“I never go to boutiques,” Lila said. “I usually just get my jeans at the Farm and Garden.”
Cara and Marlowe exchanged a glance. Lila was sitting in the backseat, wearing something that Cara could absolutely believe had come from the Farm and Garden. She liked Lila’s very particular personality. She was sparkly, and spiky, and verymuch herself, and Cara didn’t see anything wrong with Farm and Garden Chic, but it was just…apparentthat’s what it was.
“Then it should be a fun outing,” Marlowe said cheerfully. “I think we need to start at the coffee shop.”
It was rare that Cara made it to a coffee shop other than her own, though technically she was bakery-forward, not coffee-forward. She was very serious about making good coffee along with confections.
In fact, it was her pet peeve when a bakery saw beverages as second string, because in her opinion, the pairing of a good coffee, milk, or hot chocolate with a sweet was like a wine pairing at a meal.
Essential.
But that didn’t mean that she was opposed to getting coffee elsewhere. The little Cubby that they stopped in didn’t have much in the way of baked goods, but it did have deliciously strong espresso, and that was definitely up Cara’s alley.
She got a honey cinnamon latte, but the coffee still showed through and punched right past the sweetness, which was exactly what she liked.
Then the three of them began to meander down the streets.
It was Saturday, and town was busy. A lot of people came to Mustang River from Bend on the weekend or from further afield.
It was cute, historic, and very geared toward tourists.
The resort, of course, catered to those who wanted to stay and do outdoor activities or have a luxury stay, but town had quirky gift shops, excellent restaurants, and the boutiques proved to be excellent.
They wandered into a vintage shop that had cassette tapes, VHS tapes, and a TV set up on a stand with Duck Hunt on the screen.
They also had a rack of clothing from the 90s, and Caracame away with a pair of battered Doc Martens and some plaid pants.
Marlowe bought a bag full of jewelry, some chokers, and big hoop earrings.
Lila, for her part, seemed more interested in Duck Hunt.
“I am supposed to tell you,” Marlowe said when they got back down onto the street and started to walk toward their next destination, “that you have a fancy event tomorrow.”
Cara turned toward her. “What?”
Lila was looking on keenly.
“You heard me. You have an occasion to shop for. You need to get a fancy dress.”
“A fancy dress? Why?”
“Because. He’s planning something special for you.”
Lila’s mouth dropped open. “Who!?”
“Zane,” Marlowe said, smiling.
Cara felt exposed, and she shouldn’t; it was only ever a secret because he was afraid of Cody finding out. She didn’t need to be worried about other people knowing, and the issue had never been her.
She didn’t think.
“No way,” Lila said. “Are you… you and Zane? Zane is like the most unfriendly human being on the planet. How did you even…”
“He’s not unfriendly,” Cara said defensively. Then she had to walk that back. “Okay, heisunfriendly. To almost everybody. But… We… We’ve gotten to know each other.”
“He helped you with all that survival stuff,” Lila said.
“Yes,” Cara confirmed. “And… we just got to know each other from there.”
