AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And even if they agree to be references, that still won’t help me when it comes to my résumé. Changing my name to give me a new start came at a cost. I’ve erased who I am and everything about my past—including my job experience. My very out-of-date job experience.
“I’m here to…” To what? What won’t raise suspicion? “To write a book,” I tell Delores. “A thriller?” I inwardly groan at the way I turned the genre into a question. And what the heck do I know about writing thrillers?
“Wow, that’s impressive. I don’t know the first thing about thrillers, but that sounds interesting. I bet there’s a lot of research involved.”
“There is,” I say since I assume that’s true. “I’m currently doing research and planning the story. But since I’ll be starting the renovations soon and working on the gardening, the novel will be put on hold for a bit. I’ll be too busy clearing away the magazines and preparing for the renovations.”
Delores’s expression brightens with wide-eyed excitement. “What are you planning to do with the magazines?”
“I haven’t figured it out yet. Most of the old ones aren’t in pristine condition, so collectors probably won’t be interested in them.”
“Oh, don’t get rid of them yet, dear. I wouldn’t be surprised if some people in the area would love to get their hands on some of the issues, especially the older ones. I mean, what would be cooler than getting a copy ofVoguethat came out the month you were born?” She rubs her hands together as if formulating a plan to take over the world—or my magazine collection. “I’ll talk to my friends and see what they think.”
Delores and I talk for a few minutes while we drink our water. She tells me about everything Maple Ridge has to offer. Which I appreciate. She goes into more details about the town than Anne did.
Afterward, I walk her to the front door. She waves good-bye and hurries down the path to the sidewalk.
I lock the door and go back upstairs to start the process of sorting through the magazines in the extra bedroom. Maybe I’ll get lucky and one of them will have an article on what to do when you’re starting your life over and you want to find a job.
Or ten easy steps to writing a résumé when you don’t want anyone to know the truth about your past.
11
TROY
March, Present Day
Maple Ridge
Zara sits on the couch,wineglass in hand. “Does anyone know someone looking for a job? Debra’s moving back to Portland to look after her grandmother. And I need to hire her replacement, preferably someone with kitchen experience.”
My brothers, Simone, and I shake our heads.
“I’ll let you know if I think of someone,” Emily tells Zara. “So, what are we playing tonight?” Her questioning gaze trails over us.
Simone, my sister-in-law, smiles sweetly at me from Lucas’s lap. “If you had a girlfriend, we could play charades.”
“Why is it I’m the one who needs a girlfriend? Garrett and Kellan are also single.” A year ago, it wouldn’t have even been a question. Simone was living in Portland, having decided she was happier there than in Maple Ridge, where she had grown up. Lucas and I were the ones always teaming up on Game Night because Garrett and Zara had become an unstoppable team. The same with Kellan and Em, his office assistant and our longtime friend.
“Besides, we can still play charades,” I point out. “One team will have four people and the other will have three.” Avery and her boyfriend, Noah, had other plans for tonight, but even if they were here, that wouldn’t solve the uneven-number problem.
Kellan leans forward on the other end of the couch, peering around Em to look at Simone. “We’ll take Troy. You two can take Garrett and Zara. You and Lucas need all the help you can get.”
Zara throws me a quick glance. “Maybe you should ask Jessica if she wants to join us next Friday.”
“Who’s Jessica?” Emily grabs her cooler from the coffee table.
“She’s the woman who shoved a wrench in Troy’s plans and bought Iris Bromfield’s house. She’s new to town and seemed kind of lonely.”
Garrett winces. “Mom’s always saying that the early bird gets the worm.”
“Which is great if I ever go fishing and need worms,” I grumble. “I know to steal them from the early birds.”
The dumbass snort-laughs. “Good plan.”
“And I didn’t know Anne was actually looking to sell Iris’s house. I had planned to talk to her once I heard back from the bank.”
“So what are you gonna do now about flipping a house?” Garrett asks.
