AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Because you literally wrote it.”
Oh. It was one of my articles. I’d completely forgotten about writing it, which was something that happened to me a lot. The minute I was done with a project, it was like it had never existed.
“Okay, well, let me read the tips I wrote.” Em handed me the phone and I scrolled through.
“Wow, this isn’t that bad.”
“You’re such a dork sometimes,” Em said, laughing.
I finished the article and then sent it to myself to digest later. “Okay, so what you’re saying is that I should just dress in a sexy outfit, but not like I’m trying too hard, show up at the bar, order a drink, and then be mysterious. I can do that.” I could probably do that. I hoped.
“Say something mysterious,” Em prompted.
I picked up my water glass to really get into character.
“So, do you work here often?” I wiggled my eyebrows and Em groaned.
“You’re just fucking with me, be serious. You have to practice so you don’t do that thing where you just blank out and forget what to say.”
I put my glass down. “I don’t do that.”
That earned me a look. “Paige. Let’s be honest with ourselves about our strengths and weaknesses.” Em had been reading a lot of personal development books and absorbing the information and it was starting to get on my nerves, but I kept my mouth shut. She was just trying to help.
“Fine. Okay.” I picked up the glass again and tried to think of something witty that would also be mysterious. “Did you know that Cap ‘n Crunch’s full name is Horatio Magellan Crunch?”
Em snorted and burst out laughing. “You cannot use that as your pickup line, Paige!”
“Why not? It’s cute, and informative. And it will make her wonder what else I know as far as random facts, so there’s your mystery.” I sat back in the booth and crossed my arms.
Em groaned. “That’s enough for today. I need to get back home and let the dog out.”
I picked up the tab and gave Esme one last look as she said hello to her fellow night bartender, a guy whom everyone knew as Batman, that drove an electric purple minivan and had a Great Dane named Baby that came nearly everywhere with him. In fact, Em and I went and petted Baby through the rolled-down window in his van before saying goodbye to each other and going to our respective vehicles.
“Mysterious!” Em yelled at me before she got in. “Work on it.”
* * *
I pulledinto my gravel driveway and sat for a moment looking at my sweet little blue and white cottage. Sure, the paint was peeling on the shutters, and the porch dipped in some places, and the hot water wasn’t always reliable, but it was mine, and I could afford the rent on it. The place belonged to an older lady who now lived full-time in Florida, and she was sweet as pie and adored me. Plus, the view was to die for.
“Hey, Potato,” I called, when I walked in the door. There was no need to lock it in a town like Castleton. A large orange cat lumbered to the front door as I set down my bag and keys and meowed loudly up at me.
“Did you have fun while I was gone, sweet boy?” I rubbed the spot between his eyes that he loved and he purred so loud you could have heard him down the street. At least I had someone who was happy to see me when I got home. There were also the goldfish, Basil, Cilantro, Cumin, Paprika, and Parsley. Potato got fed first, then the fishies, who wiggled and stared at me as I watched them scoot around their tank.
“You’re just so chubby and cute,” I said, making fish faces at them. They didn’t respond.
Potato rubbed against my legs as I heated some water in the kettle Mom had gotten me when I’d first moved in three years ago. She’d actually been a huge help with decorating and was always finding me little tchotchkes at yard sales and other places.
Since the evening was warm, I took my tea to the little screened-in porch on the back of the cottage that faced the water. Frogs sang in the pond and crickets joined them in symphony. Just feet from the end of the porch, the yard sloped and changed into a rocky shore where the water lapped restlessly. More often than not, I kept my windows open, even when it was cold, to be lulled to sleep by the sound.
Potato jumped up beside me on the wicker couch and sniffed at my cup.
“You don’t want that, trust me bud,” I said, moving it away from him. He gave me a glare of betrayal.
“Calm down and go find one of your fake mice to harass.”
I had planning to do.
Potato jumped off the couch in a huff as I pulled up my social media accounts. I was lucky that in a small town, everyone just followed everyone without thinking too much about it. Made it a lot easier to see what Esme was up to. Fuck, she really was gorgeous. Just… wow.
I scrolled through shot after shot of her mashed into groups of smiling people, including patrons from the bar. There were plenty of solo pics as well, showcasing her sleeve of artistic wildflower tattoos, legs for days, and the most perfectly shaped ass I’d ever seen.
There were also some posts about her dog, a husky named Stormy, and one or two with her dad, Butch.
My deep dive went way too deep and my finger slipped and I ended up liking one of her posts from like three years ago. I undid it a second later, but my heart would not stop slamming itself against my chest.
“That’s enough stalking for today,” I said, closing the app and turning on some music instead. Time for more tea. And plotting. I still thought my cereal fact opener was a winner, and I was going to prove Em wrong.
It was on.
