I’ve never seen eyes bulge like that. I’ve also never seen a set of irises so green. In the few moments before she shape shifted into her dragon form, I thought she was quite cute. Hard to look away from. Red curls under a bandanna, fair skin, wide-set doe eyes and petite features dusted in flour.
Then she opened her mouth.
Bit of an odd duck, to be sure, and she confirmed my ongoing conclusion about humanity. The happy little town is full of depressed, grumpy…what was the ridiculous insult she came up with? Jerkholes. Class Action Jerkhole. I’ve since puzzled out she must’ve meant Class A? And jerkoff? Or Asshole?
No matter.
My point stands; underneath, the town is full ofjerkholes,just like the rest of the developed western world. People are, categorically, horrible.
Still…the actual land…if you imagine it without all the buildings and trappings, silly gazebo and townspeople and such…it’s gorgeous. I scroll through images and maps as the plane barrels on. I get the familiar itch to dig further.
I pull up listings, tax information, reports. I open another tab and start a spreadsheet without even realizing what I’m doing. I run some conservative numbers. Adjust. Calculate again. Ballpark. A rough idea. I consider all the puzzle pieces I’ve got on the board currently, strategies across the US like a game of Risk.
I loved that game as a kid.
And who would have thought Juniper Falls could be my last offensive in the Northeast. My final move. The nail in the coffin of my adversary…
Just in need of some TLC.
Indeed.
CHAPTER 1
Harper
“More?” Lily gasps. “You didmorethan last year?”
“I did. We had painted signs around town, DJ passed out fliers and stood on the corner in a cupid costume. And I added a second Photo Booth area and multiple new items on the Valentine’s Menu. It helped, but still didn’t get me in the black.”
She exhales a long breath, then bounces back.
“Why don’t you reach out to the billionaires again?” My sister asks shamelessly.
I wince, “Can you not call them that? This is Janie we’re talking about.”
“Exactly, your childhoodbest friend.She’s seen your record books. Tell her you need help,” Lily explains, as if it’s that simple. My older sister is a force to be reckoned with. She’d probably have The Roasted Chestnut franchised and making Panera nervous by now, if she was in charge. If she hadn’t left. Just like ev…
Nope! You’re blooming, here, Harper!
“She already helped,” I try.
“She adjusted your profit margins from failing to almost failing, sis. You need more help than that.”Then why don’t you come give it to me?!She asks, “Did all of their PR stunts for their big fake marriage help the town?”
I gulp, “Not really. We didn’t realize we were on death’s doorjamb before the holidays, and they gave us a bump to just stay afloat through the holidays.”
“Doorstep.And Yikes.” Lily grimaces, I think, on the other end. She gets it, having lived here her whole childhood, just like me. The holidays are all Juniper Falls has. The rest of the year we’re basically a ghost city.
“Yeah, well, thanks for listening!” I wrap up the call with false cheer. I have to exit my car and enter the building in front of me at some point. I normally enjoy a town council meeting but this one is an emergency session. I foolishly hoped that a call to my super smart sister might hold some miracle cure for us, for the town. But she’s just been away too long now. I think she’s crossed over from townie to city folk. I’m not sure if I’m sad, happy or jealous about that.
Knock!
Blue-ish hair, bright eyes and a deeply frowning, disturbingly pale forehead appear beside my window. Aunt Bobbie.
“You comin’ in or you gonna lollygag out here till the meeting is over?” she grouses. She’s as lovely as ever tonight.
I smile in response and tell my sister, “Been caught by the aunts, gotta go inside now.”
“Okay, hang in there! You guys will figure something out!” She says as I mumble a goodbye and quickly stow my phone. Aunt Bobbie, and her almost-equally-grumpy best friend Aunt Kim, behind her, will just stand and keep knocking if I don’t hurry up.
