AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That’s right,” Ollie says in a serious tone. “Get a job making out, and you’ll be set for life.”
I close my eyes, afraid to see my sister’s reaction to Ollie’s career advice. But I can’t keep myself from adding, “Because it pays so well.”
I sneak a look at Ollie, and we both bust up laughing.
Felicity shakes her head with a rueful smile. “You two are terrible. I’m going to have to answersomany questions about this. You just wait and see what I tellyourkids.” She nods at both of us, and we freeze.Ourkids? There’s joking and then there’s going too far. “It’ll take you years and multiple diagrams to help them figure it out. Boys!” she bellows. “Let’s hit the swings!”
Trace and Hudson brush the snow off and race to the swing set. Felicity turns to follow them and pauses. “You two be good now. But not too good.” She winks. Oliver laughs. And suddenly I’m fifteen again and completely embarrassed in front of a boy.
ChapterSix
Amelia
We open the white envelope to find another index card with a second typed clue.
I’m a person not a place.
I meddle, but I’m kind.
My last name’s at the beginning,
But my house is hard to find.
Oliver blinks when he finishes reading. “How are we going to figure this one out? It could be anyone in Cherry Creek.”
“Anyone in the first half of the alphabet.”
Oliver nods slowly. “And I guess also knows Sadie Foster.”
I brush the snow off and take a seat on the top step leading up into the gazebo. Ollie sits next to me, his long, hard thigh brushing mine. I tap my lips with my finger, thinking about the clue and definitely not about the man sitting next to me.
“And you can’t throw a stone in this town without hitting a kind person.”
His lips quirk up. “I don’t think you should be throwing stones at anyone, least of all kind people.”
I smile and knock my knee into his. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I know. Just kidding.” He leans against the gazebo wall. “And I suppose everyone around here meddles?”
“Oh, yeah. You can count on it. You may have left Cherry Creek before you started paying attention to what the adults do in this town, but meddling is the official local pastime. Though there are some people who are worse about it than others.”
“Who’s the nosiest one out there?”
I pinch my lip, thinking. “Mrs. Atchison. For sure.” I sit forward. “In fact, ever since her daughter fell in love and got married while she had the book, Mrs. A. has been up in everyone’s business and almost always knows all the gossip on who has the book. You know she was my first call last night. When I asked her about where the book was, she’s the one who told me Sadie Foster was the only one who’d know and that she’d give a clue to a committed couple. She’s all about the meddling. And ‘A’ is at the beginning of the alphabet.”
“What’s Mrs. Atchison like? Is she kind?”
“Very. She collects strays of all sorts—cats, dogs, humans, houseplants. No one in Cherry Creek will go hungry on her watch.”
“That’s nice.”
I nod. “And she lives on Red Oak Drive. That street has no visible numbers on any of the houses or curbs. People are always getting lost over there. And her house is at the very back of a series of twists and turns. It’s like a maze.”
Oliver stands and extends a hand down to me. “Sounds like that’s exactly where we should go next.”
I take his offered hand and get up very slowly, suddenly less excited about getting to the next clue. “Yes, it does sound like that, doesn’t it?”
Oliver cocks an eyebrow at me. “But you’re hesitating for some reason.”
