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ONE
Daphne
“He’s a dastardly bastard who should be drawn and quartered. I want him to get poison ivy and find there’s a calamine lotion shortage. I hope he gets diarrhea during an international flight. I wish him an abundance of tight parking spaces, rashes, and identity theft.” The scowl lining her full red lips and the furrowing of her perfectly penciled brows directly contrast her normally sunshiny personality. She looks like an angry bunny with large brown eyes, a crinkled button nose, and high cheekbones. Her light brown skin tone, delicate features, and nurturing vibes always reminded me of a nature goddess. Loyal and grounded, Ellis is a true Taurus.
Stretching my arms over my head, I reach up toward the clear blue sky and soak in the crisp weather, which is beginning to come in with the end of summer. After hours in the car, it feels good to escape the metal cage, if only for a few minutes. I scan the bustling area, taking in the changes that have come to Main Street since my exodus for bigger and better things nearly eight years ago. Shame, pride, and embarrassment over the public train wreck of my coffee empire and romantic relationship kept me away. The desire for a peaceful place to reinvent a new life has brought me back to my first home.
Rolling my neck, I groan when it crackles. “Will isn’t worth the energy you’re putting into that intention.”
“Daph.” She grabs my arm, and her eyes widen. “He made you hate coffee for god’s sake. What kind of monster is capable of that?” Ellis waves her hands in the air.
I snort. “I don’thatecoffee,” I mumble.
“Daphne Anne Blume, when we first met, you were obsessing over coffee art designs and flavor combinations to bring more customers into the café you were working at. Even your perfume and bath products had hints of coffee beans in them. Now you won’t touch the stuff.”
I shrug. “People change.” Ellis purses her lips. “Didn’t you want me to show you around the town I grew up in?” I ask, moving her away from musings that poke at the tender places I’ve been ignoring for self-preservation. I couldn’t focus on healing during the lengthy legal battle that drug on for over a year and a half. Clear and free with money in the bank, I’m ready to put the past behind me and start fresh. There’s no room for the ghost of William Monroe in my life.
“I’m going to let this go, but I want you to know I’m well aware of that distraction move. I’m allowing it because I’ve been dying to get the small-town experience.”
I snicker. “There are plenty of reasons to love small-town living, but there’s also the tax.”
“Taxes are high here?” she asks as we step away from the car and onto the sidewalk. I drink in the sight of the mountains in the distance, admiring how the craggy rock structure topped with snow stands out against the sky. Trees line the sidewalk, and cozy brick-and-mortar buildings are nestled together with large signs in various shapes announcing their name and purpose.
“Yes, but not the kind you’re thinking. I’m talking about the complications that come from everyone knowing who you are and what you have or haven’t done your entire life. Boundary lines are really blurry around here.”
“I think it’s charming. I don’t even know most of my neighbors back home in Chicago.”
I pause. “This is Sherman’s Hardware. It’s an old staple. I point to the mid-sized beige brick building with elaborate art drawn on the window. I admire the painting advertising classes for everyday home maintenance. “It looks like the Sherman’s are embracing the future. I’m impressed. It used to feel like time couldn’t touch this town. Like there was a barrier that kept out change.”
“Is that why you went to school all the way in Chicago?”
I glance at her and smile. “Mostly.”
“We all think the grass is greener on the other side.”
“For a long time, it was. Moving away was the right move. I needed space to grow and figure out what I wanted for my life. There are a lot of expectations thrown around here.” I shove my hands into the pockets of my lightweight olive-green jacket.
“Like what?” Ellis tilts her hair, sending her red ombre braids swinging.
“Getting married, reproducing, and taking over the family business. I was lucky. My parents didn’t have a big legacy they wanted to be upheld. They commuted for work since mom was at the hospital and dad was an accountant.” My mind flashes toward the man I know who holds the weight of his family’s business on his muscular shoulders. I’d been back for his father’s funeral not five years ago.Don’t think about him.
“You want that too, though,” Ellis points out.
“Yes, but on my own timetable, not theirs. Out here, I’m considered an old maid.”
“I think that’s generational too. First-time parents are a lot older than they used to be.”
“That’s true.” I nod in agreement as we slowly make our way up the street. Ellis cranes her neck, taking in everything.
“What is this gem?” she pauses outside the white building with the same loopy cursive across the large window on the left. A fall book display rests on the right. Vibrant autumn leaves are painted onto the pane with great detail. The red, orange, and yellow draw my gaze to the words Leaf through a good book. Books rest on stands set in the center of bales of hay boasting new releases and a few classics.
“This is the used bookstore where I spent so much time and money growing up.” I smile. “It’s owned by the mother of my childhood best friend.”
“I thought Fey’s family ran Pie in the Sky.”
“Oh, they do. This was my other one.” My heart aches slightly.
“Ahhh.” She nods her understanding. I look inside at the rows of books.
