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“Whatever,” he says, exasperated. “Not my problem, Sunshine.”
I have nothing more to say to this arrogant jerk. I start up Tootsie, my not-so-trusty van, and she struggles to sputter to life. I back out of the parking spot, and because I’m petty sometimes, I lean out the window and say, “Oh, and they’remyfriends now!” Then I drive off cackling because he stands there with the sourest look on his face, and I know that I’ve won. What have I won exactly? No clue. But he’s mad. See you, jerk!
3. preston
Go Your Own Way
What a freaking chaotic lunatic.She stormed in here like hell on wheels and accused me of stealing her buildingagain. And how is this my problem? It isn’t. But I’m new here, too, and contrary to what this fiery woman said to me earlier, I do want to help people. That’s one of the reasons I moved here. Plus, life is calmer here; people are typically kind and welcoming. Aside from this lady.
Well, newsflash, I’m not a big bad wolf. She’s wild and passionate, and I want to get to know her better. Except somehow, I seem to have made it even worse. And now she seems to hate me even more.
Maybe she’ll just take off and go somewhere else. Yeah, that’d be best.Shit.No, that’s not happening. The minute she stormed into Allie’s bakery and pulled up a chair with that group, I knew she would become their problem—and now that makes her my problem. Because when the Golden Gable crew find someone in need, they help them, which means they enlistmeto help them as well. And being that they’re like my family here in Freedom Valley, I always do and always will help them.Damn it.
I head back inside my office as the acrid stench of her engine still permeates the air. She better get that looked at. But knowing Mellie, she’s probably already got her fiancé—Ty, the local mechanic—on it. Hell, they’re probably already braiding friendship bracelets right now.
I stop in the doorway to my office and survey the chaos. Clearly, I’m not getting any work done today, so I call it quits. I can’t focus in this mess, so I swipe my keys and call, “Theo, come.”
He’s lying on his back on his dog bed in the corner with his belly and feet in the air, snoring away. But at the sound of my voice, he flops over, stands, and stretches. Then he trots over, tail wagging, and sniffs me. “Come on, sleepyhead.” I scratch his head.
I hold the door to my Jeep open, and Theo bounds in. He sits up so high in the passenger seat he looks comical. He’s a cross between a Bernese mountain dog and a poodle, and he’s a big boy, weighing in at over a hundred and twenty-five pounds. He recently graduated from doggy school, so he’s trained and goes just about everywhere with me. Having a big, friendly dog is a good conversation starter with new people around town, so it’s easier to get to know people.
I pull up to the Golden Gable, the inn where I’ve been staying for the past several months. A couple of guests rock on the front porch swing as others climb the stairs with their bags, headed inside to check in. The inn has been fully booked for quite a while thanks to my friend Beth Markwell. She’s a famous romance author who’s also engaged to the owner of the inn. I bounce around to wherever Beth and Evan have room for me.
A while back, Beth, and our mutual friend Logan, who’s now married to Evan’s sister, Allie (owner of Baked Inn Love), needed some legal help when an unscrupulous banker tried to take the Golden Gable under very suspect circumstances. We all ended up becoming great friends after I helped Evan out of that bind. I helped Allie, too. And Mellie. I guess that’s my role in the Golden Gable family. The helper. That’s okay. I’m pretty much used to that. Story of my life, really.
Having this inn and these people to come home to this past year has been just what I need. It hasn’t been easy since I broke away from my toxic family, but I am thankful for everyone making me feel welcome here. Now that construction is done, Theo and I will be leaving the inn and moving into our new home. Though, to be honest, I’ll be sad not to come back to the inn every night, and I think Theo will be, too. Theo has had it made here with Allie and Mellie’s boys, Caleb and Kase. He’s even made friends with Chip and Bossy, their dogs, and Nova, Mellie and Ty’s pit bull, who’s also usually around. I know that we can still come back to visit anytime, but it’ll be different.
As we make our way up to the loft of the garden shed, a few guests stop to pet Theo. Then I let him do his business out back as I change out of my work clothes. I feed Theo, and he happily wags his tail. While he eats, I take a few boxes down and load them into the back of my Jeep. That’s when I hear a loud, familiar-sounding vehicle drive up fast behind me and park. I groan. I can’t seem to shake this woman today.
I turn and lean against my Jeep. These aremyfriends. She can go find her own. But deep down, I’m secretly pleased she’s here. But I won’t admit that to anyone.
She gets out of her smelly van and stalks over to me. “What areyoudoing here?” She almost stomps her foot when she says this. I can’t even hold back the amusement on my face. I’m trying to play it cool, but seeing her feathers ruffle makes me grin wider.
“I live here,” I reply with far too much satisfaction. Am I being petty? Yes. Am I enjoying seeing her worked up again? Also yes.
“Here?” Her nostrils flare, and her eyes narrow. “At the inn?”
“Yep, in the garden shed loft,” I say as I nod up at it. Beth must have offered to let her stay in the loft now that I’m moving out, and judging by her reaction, I was right. Bingo.
“Impossible. Beth said I could rent... oh... unless you stole that from me, too.” She says this with annoyance, but underneath the scowl is hurt. And I don’t like that. My heart sinks.
She looks me over and demands, “Why are you wearing a Fleetwood Mac t-shirt?”
I glance down at my t-shirt. “Why not?”
She stares at me like she’s trying to figure me out.
I’ve had myRumorsshirt since college. It’s faded from the years, but they’re one of my favorite bands. It’s also literally the only shirt I could find since everything else is packed up.
I decide not to dignify her question with an answer. Instead, I deflect. “Relax, cat lady. I’m moving. I’ll be out of your way shortly.”
“Cat lady?” She shoots me a look of confusion. “Why are you calling me cat lady?”
Before I can respond, Theo comes bounding over. Her eyes light up at the sight of him, and she almost becomes an entirely new person right before my eyes. Gone is the angry lady; this one is enthusiastic and friendly. The way she’s so happy at the sight of my dog is intriguing. How can she be like this around others, yet hate me so much?
“Who isthishandsome boy? Oh, my goodness. Aren’t you just the goodest boy in all the land.” She runs her hands all over my dog and scratches his ears. Theo eats up all the affection and leans in for more. A tiny bit of me is envious of the attention he’s getting.
I pretend to be annoyed and roll my eyes. “Is that even English? This is Theo. Mydog. Unless you want to claim him as yours, too. You know, like you did with my friends.”
