“The sun’s already moved, so it doesn’t look as interesting. Here, let me show you.” The woman shifted to the bench and flipped through the photos she’d taken. “Here.” She handed me her camera and I saw that same spiderweb literally in a totally different light. “It’s an orb spiderweb,” she said by way of explanation. “You can tell by how tightly constructed the design is.”
Dew drops dangled from the web like tiny crystals casting the orbital web in a kaleidoscope of colors. “Oh! That’s gorgeous. But how on earth did you find it?”
“Tripping over my own feet,” she said, dusting the debris off her jeans. “Although, some of the best photos are taken at lower angles. I’m Zoe, by the way. Zoe Wilson. Well, Cafferty now.”
“Oh, Josh’s wife? You’re the photographer that Aurora can’t stop talking about. She showed me the photos you took of her toddlers. They’re fantastic.”
Zoe gave a quick nod and pushed her hair behind her ears. “That’s me. I’m actually a web designer and coder by profession, but some of the local businesses hire me to take their photos, and I’ve done some portrait packages here and there. It’s fun and I enjoy it. You must be the one filling in for Sue at the diner. How do you like living in Poplar Springs?”
I swallowed hard and handed her back the camera. “I’m actually from here originally, but I moved to Austin for school and I’m back. Temporarily.” I had no idea why it was important she know I wasn’t staying but it was out of my mouth before I could stop it.
She took the camera back, smiling brightly. “I get it. I left town as soon as I could, too. I came back when I needed a place to stay and in exchange, I redid Lost Valley Ranch’s website. Oh, that’s a gorgeous tattoo.” She pointed to the bird on my arm. “Did you get that in Austin?”
“Technically, yes,” I said with a smile. “I designed it.”
“You did? Can I take a pic of it?” I held my arm out for her and she took pictures from different angles before showing me the results. “I’m amazed at how the bird seems ready to fly off your arm. How did you do that?”
Zoe’s enthusiasm was contagious and we talked about art and drawing. Turned out she was a senior when I was a freshman at Pop High, which explained why she seemed only faintly familiar. We ended up walking around and she pointed out all the little things about the buildings and the trees that caught her attention. It was a great way to spend the afternoon and it felt incredible to hang out with another artist. With the way my parents always belittled my love for drawing, it was nice knowing that I wasn’t alone in this town. I couldn’t help keying in on how similar our stories were.
“So will you be taking photos during the rodeo?”
“Sort of,” Zoe said and I saw her shoulders tense. “This is where I admit to having a fear of horses—and any other overly large animals that can crush your bones with the stomp of a foot.”
“Ouch. Did that happen to you?” I was comfortable on horseback and never had an issue with the cattle that sometimes broke loose around here, but then I’d never been injured by them, either.
“I got thrown and broke my arm as a kid when the horse I was on got startled. It took me years to not panic and run every time there was a horse nearby,” she said. “I’m a lot better now and actually have my own horse that I ride as much as possible but…” She waved in the general direction of where the rodeo would be. “That’ll be too much for me. I’ve got drone duty and anything I can shoot from a distance or away from the livestock.”
We crossed the street, headed back to where I first met her. Brian’s SUV slowed to a stop beside us. “Sorry to interrupt, ladies. I just wanted to say, I won’t be around for dinner tonight,” he told me before saying hi to Zoe.
“That’s fine,” I assured him. “I’m filling in for one of the servers tonight. Should I bring something back for you to eat later?”
Brian pushed his hat back on his head. “That’d be great. I’ve been craving some of Marc’s spicy fried chicken.”
I nodded in agreement. “Hopefully, there’ll be some cobbler left too. We’ve been selling out because it’s so damn good.”
We both watched Brian leave, then she asked the question I’d been dreading. “So, you and the sheriff?”
Strangely, it didn’t feel as intrusive as I’d expected but I still wanted to give a neutral answer. Brian and I were friends and temporary housemates. Nothing more. “The apartment I’d planned to rent from Aurora got flooded, so Brian rented his guest room to me.” That was the truth, even though Aurora wasdeducting the rent from my paychecks, so I wasn’t technically paying him myself.
“That sounds like him,” Zoe said, not keying into my discomfort. “Brian’s a nice guy. All the Thornes are.” I nodded my agreement.
Zoe had to go, but we exchanged numbers and promising to get together again. After that, I headed back to Bite and Brew. It was still early, but I could get started restocking supplies and helping out with the dinner prep. Across the street, I could see where Brian parked his SUV in front of the sheriff’s station and was now leaning against the hood talking to one of the deputies.
Thinking about what Zoe said about angles and positioning, I pulled my phone out, launched the camera app, dropped into a crouch, and took a pic of Brian. Even though he looked relaxed, from the way he was holding his shoulders, the conversation was serious. But then, he tilted his head back and laughed and I was quick to take snapshots of that, too. Standing, I checked them and was surprised at how good they looked. From the angle I chose, the shadows were reduced and he looked so handsome.
On a whim, I texted them to Zoe.What do you think, new profile photo for the town’s website?Zoe sent back a series of emojis that I deciphered with a grin on my face. Brian finally saw me still standing there and I waved before heading into the diner.
While Zoe and I had a similar experience in terms of what brought us back to town, I wasn’t planning on sticking around. My new friend might enjoy her happily ever after with her very own cowboy, but my life was in Austin. It was easy enough to remember when my mother’s friends were sneering at me for some imagined slight. But it was that much harder when I met the kind of people that made Poplar Springs so charming.
When the time came to leave, it was going to be much harder than I expected—and I had no idea what to make of that.
TEN
BRIAN
Igave Aurora a wave as I entered the diner a week later. My eyes scanned the restaurant for Caitlin, but she was nowhere to be seen. She was at work, though. I knew she’d left early that morning.
With the rodeo only a week away, I was working even longer hours than usual, so I only saw her briefly in the morning and some evenings when I’d find her watching television in my living room. We’d speak a few polite words about our days and that was it. I didn’t love that, but I could live with it because it seemed to be what Caitlin wanted.
