No one knows I’m here, right? I’m sure the town gossip has made its way around, but still. The only human I’ve had a decently long interaction with has been Knox.
Oh shit.Knox.
I swear to God, if that little prick is trying to scare me, I’m going to?—
“Ahh!” I yell when a head full of bright red hair pops out of nowhere. I hold out my screwdriver and squeeze my eyes closed.
“Shit. Emery, it’s me!” the stranger yells as I force my eyes open.
“Marie?” I ask, lowering my weapon.
“Yes,” she laughs, her eyes the same bright color of blue they were when we were teenagers, “I’m so sorry. I heard you were in town, and I decided to just pop in. I guess I should’ve called or reached out or—I’m an idiot. I should know better.”
“No,” I say, holding both hands up to stop her fromhyperventilating. “You’re fine. But I did think you were a ghost there for a second.”
Her eyes widen and she laughs again. “Could you imagine? It would be so cool if you had a ghost, though. Might drum up some business when you open.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I chuckle, my shoulders relaxing, “I’m sorry, I didn’t reach out when I got settled in. I promise I’m not a total ass; I’ve just been—well, you can see,” I say, gesturing to the mess around us.
“It’s fine,” Marie singsongs, putting her hands behind her back. “I just can’t believe I had to find out you were back from the gossip queens at the coffee shop this morning. They had a lot to say about you and a certain Honey Grove Casanova.”
I groan, falling back on a surprisingly clean chair. “I guess when I told you I was moving back here, I didn’t say when, huh?”
Marie steps deeper into the mess, carefully sidestepping an overflowing box of broken Polaroid cameras. “Nope. You were super mysterious about the timeline. Also, I thought you were bringing someone along.”
“Right,” I say, my jaw tightening. A few months ago, when I found out I inherited a free antique shop and an apartment, I was planning on moving here with Patrick.
At the time, it was perfect. He worked from home, and I needed a change of scenery. It also didn’t hurt that we could barely afford the shoebox we were living in anyway. But then he decided to come clean about the affair. He took a fresh start to a whole new level by blowing up our relationship.
I think part of him thought we could start over somewhere new. But unfortunately for him, I’m not into cheating assholes who think one slip-up is totally fine. Not to mention, his slip-up was way too close to home. What an idiot. Apparently, I had a type.
“We broke up,” is all I can manage to say, “and I had to delay the move a few more months, but I’m finally here.”
Her eyes narrow like she’s trying to assess whether to push for more details. Thankfully, Marie has always been good at judging my many moods and steers clear of the subject.
“Sounds like you got rid of some dead weight then,” she smiles and tilts her head in a knowing way, “and that explains why you were canoodling with Knox Cooke the other night.”
I wince. Canoodling? That sounds way worse than hooking up.
“I’m sorry to disappoint, but we weren’t doing anything. My truck broke down, and he gave me a ride back into town.”
Marie tips her chin toward me with an accusatory stare. She had front row seats to the first time he catapulted into my orbit, but I left town before she could get the full extent of my heartbreak.
“I’m telling the truth,” I defend with both hands braced in front of me. “I am not interested in starting things up again.”
“That’s probably for the best,” she says, a single finger skating across dusty cardboard boxes. “He hasn’t changed much since high school.”
“Oh, really?” I reply, trying to hold back the eager tone in my voice. I could hate a person, but still want to know every depraved detail about them.
“Yep,” Marie says with a glint in her eye. “He’s quite the man about town.”
“I think you’ve been spending too much time with the old ladies in the coffee shop.”
“Shit,” she says, pressing a palm to her forehead. “You’re totally right.”
“I think the phrase you’re looking for is man whore,” I correct her.
“Right.” Marie laughs, the small dimples on her cheeks poking out. “See! This is why it’s so great you’re living here now. I finally have someone who can keep me in check and stop me from doing weird shit like joining a knitting club.”
