Gabe,
Help yourself to whatever is in the fridge and cabinets for coffee and breakfast. If there’s something you need, write it down on the list hanging on the fridge. I’ll do a grocery runtoday after our meeting. I’m at the hardware store if you need anything. See you soon.
- Hal
I knew he wasn’t willing to talk about the meeting yesterday, but I’d hoped to catch him this morning in case he was willing to share anything—literally anything—ahead of the afternoon.
After a few minutes of investigating the kitchen, I found the coffee and started brewing a pot. I knew I’d need more than one cup this morning. Then I quickly made some scrambled eggs with toast.
I wanted to get into town before the meeting to walk around, get a feel of the downtown area, and see the building in person. Maybe even talk to some of the locals, if they were willing. I wanted to be as prepared as possible.
After eating, I put on my coat, shoes, and hat, grabbed my wallet, and headed downtown.
Maybe I was imagining things, but I could’ve sworn every person I walked past was giving me a dirty look. What about all the bullshit about how welcoming small towns were? I sure wasn’t feeling it.
I didn’t expect to have a red carpet rolled out for me, but I didn’t anticipate getting the cold shoulder. It was likely obvious I wasn’t from here, considering Golden Falls was a town of a couple thousand. But no one even asked who I was. They just…stared at me like I’d pissed on the sidewalk (obviously, I didn’t)or ripped down their millions of Christmas decorations (this one I was more tempted to do).
The downtown was decked out for the holidays. Imagine a town decorated for Christmas and then multiply it by ten—maybe even twenty. The lights weren’t on, since it was daytime, but they were wrapped around anything and everything. Benches, trees, light posts. The various buildings and businesses also had string lights that looked like icicles hanging along the trim.
There were ornaments and decorative presents everywhere. In the center of downtown, there was a white gazebo withmorelights, garland wrapped around the pillars, and big red bows adorning the railing.
I was glad I was here during the early afternoon, because in the evening, downtown would become a beacon of light. I would’ve guessed we were at the fucking North Pole with how decorated Golden Falls was. Only thing missing was Santa himself.
I thought the weird looks and glares were all in my head, but it was pretty obvious I wasn’t imagining things when I saw an older woman pull out her phone,take a picture of me, and scurry back inside.
What the hell?
I craned my neck to see where she had gone. A place called Lake Ridge. Maybe this was my chance to get some answers.
I pushed open the door and stepped inside. I took a moment to glance around, noticing the exposed-brick walls that were decorated with photos and newspaper clippings. There were also pool tables, dart boards, and what looked like a dance floor. The place was rather empty, which wasn’t surprising given the time.
The woman who I’d spotted outside was behind an expansive wooden bar that looked to have been carefully handcrafted. She was looking down, typing away on her phone. She was wearing ablack T-shirt and jeans. Her blonde hair, streaked with gray, was pulled back, showing off her candy cane earrings.
I looked for a name tag as I approached but didn’t see one.
“Hey,” I said cautiously. “Did you take a picture of me? Outside the bar when I was walking?” I hooked my thumb over my shoulder.
The older woman looked up, blinking in surprise. She likely hadn’t heard me come in. She cleared her throat and slid her phone into her back pocket. “Who, me?” she asked with an awkward laugh. “Oh, no. I can barely use that thing in my old age.” She waved dismissively. “Maybe you saw someone else.”
I narrowed my eyes at the woman skeptically. I didn’t believe her one bit. But she didn’t change her story as we stared at each other. There were a couple of ways I could play this. I could leave and continue getting stared at, or I could try to get some information out of her. And for that, I found one of the best ways was flattery.
I pulled out one of the bar stools and sat, resting my elbows on the counter. “What old age? You don’t look a day over thirty.”
The corner of her lip tipped up as she shook her head, setting a coaster in front of me. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing, Gabe.” She filled up a glass with ice and water and set it on the bar.
My brows furrowed, and I reared back slightly. “How—how do you know my name?” I knew things traveled fast in a small town, but I wasn’t prepared for how fast.
“Because your grandfather talks about you and has pictures all over his shop. Lots of people know you around here and have been waiting for your visit. There’s even a betting pool on if you were going to show up or not. I said you would, and I needed proof that you were in town.” She winked as she pulled her phone out, shaking it. “Although, quite a few people had spotted you already, so I guess I didn’tneedit. It’s just…you look somuch like your father. I mean, you’re older than he was when he left town, but the resemblance is striking.”
In the span of a few minutes, my world had flipped upside down, and I felt the knot in my stomach twisting. Even when I wasn’t in the same city as him, I couldn’t escape the comparisons. “I guess that explains the weird looks I was getting,” I muttered.
She nodded, watching me curiously. “Your father and his company have quite a reputation around here.”
Great. My father managed to piss off everyone in his hometown, and I was feeling the repercussions from it.
“But I should be polite and introduce myself, unlike everyone else staring. I’m Louise. And I apologize for the photo. I can delete it if you’d like,” she offered.
“You can keep the photo for your proof.” I drummed my fingers across the bar top. “But I’d love to ask you some questions in return.”
