She walked back to her cottage, trailing wilting flowers behind her like sad confetti. The music from next door had, mercifully, been turned down to a more reasonable volume. She could still hear it though, angry guitar riffs that seemed to match her neighbor's personality perfectly.
It's fine,she told herself firmly, setting the basket on her kitchen counter and staring at it.It's just a bad start. Once she settles in, everything will be fine. We'll laugh about this. Probably. Eventually.
The lemon biscuits stared back at her, looking disappointed.
"It'll be fine," she said out loud to her empty kitchen. "Everything will be absolutely fine."
Except now she had to live next door to someone who probably thought she was a deranged stalker.
Her phone rang just as she was putting the jam back in the fridge.
"Met the neighbor yet?" Lily asked.
"Sort of," hazarded Annabelle.
"So? What's she like? Our own village rockstar."
"I've only just met her."
"And?"
Annabelle groaned. "It was a disaster."
"Can't have been that bad."
"Lily, I walked in on her. Right out of the shower. Completely naked."
There was a long, long silence.
Then Lily started laughing. She laughed so hard that Annabelle was pretty sure that she dropped the phone. At least it was a minute before she could speak properly.
"It's not funny."
"It's absolutely hilarious," Lily gasped. "Oh my God, Annabelle. Only you."
"I knocked. Multiple times. The door just opened."
"And you thought that was an invitation to walk inside?"
"The music was very loud!"
Lily sighed. "What did she say?"
"She called me a lunatic. And asked if I thought it was funny. And refused my welcome basket."
"That’s uncalled for," Lily said loyally.
"That’s what I thought." Annabelle sat up straighter. "Still though, it’ll all be better in the morning, I’m sure. These things happen, don’t they?"
"Only to you," Lily said.
"It'll be fine," she said, more to herself than to Lily. "Once she settles in, we'll laugh about this."
And this time, she really was starting to believe it.
Chapter Four
The bathroom incident was still replaying in Raven's head like a cursed gif.
