Page 2

While I waited for my food, I pulled out my phone, opening Instagram. As always, I had a stupid amount of waiting messages. There were so few people that I actually responded to. Most of them were my good friends, but occasionally I met some amazing people who became great connections while also getting my fair share of creepers.

As I scrolled through my feed, I saw pictures of my friends going out, doing things without me. It caused a sudden pang of loneliness to settle in my chest. It was stupid to think they wouldn’t move on with their lives without me close by, but seeing them all at a party with another famous person that I wouldn’t ever meet thanks to my move, I felt like I was missing out.

There was peace in slowing down. Not every day needed to be a party, and that was partially why I’d moved.

Lina came back a few minutes later, carrying my coffee. She brought my coffee in a standard cup, not the paper to-go ones I was accustomed to from the city. When she set it down in front of me, the drink even looked a little different.

“What’s this?” I asked.

She smiled. “You ordered a caramel macchiato? That’s what this is.”

I laughed because that wasn’t the explanation I was expecting.

Lina’s smile only grew. “You must be from the big city. I swear those big coffee shops never know how to make them right. You’re probably used to drinking a vanilla caramel latte.”

I stared at her in confusion. She laughed and handed me my spoon. “If you want a drink like what you’re used to, just stir it. A macchiato should be a layered drink, but most of those places just blend it all together.”

Instead of mixing the coffee, I set the spoon back down and lifted the cup to take a long sip. The bitter taste of the coffee rolled over my tongue, followed by the sweet rush of caramel and vanilla. It didn’t taste the same; it was better, and so was the experience.

“This is amazing! Thank you so much.”

That made Lina smile even more. If she tried any harder, her face would surely split in half. It didn’t seem forced, either. That was something I’d learned quickly in the few days I’d been in town—everyone here seemed so genuine.

“Well, while you wait for your food to come out, here’s a flyer with some upcoming town events.” She handed me a paper. It was sort of cool that the town was small enough they could do things like hand out flyers in the diner for upcoming events.

As Lina walked away, I looked it over, and something caught my attention right away. Maple Lane Fall Fest was only a couple of weeks away boasting about having all sorts of vendor booths from art, food, and other local favorites. If I were going to fully immerse myself in small-town life, that would be the best way to do it.

My phone was back in my hand so quickly as I pulled up the event page online. There was contact information for the person running it. I quickly shot off an e-mail to them offering my services to cover the event.

Chapter 2

Truman

“That’s it, baby girl. It’s okay. Promise I’m not going to hurt you.”

The pit bull, German Shepherd mix was absolutely gorgeous. She shared traits of both dogs equally, but her pointed ears made her stand out.

The previous owners had said she was too hyper, and while I could see that being an issue, they should have taken their tiny six hundred square foot apartment into consideration before adopting her. Dogs like Isadora needed to run and have room to play. They weren’t animals that laid there and just snuggled all day.

I had to wonder if more was going on with the dog with the way she cowered away from me. Dogs who behaved like that were often abused, and I couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to hurt an animal, especially one they’d signed up to love and take care of. Then again I had also seen the way some people treated their children in public.

But that was why the Maple Lane Falls Animal Shelter existed.

Then there’s me, most people didn’t understand me. I was an asshole on the best of days, but the second you put a dog in front of me, something softened. I couldn’t be mad at the creatures that only wanted to protect and love their owners. I was happy to provide for and give a voice to an animal that didn’t have one.

The gate screeched as I finished closing it, making my shoulders rise and my ears hurt. Most of my place was massively out of date. There were major upgrades needed all over, but it was hard to do that when I barely survived off the donations.

I didn’t like the idea of making a profit from the animals. I only asked enough in adoption fees to cover any vet visits, keep the place clean, and the animals fed. Most of the other repairs came out of my own pocket. It wasn’t like I had another job. My grandfather had been independently wealthy and left me everything when he passed away. Then there was the other questionable money that had come from other sources… All the money was running out. I was worrying more and more, what the hell would happen to these amazing dogs when I couldn’t afford to take care of them anymore?

There wasn’t a lot of time to think about it. I spent the bulk of this morning making sure that Isadora was all checked in and clear to be around the other dogs. My stomach growled because I’d also forgotten to eat. Damn, I was a fucking mess.

Out of habit, I made my way down Maple Lane and into the Maple Lane Cafe. It was closer to lunchtime, but the place still looked as busy as the morning rush. For the town being as small as it was, everyone had a favorite place to eat. The cook at the cafe knew how to make the best of everything. Lina, the server, didn’t make things half bad, either. She was so friendly to everyone that she even made my moody ass smile from time to time.

“Take a seat! Oh, hi Truman. I’ll be with you in just a moment.”

Leave it to Lina to know everyone in town by name.

I sat at the small bar, picking up the menu. The people around me were all talking, but something caught my attention.