I huffed out a laugh.“You have no idea.”
“So, hey.”The girl gave me a chin-lift.“I’m Rylyn.Alice said you’d be the one.”
“The one what?”I asked.
“To take over.Duh.”Rylyn popped her gum again.“I’m the part-time help.Been keeping this place running since Alice kicked it.”
I flinched.“That’s… one way to put it.”
Rylyn shrugged, like death was an unfortunate scheduling conflict.“I figured you’d show up eventually.”
“Sorry it took me so long,” I said.“I only found out yesterday about the will.”
“Cool.”Rylyn stared at me.Intensely.Unblinking.
I shifted.“What?”
“You look like her,” Rylyn said.“It’s kinda freaking me out.”
“Everyone keeps saying that,” I muttered.
“No, like.”Rylyn leaned on the counter, eyes narrowing.“It’s more than ‘you have the same eyes.’It’s like déjà vu.But, whatever.”
A little chill slid down my spine.For the first time, the casual comments about my resemblance to Alice felt less like flattery and more like… something else.
“How long did you work for Alice?”I asked.
“Long enough,” Rylyn said, which was apparently the default answer around here.“She was cool.Weird, but cool.”
“Was her death… unexpected?”I pressed.
“You think so, too, huh?”Rylyn’s gaze sharpened.
I dropped my voice.“Did you think she was murdered?”
Rylyn’s fingers tapped a restless rhythm on the counter.“I don’t know.She was acting strange the day before.Kept watching the front windows, muttering to herself.Like she was waiting for something bad to happen—and already knew it would.Then she’s dead in her garden and everybody’s, like, ‘welp, heart attack.’”She shrugged.“Doesn’t add up.”
Before I could respond, Rylyn snapped her fingers like she’d remembered something.“Oh.Right.Hang on.”
She disappeared through the door to the back, leaving me alone with the hum of the coolers and the faint chime of the wind bells in the window.Potted plants crowded the space, cheerful and oblivious.The blue roses in the boxes outside cast dappled shadows onto the floor.
Rylyn reappeared holding a large brown envelope and a small key.
She circled the counter and held out the envelope.“This is for you.”
I stared at my name on the front in Alice’s familiar handwriting, written in bold block letters.My fingers tingled as I took it.
“And this key,” Rylyn said, dangling the key, “Alice said to keep it until you came.”
I slid the key off Rylyn’s finger, my heart thumping.“What does the key go to?”
She shrugged.“No idea.She wanted me to keep it for you, so I did.”
Great.A mysterious key.
“How did she even know I’d show up?”
Rylyn snorted.“It’s Alice.She knew stuff.Like when Mrs.Jenkins was gonna come in for sympathy lilies before her husband died.Creepy in a helpful way.”
