Page 32 of Call It Serendipity

“A handsome man friend, according to Aggie here.”

“Yes, one I don’t think I’ve seen around town before.”

The older women lean forward in unison. Then Alice gets right to the point. “Who is he?”

Damn, I need that caffeine. Because how am I supposed to think of a clever answer for the village’s busybody? My palms start to sweat, and I try to covertly rub them along my thighs under the table.

“Oh, he’s…”

To my horror, my mind is utterly blank.

“He’s a travel writer.”

My head whips toward Claire. What did she just say?

“A travel writer?” Alice echoes thoughtfully.

“Yes, he’s trying to fly under the radar, get the real Ellicottville for his magazine. It’s a big one, and they want to highlight the town ahead of ski season.”

“How wonderful for Ellicottville,” Agatha chimes in, clapping her hands together with glee.

“But remember”—Claire lowers her voice, causing the other women to tilt closer still—“he doesn’t want anyone to know. If word gets out, they might pull the article.”

“Oh, we can’t have that.”

“No, we can’t,” I agree, finally finding my words again. “We’re trusting you ladies to be in on this secret with us.”

Agatha makes the motion of zipping her lips. But it’s Alice we have to worry about. I focus my attention on her instead.

“His secret is safe with us,” Alice assures me, “as long as you get him to agree to help the town. With his article, he can really promote our quaint way of life. Maybe it will scare the hotel off with enough protest to change things.”

I snort. “I’ll have to mention that to him.”

“Okay, we should get our coffee and get going,” Claire jumps in, rising and pulling me up with her.

“You do pass along that idea, Lucy.”

“I certainly will.”

There’s no line, and we make our way to order just to find Jenny turning around with two drinks in hand. “Your usuals,” she tells us with a smile.

“You’re an angel, Jenny,” Claire says as we accept the cups.

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Hey, are you free later? Want to join us at Pumpkinville?” I ask, popping the plastic lid off my cup.

“I’d love to, but my closer called off. I’m here for the long haul.”

The sound of the front door jangling open catches Jenny’s attention, and she looks up to wave at the new customers entering. We bid her a quick farewell and move down the line where the extra sugars await.

“Trying to get even more buffers between you and Jake tonight?” Claire passes me a coffee stirrer and raises an eyebrow. “You know it would be okay to go just the two of you. Levi and I could end up with conflicting plans if you want to throw caution to the wind.”

“Absolutely not. I need you there,” I scold. “It might feel like a date if we’re alone.”

“Would that be so bad?”

I deposit the stirrer in the garbage and press the lid down on my coffee cup. Then I turn for the door and step outside before responding. “I’m afraid it wouldn’t be bad at all. That’s the point,” I explain as we start up the sidewalk. “It’s not a date, and whenever I’m alone with Jake I seem to lose my sense. I don’t want to forget why he’s in town.”