the streets, but if she goes missing for a few days, people start to panic. There is a search party for her every other month. I'm pretty sure she does it on purpose because she's dramatic. She wants to keep everyone on their toes and remind us she's in charge.
Katherine leans towards me, dropping her voice. I lean in too. “There are talks about a ski resort being built.”
“What?” I jerk back, already shaking my head no.
New Hope has gone to great lengths to keep any big companies out of here. Ifwewanted a ski resort, there would be one because we would have done it ourselves, and there would have been a giant-ass town meeting and a vote. That means it's an outsider who’s trying to commercialize our town.
"I know, I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't heard it for myself."
"All right." I take a breath, trying not to overreact. It's something I have been working on with my therapist, but she did quit on me, so maybe I don't need to work on it anymore. “Let me poke around.” My mind is already going in a million different directions.
“What?” Katherine asks, knowing me far too well. It’s annoying, and I have missed the hell out of it and her.
"It can't be Biff, right?"
"Whoa, you think he'd go that far?! That's insane." I might not have been too far off with my joke about him being obsessed with me if it is him.
"The man is mega rich. If I were at that wealthy level, a pettiness for revenge would be unstable." I don't want to think of things I might be able to do.
"Oh God." A gasp leaves her. "We'd end up in jail."
