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“Hi!” I wave.
“Congratulations! Project Hermit is a success.”
I groan. The gossip gals’ project to match me with Cedar is not my favorite topic of discussion.
Ruby and Raven force their way to the front of the group.
“You can’t take credit for Project Hermit’s success,” Ruby declares.
“I should get all of the credit,” Raven claims.
I lean close to whisper to Cedar. “I think your mother is auditioning to become a member of the gossip gals.”
“And here I thought my parents returning to Winter Falls was a good thing,” he mutters.
“Be careful what you wish for,” I sing back.
“Oh good, you’re here,” Ashlyn says as she grasps my hand and starts hauling me away.
I yank my hand out of her grasp and dig in my heels. “What are you doing? Are you not going to at least say hi to your mom?”
“Hi, Mom!” She waves to Ruby.
“Where’s Patience?” Ruby asks and Ashlyn indicates Rowan standing with the baby across the street. Without another word, Ruby dashes toward her granddaughter with Raven hot on her heels.
“There. Mom’s all taken care of,” Ashlyn says. “Now, come on.”
“Come on where? What’s going on? What are you doing?”
“Regaining my crown as champion of bonfire jumping.”
To clarify, there’s technically no bonfire. Apparently, a past fire got out of control and now flames of any kind are nixed. Thank goodness. Since me and fire, of any kind, do not go together. Instead, two poles are set up in the middle of the town square with hay in between them. The hay is the ‘bonfire’. Whoever jumps highest over the ‘bonfire’ is the winner.
“I won last year,” I remind Ashlyn.
“Only because I was pregnant.”
I cock an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? It’s on.”
I hand Diva’s leash to Cedar. “I’ll be back.”
He follows as we march toward the town square. “As if I’d miss this for the world.”
“We’re not done speaking to you,” Sage calls after us.
“Later, Sage. We’ve got things to do. Bonfires to jump. Championships to regain.” Ashlyn punches her first in the air.
“But what about the bets?” Petal asks.
“There’s another month to go,” Ashlyn responds.
Color me confused. I have no idea what they’re talking about. And, frankly, I don’t want to know.
Ashlyn grabs my hand as we hurry toward the town square. From the corner of my eye, I notice Elizabeth stomping toward me. Uh oh. I quicken our pace, but there’s nowhere to hide.
“Cassandra Claire Dempsey, how dare you?” she yells.
The hubbub of conversation dies down as everyone focuses their attention on us.
