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“How did you know?” I look down to make sure I’m not actually in uniform still, trying to gauge if I’m more drunk than previously assessed. “My coat.” I have a huge patch right over the breast with the East Hollow badge on it.
“Your coat.” She echoes with a laugh that makes my knees weak. I rub my forehead and the bridge of my nose trying to get my shit together. “My name is Rowen by the way. Nice to meet you.” Rowen. Rowen Madison. The name means nothing to me, until now, but I guess with all the new businesses opening in East Hollow, there are tons of people I don’t know. Our small town is becoming less small all the time. I used to know everyone, but definitely don’t know her.
“Janet Morgan.” I clear my throat and settle back into the warm leather. “Nice to meet you too.” We fall into a silence while I rack my brain trying to figure out what to say next. Nothing comes to mind that doesn’t sound creepy, or drunk, so I stay quiet. My buzz is pretty much gone, so I’m definitely not drunk, but isn’t that what all wasted people say? While I struggle to find any words, Rowen seems to have them all once we pull onto Main Street.
“So how long have you lived here? This town is so cute, it’s like something straight out ofGilmore Girls. I know a lot of people have hate for that one, but I think it’s a cute show if you don’t look too hard into it.” She has such a chipper voice, and I would normally find it annoying, but not tonight. Tonight, it’s exactly what I need after my pity party.
“Twenty years.” I adjust myself so I can see her blue eyes in the mirror. “Mom needed a fresh start when I was a broody preteen and found the closest small town with all the quaintness of Star’s Hollow she could. I never left and neither did she or my two younger brothers. She even remarried and opened a business here.” Two of us could speakGilmore Girls.
“Please tell me she opened an inn.” Rowen’s eyes go all soft in the mirror, darting between me and the road.
“Bakery.” I laugh. “I’m definitely not Rory. How about you? You either haven’t been here long, or you haven’t been in trouble with East Hollow’s fine police force yet.”
“I’ve been here…” Rowen glances at her watch and it lights up. “Exactly twenty-one days. I decided I needed out of a toxic situation and my eccentric great aunt decided to die, so it worked out perfectly. She left me a house, a property, and a lot of other things. Until the rest of the money she left finishes going through all the due process, I have a lot of stuff, but no income, so here we are. It’s not exactly as lucrative to drive people around here as it is in Memphis, but I get the occasional pick-up from the bar or a late night craving. It’ll work until I decide what to do next.” At this point, I’m sitting on the edge of my seat, trying to get closer to her, to this story. East Hollow being what it is, I know or know of almost everyone, and the only older resident to pass away recently didn’t live here. Matilda Covers hadn’t lived here in more than a decade and passed away at the beginning of the year.
“You’re Matilda’s great niece?” We take a leisurely turn into my subdivision.
“Yeah. Did you know her?” Rowen’s eyes meet mine in the mirror.
“I did. Before she moved, I mowed her yard every week as a kid. We lived three houses down. My parents still live there. So, you’re in her old place? I bet it’s a mess.” I pause, putting all the pieces together. Wyatt’s friends outside the department are all his wife’s friends and by extension, mine. Sort of. “You own the bookstore now.” I vaguely remember a panicked call from Nora after Matilda passed that Leo, the book store’s manager, was distraught that he was going to lose the store after losing the woman who changed his life. He loved Matilda Covers like a grandmother and had run the store since she moved to Florida to retire. It’s a complex series of events for our small town.
“I own the bookstore now.” Rowen says it with a solemn tone. “It’s all really overwhelming. The house doesn’t need repairs, well not many, but it’s still such a mess and what is one person supposed to do there? It’s huge and it’s only me. Maybe she thought I’d be married with kids before she died, but I’m not and now I have nine bedrooms. I’m thinking about getting a dog to fill some of the space, but I’ve been so busy. The bookstore basically runs itself thankfully. The manager is kind of an asshole, but he’s so efficient that I let his attitude slide. I’m just glad he’s there. It’s a lot to take on at twenty-five and with no knowledge of how to do any of this.” Her voice starts to crack at the end, and I reach up to rest a hand on her shoulder. “I am so sorry, you needed a ride, not… this.” She gestures around vaguely. “Passengers are not free therapy.”
“Unloading on a stranger is easier sometimes. I get it.” As awkward as this should be, it’s not. I could listen to this girl talk all day, all night, forever. “I know Leo, at the bookstore. He’s a little, something, but a good guy. You should keep him there. He won’t steer you wrong. His whole life has been at Cover to Cover. He loves it.” Not that I’m particularly fond of Leo, but he’s a good manager and I really like his wife.
“I will do anything for him to stay. Like, literally. I have no idea what I’d do if he left. He said he wanted to stay and would work the same as he always has. My biggest fear is making him so mad he quits.” Rowen snorts a laugh and clears her throat as we pull into my driveway. The porch light is on, casting a sickly yellow glow over my front stoop and the hedges on either side.
“I’m sure as long as you let Leo do his thing, he won’t leave.” I unbuckle and grab my bag. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Thanks for letting a complete stranger vent to you.” Our eyes meet in the rearview mirror again and my heart stutters.
“Anytime. If you need any help with the house, let me know. Seriously, I’m pretty handy and don’t mind. We need new people around here and that place has been empty too long.” I unzip the side pocket of my bag and pull out a card. “The bottom number is my cell. Text me and I’ll come help. It’s a huge house, and I can’t imagine cleaning it alone, much less doing repairs.” I flip the card to her and lean between the seats. The faint scent of green apples tickles my nose and I inhale deeper. I don’t even know if this girl plays for my team, but I’m over here laying it on thick and sniffing her hair. I mentally kick myself. I know better than this shit. Normally my gaydar is pretty on point, but this one has my needle going back and forth.
“You would really come help me?” Rowen turns in her seat so our faces are inches apart.
“Yeah.” I have to swallow hard my mouth is so dry. My palms are the opposite which is stupid since I’m a grown woman and I don’t know this girl.
“I can’t pay you until all the money comes out of…probate? Is that the word?” She scrunches her brows and it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
“Probably, but I don’t need you to pay me. Consider it my good deed for the year. I’ll do this instead of donating to the Salvation Army at Christmas.” I smile and that smirk crosses her lips. It has so much to say without her uttering a word, and I’m pretty sure my intuition is steering me right with this one.
“I’ll text you then. Thank you for needing an Uber Janet Morgan.” Her eyes sparkle in the dim light, or maybe I’m still a little buzzed and it’s my imagination.
“Thanks for driving, Rowen Madison.” I slide back in the seat, open the door, and step out in the cold February air, closing the door firmly behind me.
CHAPTER2
ROWEN
WatchingJanet walk into the house has me all kinds of confused. I’m definitely attracted to her, that’s not the confusing part. I’m confused because I haven’t noticed a woman like this in a really long time. The last time I decided to fall for a woman, it didn’t go well, and heartbreak for me means swearing off women.
Thankfully, I can switch teams at will and have dated men for the last couple of years, nothing serious. My instant notice of Janet means that maybe my heart is ready to trust a woman again. Or it means my lady bits want to jump her and it has nothing to do with a mended heart. I’m starting to think my lady bits are doing the thinking now. I also haven’t let that happen in a while. It just felt easier to have women off the radar completely so my lady bits couldn’t persuade my heart into another failed relationship. I rub my temples to relieve the tension.
A light flicks on in the front room of her house and I realize that I’m still parked in her driveway like a creeper. I back out and pull away, watching the curtains sway in the lit room as I round the bend toward town. I know if I go back and wait long enough, another bar patron will need a ride and I’ll make a little more money tonight. It’s kind of surreal that I don’t need the money. Well, I won’t as soon as probate is over. I’ll never need to work again. I’ll have bookstore income on top of all the money she left me, and a free place to live forever. After repairs are made of course. Speaking of repairs, why did Janet offer to help? Does she just have free time? Is she looking for a way to pass time? Or was all that eagerness flirting? Not that I’m stereotyping, but there is no way Janet isn’t into women. I’m good at reading vibes, but I’m terrible at deciphering the difference between flirting and being friendly. It makes me sad when I think of how many people I’ve passed on because I thought they were being nice.
By the time the bar shuts down, I’ve taken four more drunk people home and made enough to feed me for another week. I still have savings from leaving my job and cashing in my 401k. Not that it was much. Only working for six years of your adult life means you don’t have much of anything, but it was enough to have a nice savings account in case things go south.
I make my way back to the house I now call home with butterflies in my stomach. I can’t seem to shake the conversation with Janet. It wasn’t anything life altering, but every time I picture her warm hazel eyes in the mirror, I feel like I did when I was twelve and had my first crush on Shelby French. Before twelve, I didn’t have crushes on anyone. I was too busy playing in dirt, climbing trees, and being a kid to notice anyone. And then Shelby got boobs and my life changed. It took me years to come to terms with my sexuality, but eventually I realized that if I wanted to be truly happy, I needed to be honest, and honestly, I’m a card-carrying bisexual. Shelby later became my best friend in the world, and unfortunately, she’s painfully straight, so I’m stuck in the friend zone forever with her. There are much worse places to be. Shelby is the best human on the planet. That’s why as soon as I unlock the huge creaking door to my new house, I pull out my phone and send her a text.
