She laughs. “That’s a new one. I’ll make you the state beverage.”
I slide onto a stool and pull out my credit card.
Glass clinks as Renee works, and in short order, I have a short tumbler in front of me, full to the brim with dark orange liquid, garnished with a citrus wedge and two cherries.
“This is the most Wisconsin mixed drink there is: a brandy Old Fashioned,” she says with a wink.
She watches me intently as I grab the glass and take a sniff. Bitter orange peel, a little fresh fizz, and the bite of sweet alcohol. I take a sip and am pleasantly surprised to find the taste matches the smell. She smiles at my shift in expression.
“Tasty, right? We put a little light soda in it to sweeten it up, and the carbonation helps you get tipsy faster.”
“Good thing I’m already home for the night,” I say, then take another drink.
She snorts and then takes my credit card to the register. “We got a queen with a lake view open, sound good?”
I nod. “As long as you don’t mind a bit of orange fur on the duvet.”
She blows a raspberry. “It’s probably seen worse.”
I get a momentary ick, and push it down. It is a very small town, and this is—as she said—The Only Stop. She probably means dogs…and sex. Maybe racoons?
I’m going to stop thinking about it.
I drink my beverage and Renee chats about all the events coming up in the area. The little town just north of us will host a Bloom festival on June first, and a town just south will have a big July 4thcelebration, with boats loaded with fireworks to shoot off over the lake. She speaks so animatedly, and with such heart, I can tell she loves her town dearly, and it gives me hope that I will, too.
This is just the restart I’ve been looking for, and lizard problem be damned, I’m going to make the most of it.
Time for the next chapter of my life to begin.
six
Oh No! There’s a Dragon in my Bookshop
My grip is tight on the pink bottle of mace as I stare at the back door of my shop. It’s still locked up, and there aren’t any holes chewed in it, so I know the beast is probably still in there.
Renee offered to watch Oscar for me until the situation was resolved, and though I don’t know her well, Oscar cozied right up to her. I trust his judgement more than my own, honestly.
“Okay, we’ve got this,” I peptalk myself into getting out, but I don’t.
“It’s just a lizard. You are a full-grown woman with mace. Get out and go take care of it.”
I growl and put my hand on the door handle.
“The worst that can happen is it’ll bite you. Oscar has bitten you before, little jerk…”
Nerves batter my stomach and make my heart pound.
“It’s just a little lizard for fuck’s sake!”
I throw open the door and toss myself from the car, then slam it closed behind me. The gravel crunches under my boots as I march toward the door, keys in one hand and mace in the other. It unlocks easily and I put my keys in my skirt pocket before opening the door, keeping the mace poised at ankle height.
The hinges whine a little, adding to the drama that’s making my gut tense. There’s no lizard waiting for me on the other side. I take a tentative step in and look right toward the stairs, then left. There’s nothing.
Hold on a second…
There’snothing.
I run to the desk where I’d left my special editions and gasp at its emptiness.
