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“It’smy pleasure,” saidAutumneasily, tucking a strand of her long hair behind her.Shewas extremely pretty, in a very wholesome way.Shehad stunning blue eyes and a heart-shaped face, with high cheekbones and a wide smile. “Wealways meet our guests at the train station.”Shewrapped her hand around the handle ofHazel’sroller suitcase and started walking toward the parking lot.
“So.Firsttime inGossamerFalls?” she asked as she led the way to a plain black van.Shehoisted the suitcase into the back.Hazelnodded.
“Yeah.Iwas looking for a place to get away, and…you’re going to laugh at me.”
Autumnsmiled earnestly at her. “Ipinky swearIwon’t.”Sheheld up her pinky and with a small laugh,Hazelhooked hers around it.
“Iwas looking through this magazine, and—do you mind ifIsit up front with you?”
“Noproblem.”Autumnheld the passenger’s side door open for her, not closing it untilHazelwas buckled in.Autumnslid into the drivers’ seat and turned the van on.CarrieClarkcame blaring through the speakers, and she jolted forward, turning the music down. “Sorryabout that.”
“Youdon’t ever need to apologize for blastingCarrieClark, as far asI’mconcerned,” saidHazel. “MyKindaHeroineis a hugely underrated album.”
Autumngrinned at her and turned the music back up a little. “Icouldn’t agree more.”Sheturned out of the parking lot. “So, you were reading a magazine and…?”
“Right.Itwas some free magazineIfound in a coffee shop, about tourist destinations inNewYorkState.Youknow,LakePlacid, theAdirondacks, that kind of stuff.Butthen the weirdest thing happened.Iwas sipping my coffee and a gust of wind blew in the door of the coffee shop, flipping the pages of the magazine.Andit landed on this.”
Shereached into the pocket of the chunky cardigan she was wearing and unfolded the ad she’d torn from the magazine.Itfeatured a shot of the famedGossamerFalls, surrounded by fall foliage, and the sloganGossamerFalls:Wheremagic happens.
“AndIjust knewIneeded to come here…Itfelt like a sign,” saidHazel, blood rushing to her cheeks. “Thisis the part where you laugh at me.”
Autumnshook her head. “Itprobablywasa sign.They’reeverywhere, if you know where to look.”Theycame to a stoplight andAutumnturned, her gaze suddenly scrutinizing. “Howold are you?”
“Um.Oh,I’mthirty-nine.”
Autumnnodded, suddenly taking on the air of a detective questioning a suspect. “Areyou single?”
“Um, yeah, butI’mnot…I’mdivorced and not really…but yeah,I’m,IguessI’msingle.”
“Whatdo you do for a living?”
Hazelunwound the scarf from around her neck, feeling a little warm. “I’ma writer.Iwrite fantasy novels.”Atleast,Iused to.
“Oh, that’s so interesting!” she said, and the wholesome girl next door was back. “Howmany books have you written?”
“Um, three.”
“Anythingfamous?” she asked, waggling her eyebrows.
“Um.Well.Myfirst book wasARevelationofEnchantment.”
Autumnswerved and pulled over abruptly. “Shut.Up!Noway!Didn’tthey make that into aTVshow?”
Hazelnodded, feeling a little embarrassed, even though she knew she shouldn’t.Butit was hard to feel proud of her success when her future was so uncertain. “Aminiseries, yeah.”
“Thatis so cool.Whatare you working on now?”
“Idon’t know yet,” she said, deciding that she had nothing to lose being honest withAutumn.Afterall, she hadn’t laughed when she’d told her the magazine story. “Ioriginally told my editor thatIwas working on a new book featuring one of the characters from the trilogy.”
“Likea spin off,” saidAutumn, andHazelnodded.
“Exactly.ButIjust couldn’t make it work.SoIcame up with a proposal for a new trilogy, about a pair of vampires who are fated to find each other again and again, across time.”
“Wow.Thatsounds so romantic.”
“That’swhatIwas going for.But…Idon’t know.It’snot working either.”
“Oh.”
