“Me neither,” I said quickly. “But someday I hope to meet the right guy and it’ll all come together, you know?”
Bonnie grinned and nodded. “So are you helping out at the orchard this season?”
“Yeah, I am. Are you at Grandpappy’s while school is out for the summer?”
She laughed. “Oh, no. I’m the worst farmer in the bunch. Do more harm than good, I’m afraid. Plus school starts back up next week. I’m busy getting my classroom ready.”
“That’s me over at that orchard. Joanie is the one with all the know-how. I’m justusing my marketing background to hopefully help boost sales. And I’ll be working at the farmers’ market and festivals and such.”
We scootched forward as Vera Sterling left with her snow cone in hand. I kept my gaze firmly on Bonnie, lest I accidentally invite more conversation from my nosy neighbor.
With a sly glance over my shoulder, Bonnie said quietly, “She’s gone. You’re safe.”
I breathed out a huge sigh of relief and we both laughed.
“She is just the same,” I said.
“She sure is,” Bonnie agreed. “But don’t let Vera Sterling discourage you. She’s eager for some hot gossip to spread around about why you’rereallyin town. But most everyone else is just happy to have you home.”
I considered that and felt a pang in my midsection.
Bonnie was a near-stranger. I knewofher and had seen her around Kirby Falls in my youth. The fact that she—or anyone else who wasn’t my family—even noticed or cared that I was back was heartwarming.
But there was indeed hot gossip surrounding my departure from New York. If Ms. Sterling ever got her ears on my accidental affair and subsequent firing, all of Kirby Falls would know within the hour. And my parents would be unbelievably disappointed in me.
“You go on ahead,” Bonnie offered as the kid in front of us finished up. “I’m picking up a bunch of snow cones for my husband and the guys at Begley Auto, where he works. You’ll be in line forever if you’re behind me.”
I thanked Bonnie and stepped forward to order my medium bubble gum shaved ice from the bored teenager. Then I chatted with Bonnie some more while I waited.
After a few minutes, my pink-topped white Styrofoam cup was placed on the ledge and the worker requested $3.50. I grabbed my debit card out of the front pocket of my jean shorts and handed it over.
The teen looked at the plastic rectangle in my outstretched hand and sighedaudibly before pointing to the very obvious sign on the outside of the building that readCash Onlyin big bold red letters, underlined twice.
“Crap,” I muttered, digging in my back pockets like some bills or change might magically appear there. I didn’t carry cash. Who carried cash? “I’m so sorry. Do you take Apple Pay? Or Venmo? I can PayPal you directly.”
The teenager sighed again.
Before I could offer him my favorite kidney or my firstborn child, Bonnie stepped up next to me and held out a five-dollar bill. “Here you go.”
“No, I couldn’t,” I insisted as mortification burned a path up my throat.
She gave me a look that said,Girl, it’s five bucks, before thrusting the money into the hand of the waiting employee.
“Thank you,” I rushed out. “I can Venmo you.”
Bonnie grinned and shook her head. “Let’s call it a ‘welcome home’ present.”
I thought for a moment. “How about you let me help you carry all your snow cones to your car, and I take you out for a drink sometime to say thank you?”
Bonnie hurried to catch the change the worker thrust in her direction. “You don’t need to do all that.”
“I want to. Plus you’d be doing me a favor. I left Kirby Falls before I was old enough to drink...legally. I’d love to have a new friend to show me the ropes.”
The smile Bonnie gave me was warm. She had a tiny gap between her two front teeth that made her even more endearing and adorable. “You got it.” She unlocked and handed me her phone. “Here, put your number in while I order all these snow cones.”
I gratefully accepted her cell. No matter how old you got, asking someone to be your friend, whether on the playground at recess or beside the shaved ice shack, never got any easier. I felt relieved that I might have found someone new in a place where I was surrounded by so much history.
While Bonnie rattled off her long order from a piece of scrap paper, I added my number to her contacts.Candace, not Candy. Thank you very much.
