“Really?”
“Yeah, and we like it. It has something to do with small-town community?” She rolled her eyes. “Or so I’ve heard.”
“Ignore her. She cares about the people sometimes. Plus, it’s nice and quiet here.”
“That’s what I need,” I said.
“Well then. Let us be the first to say welcome to Strawberry Springs. Hopefully, we turn your short stop into a longer one.”
1
PIPER
Danielle Pepper Fan Club
Dana Holden:Anyone done with Danielle’s newest book yet? I need to talk!
Comments:
Trina Dunn:I’m not gonna lie, I might have to stop reading. She’s talented, but some of her stuff seems so unrealistic.
Dana Holden:It’s a romance book. It doesn’t have to be realistic!
Trina Dunn:I mean, sure, but it’s all just so childish. Like I get the vibe the author hasn’t done any of this before.
Judy Cohen:Just because someone hasn’t done something before doesn’t mean they can’t write it. And isn’t this supposed to be a fan club? Take your critique to review sites like everyone else.
Trina Dunn:Defensive, are we? You know I’m right.
“For a town named Strawberry Springs,there’s a surprising lack of strawberries. And springs, for that matter.”
My best friend Joey set down a box as I shook my head. He’d been quiet on the drive here, a new habit that had started ever since the day I announced I’d signed a lease in a small town and wouldn’t be staying with him anymore.
“What? Are the buildings supposed to be strawberry shaped or something?” I laughed. “I think it’s cute.”
Joey sighed. “Yeah. I guess it is, if you’re into that sort of thing. But the springs. Where are the springs?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to hunt them down.”
“Don’t get in random water, Piper. That’s a terrible idea.”
“I know, I know. I have some common sense, you know.”
“That remains to be seen.”
My smile fell and Mitch, his fiancé, turned to him sharply with a glare. The tension that I was hoping to avoid was now back, and the last thing I wanted to do was fight with Joey.
We were in my new apartment, and both he and Mitch could see how beautiful this place was. It was freshly renovated, smelled like coffee from the shop downstairs, and had enough space where they could stay when they came to visit.
But the issue wasn’t with the space.
It was with thelocation.
When I’d seen it on TV, I wanted to be there more than anything. The small-town life seemed so much easier for me to handle. There were fewer people to contend with, and it seemed as if they all cared about each other.
Plus, it was adorable. The town square had multicolored buildings all organized together like a piece of art. It was obvious that this place was cared for, something that the show mentioned had only happened in the last few years. According to old street images I found online, this place looked like it had seen better days only nine years ago.
Now it was the place of dreams.
