“Want to stop here?” Brooks asked as we approached. “Gargoyle’s Horde?”
“Sure.” We walked in, and my mouth dropped. Every wall was covered in games, comics, plushies, figurines, and card collections. There were tables in the middle for people to play games if they wanted.
“Hey, Brooks,” the woman behind the counter said. She was pretty, with long brown hair and a short stature. She had kind round eyes that made me feel welcomed.
“Hey, Gwen. This is my auditor, Sydney.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said with a wave.
“What can I help you with?” Gwen asked.
“Just came to say hi. Sydney wanted to see the store.”
“It’s lovely,” I commented, and I meant it. I could spend hours perusing the comic section alone.
“Well, take your time and let me know if you have any questions.”
I nodded and began working my way around. I checked out the comics first before I made it to the games. Though I didn’t play much, I did enjoy strategy games.
When we got to the plushies, they were all super cute, but I spotted one that made me pause. It was a little golden retriever. While I liked dogs, I’d never had one, but when I looked at it, it reminded me of Brooks in a strange way.
“Do you like that one?” he asked.
I jumped and bit my lip as I realized he was behind me. There was no way he could know what I was thinking, but it made me flustered all the same.
“Yeah, it’s cute.”
He picked it up and looked at it, and this time I couldn’t help the giggle that left me. “What are you doing?”
“We’re getting it, aren’t we?”
“We don’t have to,” I said. “I just thought it was cute.”
“Well, that’s a good enough reason for me.”
“You really need to stop buying me stuff. People might get the wrong impression.”
“I don’t care what others think. Only what you do.”
He took it over to the counter, and I was left there with warm cheeks.
We left after that. I felt like I was seeing lots of pieces to lots of people’s lives that I usually wouldn’t. In the city, things tended to stay private, and people kept to themselves. I didn’t even know my neighbor’s name, much less what they looked like. I knew next to nothing about my co-workers. Even Matilda, who I just shared a four-hour drive with… I didn’t even know her birthday.
Yet in Hallow’s Cove I felt like I wanted to know people, and everyone seemed interested in getting to know me. It wasn’t something I’d ever experienced before, but I found that I might enjoy it a little.
We made it back to the truck and drove back down to the farm. The sun was closer to setting than I realized, and looking at the clock, it was already almost four.
We’d wasted almost an entire day, and I had that sinking feeling like I’d done something wrong. I always tried to be on top of my work, to excel at what I did, but it felt easy to get distracted by things here.
And by the man who went out of his way to show me everything.
We pulled back up to his house and took everything inside. I realized we had picked up a lot, but I packed light, so I thought it would fit in my suitcase.
I went back to the spare room to change into the clothes we got. The jeans were worn and slightly large, and the flannel was so big I had to tie it at the bottom instead of just buttoning it.
Thinking about being in a field made me realize I should probably put my hair up, so I did just that with a claw clip.
I picked up my camera and my tablet, along with the sample bag, and went to the living room.
