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We had spentthe last few months in a haze of love, passion, and potty training Anne. We were finally over the hump with the stubborn little pup, and she was officially not peeing on everything we own, which made our lives a hell of a lot easier. Gilbert had immediately loved Anne, and he spent most of his time with her tucked right up next to him as they both napped.
Lettie and I had fallen into a routine. We woke up early in the morning, shared a pot of coffee, and rode together to work. I always made sure to stop at the bakery first, so I could send her off across the street with a second cup and a donut.
Spring had turned into summer, and we took time to swim at Hidden Hollow, prepare for the summer solstice party, and watch the town movies whenever we could. It was a dream come true, living my life with her, and the best part was, at the end of every day, I got to go home with her. Lettie and I would sit on the couch, her feet on my lap as we watched reruns of Gilmore Girls and talked about everything under the sun until it was time to go to bed. I would wrap my arms around her and sleep more soundly than I ever had before.
My alarm went off one morning, and I rolled over to see Lettie, one leg draped outside of the blanket, and the constellation of freckles on her shoulder exposed. I kissed her shoulder lightly, and she moaned and turned around.
She opened her eyes slowly. “Hey, you.”
“Hey,” I replied.
“Is it that time already?” She closed her eyes again and licked her lips. “I feel like we just went to bed. I barely even slept at all.”
“That’s funny, it sure seemed like you slept pretty well. Your mouth was open so wide, I was genuinely concerned that a bug was going to crawl in there.” I paused, raising my eyebrows. “And I don’t even mean like a small bug, I mean like a tarantula.”
Lettie sat up in bed and huffed. “Really! It’s like that, huh? I sold my house to come live with you just to be teased mercilessly about my adorable sleeping face?” She picked up her pillow and hit me with it playfully. “Well, you snore!”
“Oh, is that so?” I grabbed her pillow from her and pinned her down on the bed, finding that spot that made her squirm and tickling it profusely. “I snore, do I?”
“Yes!” Lettie laughed, “It’s terrible. It sounds like a freight truck.” She was trying to catch her breath and wiggling her body attempting to break free.
“Isn’t the saying snoring like a freight train?” I asked, still tickling her.
“That’s what I said!” Then she made a long, loud, snort and I cut her off with a kiss.
I began my day at the bakery, stealing bites of strawberry bread and pistachio donuts, as I sold the townspeople of Aveline their summer baked goods. The Baking Tin had always been one of my favorite places in the world, but now it was even more special considering it belonged to Lettie and me.
I wiped my hands on my apron and stepped to the register. “Mary Anne, how long are you going to continue to order that poppyseed bagel? Why don’t you try something else? Broaden your horizons.”
Mary Anne stared at me blankly for a moment, as though what I was saying was the most preposterous thing she had ever heard. She was wearing a black and white silk blouse and her infamous beret. She had worn one every day since I could remember and she must have had a hundred of them in every color you could think of. Today, it was red.
“Psh, I’ve been getting this poppyseed bagel for twenty years. You think you are going to come in here and get me to change?”
“Not change, Mary Anne, maybe just add something else? See if you find anything that you like better?”
Mary Anne laughed and wagged her finger at me. “Nice try, Tuck Anderson. You need to work on your sales pitch though. That might work on Rosie, she’s a sucker for a pretty smile, but I don’t need a fancy breakfast. Just my bagel please.”
I held my hands in the air. “Listen, I’m not trying to pull anything on you, Mary Anne. I swear. Here, just take this blueberry scone along with your bagel. On the house.”
She eyed me skeptically before finally agreeing, “Okay, then. But just this time.” She took the bag from my hand and waved at the calendar behind me. “You need to fix your calendar. It’s June second today. And when I come back tomorrow, don’t you try and sell me nothing else. You’re worse than the sweeper guys that came through here the summer of 2012. We sure scared them away though. I think it was Barty and his rolled up newspaper that got them out of here for good. Haven’t seen them since. Anyway, bye now.” Mary Anne walked out the door and I watched through the window as she pulled out the scone, sniffed it, and took a reluctant bite. Then she shoved half of it into her mouth.
I chuckled and looked at the calendar. ItwasJune second.
And I had the most brilliant idea.
SEVENTY-NINE
LETTIE
We were loosely planningour wedding for June 2nd of next year, the day we met all those years ago, and that meant we had three hundred and sixty five days before the big day. We wanted a celebration with no fuss from anyone, but unfortunately, the town of Aveline had other ideas. Darcy and Millie had deemed themselves The Anderson Wedding Coordinators, and I’d heard something about an appearance by Taylor Swift.
NottheTaylor Swift, Darcy had explained, but a really good impersonator.
As long as I got to marry Tuck at the white chapel in Aveline, I didn’t care if anyone showed up.
I was headed home after a long and exhausting shift—Mrs. Fitz had been back in for Beatrice’s diarrhea—and I was thinking I would plop down on the couch and watch reruns of Modern Family. I had already planned to eat a bowl of cereal for dinner and not leave the couch for the entire evening, but when I arrived at my house, all the blinds were closed and it seemed eerily quiet.
I stepped inside and placed my keys on the table next to the door. I knew Tuck was home, his truck was in the driveway, but there were no traces of him inside. Or Gilbert or Anne.
