We walked up the block, heading toward Vittles. Down the street, I could see people setting up for another Easter event.
“You guys really go all out for this holiday,” I said.
“Yeah, it’s awesome. It was a pretty simple tradition when I was a kid. All they had was the Easter Egg Hunt in town square on Easter Sunday. But over the years, it just keeps growing. They added the bake-off, and that was an instant hit, even though it’s resulted in more than one blood feud.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “This town is crazy but I love it.”
“You say that, but you were one of the judges this year.” Jake grimaced. “I promise you have at least one mortal enemy who feels like you passed them over.”
“Well, let’s hope it’s a blue-haired little old lady then. Someone I can outrun at a brisk walk.”
We got to Vittles and grabbed a couple of beers. Jake asked me about the Ronnie deal, and I told him the truth: I just liked the cheese. So I was putting my money where my mouth was.
Jake got quiet as he seemed to process the information. “You know, Allory investing in farms around here hasn’t turned out well in the past. This sounds like a square deal with Ronnie, but people might get salty.”
“Maybe I’ll be a silent partner.” I sipped my beer. “So how do you like living in Ferris? Did you ever think about hitting the road and setting down roots somewhere else?”
Jake shook his head. “Lila and I go out in the city now and again, but we couldn’t do it full-time. Life is peaceful here, usually. I grew up here. I know all my neighbors. I even like some of them.”
I grinned. “I don’t think I know a single one of my neighbors back home.”
“LA seems unnecessarily huge. The idea of sitting in that traffic? No thanks.” He tapped his bottle with his finger. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure it’s great for you, living the high life.”
“It’s not all bad,” I said with a shrug. “But it’s not all good.”
“Yeah, but I guess that’s true of everywhere. Live wherever you’re happy. That’s what I say.”
“Cheers to that,” I said, clinking my bottle against his.
Jake sat up. “Oh, man, I just remembered. I have big news for you.”
“For me specifically?” I asked, frowning.
“Yeah, guess who’s back in town?”
I shook my head in confusion, wondering how I could possibly know who he was referring to. Then it clicked. “Shane?”
“You got it in one.” Jake laughed. “You might finally get your car fixed yet.”
“I think I had given up hope. I barely even remembered my car was in the shop. That’s great news.”
“I know you’re going to miss Tyler’s truck,” Jake said.
We had two beers apiece before asking for the check. They had hit the spot. It was a nice punctuation mark to an emotional rollercoaster of a day. I’d started the morning walking through the ashes of Shelby’s old life, feeling terrible about how all that had played out. But the day had ended on a victory with the Ronnie deal, and the beers were nice. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone out for a beer with a friend.
Jake insisted on paying, and after some back and forth, I let him. He convinced me by saying he would tell everyone he bought a billionaire a beer. That was fair enough.
We left the bar and headed back toward the feed store. We looped around so that we passed the town square. My eyes went to Mrs. Presley’s B&B. To my surprise, Shelby’s van was parked outside of Honeyrose House.
“Thanks for the beers, Jake. I’m buying next time.”
“In that case, let’s get steaks.”
“Just tell me when,” I said, my feet already taking me toward the B&B. “I need to go check on something.”
Jake’s eyes landed on Shelby’s van and he nodded with a little smile. “You do that. And don’t break my friend’s heart, okay? I’m just starting to like you.”
“I’m trying.” My walk turned into a light jog, eating up the distance between Shelby and me.
