“We were actually up in Maple Cove! We stayed at The Huffman House per your recommendation. It was amazing, so thanks for that!” Viv exclaims, picking up her cup and sticking her nose in it, moaning at the smell.
“Oh man, I haven’t been home in forever. I need to get up there. My mom keeps giving me crap for not visiting more. Did you guys stop by The Tavern? My mom, I’m sure you met her—Joanie—she owns it,” Claire says, hands wiping against her apron.
“Yes! Viv helped our team win trivia night last week. We had a blast.”
“Holy smokes, you knocked my mom off her trivia throne? I didn’t think that was possible.”
“We did! Cute town. Everyone up there is so nice.” I can’t help the twinge of sadness that seeps into my voice. In Maple Cove, everyone makes a point of knowing everyone. Here, I know so few people, and I’ve lived here my whole life. I think I prefer wanting toknowpeople.
“Yeah, it’s a great little town. I’m glad you enjoyed your stay! Okay, ladies, I've gotta get back to it. Enjoy, and welcome home.” She offers one more smile before stopping at another table to talk to the patron there.
Viv’s phone buzzes on the table, screen lighting up a text message bubble. “Cori is headed into the office. Let’s head out and get caught up on all the things.” Viv pulls her sunglasses from her bag and slides them onto her face. “Oh! Guess what?”
I stand too, grabbing my bag and coffee. “What?”
“My neighbor—you know, the one I’m bonking?”
“Bonking? Are you serious? What are you, fifteen?” I think maybe Rachel rubbed off on her.
She moves her glasses to the end of her nose, leveling me with her stare, then pushes them back up again. “His name isn’t Jim or John or any J name for that matter! It’sPaul!Paul! Who the hell would have ever guessed that?” She holds the door open for me.
“How on earth did you figure that out?”
“His mail was hanging out of the slot, so I snuck a peek. Paul!” She laughs to herself. “I did not see that coming.”
“Why the hell did you think it began with a J then?” I ask, pulling my own sunglasses on.
“Not a clue.”
Fifty
CRABBY PATTY
Luke
“Oh my goodness,smile!”Holly chides, exasperated.
“What the hell is this even for?” Irritation I can’t seem to control swims through my system.
“For our new Instagram account. Liv and Viv helped me set it up, and it’s been amazing for getting eyes on our bed-and-breakfast.”
She holds out her phone, scrolling through a series of images of the lake, the house, and a familiar orange cat. I dig my knuckles into my chest, an ache forming there.
“So, what you’re saying is, you need us—the two most handsome men in Maple Cove—to pose as bed-and-breakfast eye candy?” Josh raises his chin and then slants his head toward me. “I think we can make that happen. What do you say, Lukey?” He elbows me over and over.
“Stop being annoying.”
“Stop being a crabby patty.” Holly scoffs. “Just smile, would you? I’m going to post a series of photos of the staff here and brief descriptions. Liv and Viv said it’ll help people feel connected when they show up and see familiar faces. Please just do this for me?” She turns on her puppy face.
Dammit, I can’t resist the puppy face.
“Fine.”
“That’s the spirit!” Josh throws his arm around my shoulder and smiles wide. I slip my hands into the pockets of my shorts and smile at my baby sister, who snaps a million pictures before finally releasing us to do our jobs.
“Bro, seriously, what’s your deal? Woke up on the wrong side of the bed again? You’ve been in a bad mood for days now. What the hell?” Josh pulls at my shoulder, halting my progress out of the house.
“I’m fine! Let it go,” I say, immediately regretting it. “I’m fine. I’m sorry.”
