Chapter One
PRESLEY
“Order up!”
Betty beckons from the kitchen window.
Two steaming plates of fries, onion rings, and burgers await me. Arranging the plates on my arm with ease, I maneuver my way through the tables to drop off the food.
“Let me know if I can get you anything else.” I smile at the patrons as they eagerly dig in to their food.
A muffledthank youis said as I move on to the next group.
The Hash ’N Hop is the place to be. It’s Pinecrest’s most popular restaurant. And with that comes all of the more colorful townspeople.
Including the one that just walked in the door. I groan, watching as she makes herself comfortable in the booth by the window.
“Your turn,” Rylee says with a knowing smile, standing next to me.
“Didn’t I help her last week?”
“No. Because she told me that I was going to get attacked by a bear when I went hiking.”
I eye her up and down. “She’s usually not that specific. But you do look pretty good for a bear attack.”
“Don’t I know it?” She slaps my order pad into the center of my chest. “Which means you’re up, Pres.”
“Ugh. Fine.”
I grab the tickets and walk over to the table. Lace fabric is spread over the Formica top with fake candles sitting on it. One large, clear crystal completes her usual setup.
“Hey, Serena,” I greet her.
Shifting the purple, gold-trimmed shawl on her shoulders, she turns her gaze, hidden behind large, thick black glasses, to meet mine. Her hair is a wild mess of curls.
“Presley. How are you?”
Her voice carries the same ethereal tone it always does.
“I’m good. How are you?”
I stuff my order pad into the front pocket of my apron and cross my arms.
“Waiting to see what the fortunes tell me about you,” she replies.
“Oh, yeah?” I prop my hip against the side of the booth.
She nods. “Yes. It seems they are very chatty when it comes to you.”
“Aren’t they always?”
She casts an annoyed eye my direction. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this, and I know it won’t be the last.
Two weeks ago, she told me to be on the lookout for something that would hit me in the face. Before that? It was to watch out for snakes.
I always take what she says with a grain of salt.
“I think you’ll want to hear what I have to say.”
