THEO
Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
Kerry Winsor:Who’s having a massive bonfire and why didn’t you invite me? RUDE.
Comments:
Mollie Wilson:A bonfire? Is that the smoke I saw on the highway?
Jade Clark:That’s one thing people don’t do enough of around here. We should crash it and bring marshmallows!
SherriffMike Finch:Do NOT go. It’s an actual fire. Firemen are at the scene now. Don’t you people know to call the fire department?
Kerry Winsor:It’s a real fire? I thought it was for fun!
SherriffMike Finch:You all need another fire safety training, don’t you?
Jade Clark:With the hot guys there? Yes, we DEFINITELY do.
Riley
Hi, Theo! I’ve heard a lot of good things about The Reserved Bean. Do you have any free time to meet up so we can talk about a few things? I could find some time to come to you.
The womanwho let me franchise The Reserved Bean was someone I didn’t hear from often. She told me when we agreed on this that I would mostly be on my own, and I didn’t mind that.
But when she did reach out, I always wondered if I had messed something up.
And this morning was no different.
I’d been in a good mood after waking up with Piper. We’d talked over breakfast and I got her to her apartment before walking into the shop. It was nice, and I could do with more.
Now I was battling my own panic.
Wanting something was always so dangerous for me because it was usually followed by disappointment. The Reserved Bean was one of the things I’d wanted for so long.
I couldn’t lose it.
The text sat in my phone for too long as I stared at it. I didn’t want Riley to think I was ignoring her, so I shook off my fear and focused on what I could do to meet up with her. She had three kids and ran multiple locations. Having her come out here meant a six-hour round-trip drive that would take up a whole day.
There was no way I was letting her do that.
Theo
I’ll be in Nashville for a few things. We could meet next week.
Riley
That would be great!
I had a sinking feeling Piper wouldn’t love the idea of me sacrificing my day off. She seemed so excited to spend time with me, and now I had something else to do.
Conflict followed me throughout the day, and it mixed with the unease I had about the meeting. Kelsey kept glancing over at me, and I could tell she knew I wasn’t in the best place, but I kept it to myself.
It was afternoon by the time Piper walked through the door. Her smile was wide and I wished I could return it as easily as she did.
“Hi,” she said when she got to the counter. But the second her eyes caught on mine, it faded. “What’s wrong?”
“We can talk about it in a minute.”
