Like clockwork, Lori Haverford, the town’s most enthusiastic and downright nosy resident, spots a new face in town and I can see the moment she locks in on Smith. My cheeks ache from holding back a maniacal grin. “Oh, there she is.” I point across the room to the older woman, now parting the crowd like the Red Sea.
Lori Haverford is a born and bred Rosie and she’s proud of this town and the people in it. She might have an odd way ofshowing it, always in everyone else’s business, but the woman does care for the people here. In her own way, that is. There were many times this past winter that Sammie would vent to me about “that busybody” when Lori would inevitably show up unannounced to give her critique on her hard work.
“Cara.” Lori reaches out her hand to me before wrapping me in a hug. She must be in a good mood today because this is a rare greeting. Usually, it’s more of a quick, curt nod. “And who is this handsome young man?” Her whole focus is entirely on Smith.
Exactly like we planned.
“Smith,” he answers, offering his hand to her. “I’m a journalist fromThe Daily Press,here to write an article about Rose Prairie.”
And there it is.I may appear calm, cool, and collected, but inside I’m doing cartwheels.
Lori loves nothing more than talking about this town and Smith just offered her the biggest platform.
“You don’t say,” she gasps. “Isn’t this just wonderful?” She looks at me and I nod enthusiastically, knowing exactly where this will go. “Well, you’ve come to the right place, young man. How long are you here?” Her head tilts expectantly at Smith.
His blue eyes glance over at me. “Well, Cara was just telling me that you were wanting to meet me. I’m not sure how long we have.”
The smile I’ve been holding back slides across my face in a shit-eating grin. “He’s all yours.” She doesn’t hesitate to grab him by the arm and pull him through the crowd.
“So Smith,” I hear her say as she pulls him away. Smith cranes his neck over his shoulder to look at me, a dark strand of hair bouncing over his forehead, his eyes squinting suspiciously as I laugh.
There’s absolutely no chance that Smith is going to slip through her grasp anytime soon. If I know anything about Lori,it's that she would do anything for this town, and dragging a journalist whose job it is to listen while she rambles on emphatically about it? Shit, I kind of wish I was there to witness that brand of torture.
With a wicked grin, I snap a picture of Smith to send to June. My ex nods his head politely as he listens to Lori, but his gaze flickers over to me.
Those eyes? Burning. The blue flames blazing in them work to revive that nearly dying ember buried in my chest.
***
Something is calming about being in the coffee shop after it’s closed for the night. The stillness is peaceful. Most of my best thinking happens after the last customer leaves and there’s nothing and no one to distract me. Warm lights drift over the book section, the fairy lights twinkling, and the combination of the darkness coupled with the glow works to settle me.
But not enough it seems.
It’s the second time my newly formed book club is meeting and for some reason, I find myself more nervous now than I was last week. It was simple enough to rope June, Scarlet, and Mariah into joining. They’re my friends and it’s nice that they didn’t put up too much of a fight when I begged them to join. Especially when I told them we would be readingdirtybooks. But it’s everyone else who’s making me bounce anxiously in my seat. The paperback novel we’re reading flops against my knee with a dull thud as I try to get rid of the anxious energy.
The women gather around the snack table, chatting animatedly while they get their coffee and tea. Everyone brings something to contribute and from the looks of it, the cookies Scarlet brought are a hit.
What if they don’t like it?
Wendy, Elle, and Tiffany are my wildcards. We’ve known each other since we were in our middle school days, but they seemed a tad reserved when we picked our book. I know that Rose Prairie isn’t a big smut-loving crowd, but I’m hoping I can win them over.
As far as I know, there’s never been a romance book club in this tiny town. Not that I’m going to ask. The only person who would have any clue is Lori Haverford and there’sno wayI’m opening that can of worms.
The thought of Lori has me grinning like a villain. I’m positive Lori didn’t let Smith out of her sight, or earshot, until she told him the town's history, most likely paired with a lovely guided tour.
June catches my eye and gives a quirk of her brow, her lips pulling up in the corners with shared laughter. She knows exactly what’s going through my head right now. She’s the one who helped me plan it.
“It’s weird being back,” Scarlet says as I focus back on the group's conversation. “But Mom said she needed help, so here I am.” She blows a wayward strand of hair back from her face. She’s in the process of moving back and from the looks of her, she’s been busy today. Her brown hair is in messy space buns with loose strands dangling over her face.
Scarlet and her mother Barbara own Mama’s Cakes Bakery. They inherited it from her grandmother when she passed away. Scarlet, like most of us, needed time away from Rose Prairie, and her coming back to town has the rumor mill buzzing.
“If you need help, you know Barry can always come by.” Tiffany offers as she attempts to cool off her steaming mug of tea.
Scarlet gives her a polite smile. “Thanks, but I’ve got it. No point in getting help now that the truck’s unloaded.”
We chat for a bit longer before we finally settle on book talk. This right here is what I was nervous about. The particular book we picked out comes highly recommended by multiple book sites, and like Smith pointed out, the man on the cover is… enticing. We all agreed on this choice, but I’m unsure what the others will think. This book starts with a bang. Quite literally.
“This book is hot,” Wendy adds casually as she fans herself. “You might have ruined me for other books, Cara. Because damn.”
