Page 6 of Snatched By the Scarecrow

“And you think I’m cool?”

“I mean, aren’t you?”

I laugh. “I guess I can be.”

“I looked you up when you applied for the place, you’re cool.”

My pulse thumps faster. “You did?”

“It’s how I knew what you looked like.”

“I didn’t even think of that,” I say. “I was just happy to be saved from Mike and Olive.”She wets her lips. “I know it sounds kind of creepy, but it was just run of the mill landlord stuff. I ran your credit report, of course, but I did a general search. I saw your social media.”

For a second I think she means my work handle @HarlowHex—a name I made up when I drank too much wine and watched Practical Magic one too many times. But there’s no way she could have easily found that. I don’t attach my real name to it or my face.

I clear my throat. “Oh?”

“Yeah! Sorry, again. It wasn’t supposed to be stalkerish. Only to see if you would be a good fit as a renter. We have a lot of the same tastes in music, and it seems like food, too.” She eyes my half-eaten corn dog before looking back at me. “I’ve also got some tattoos. Though you can’t see them in this outfit.”

I shift in my seat. “And those are important qualities you require of your renters?”

She huffs a laugh. “No! Selfishly, I wanted someone who I thought I could get along with. And it made me feel like I could trust you to treat the old place right. The last renter left it a mess, and I had to replace some flooring. It took me nearly a year to make it right.”

“That’s awful.”

“It really was. So, you can see why I wanted to be cautious about who I allowed in. I can’t trust just anyone with a historic house.”

“Historic?”

“Oh yes! The town’s founding family, the Mortimers, it was their home.”

“Seriously?”

“Yep.”

“And you don’t want to preserve it?”

She shrugs. “They wanted people to continue to enjoy the home and the fruits of their land. Or at least, that’s what my family says.”

“Are you related to them? Are you the mayor or something too?”

She laughs. “No, no. Nothing like that. I got tasked with taking care of the house after the last person who did it passed away.”

Tingles work up my spine, and I look behind me. There’s nothing there, just another scarecrow decoration on the side of a tent.

I crumple up my wrapper. “Ava, can I ask you about the scarecrows? I came to this festival once when I was a kid and I remember them being used as decor, but is it like a mascot or something?”

Her eyebrows shoot to her forehead. “You’ve been here before?”

“When I was twelve.”

“And you wanted to come back?”

“Does that mean you don’t like it here?”

She shakes her head. “No, no, I love my town. But it’s not for everyone. It’s more of a place you visit for a few days.”

“I’m hoping I stay longer than that. I really loved it when I was a kid, and I’ve always felt drawn to come back.”