AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She takes the plate from me and stares at the slice. “You made this?”
“I did.” I smile proudly at her and resume my place on the couch.
“It looks beautiful.” She takes a bite and then moans. “Cora, this is amazing.”
“Thank you.”
Pride diffuses through me.
“I’ve also been writing some new music. The songs aren’t complete, but concepts and sounds are coming to me. I feel inspired here.”
And I do. I know that most of our music over the years has been more mainstream, pop music, but what’s been coming to me lately is more relaxed, almost like trendy folk music. I can’t wait for a jam session with Avery and Emma once Emma and Clay return to the lake.
“I’m glad you’re settling in. Not gonna lie, I was a bit worried about you.”
“I think all of you were. But really, I’m good. I like being by myself, and I’m capable of doing whatever needs to be done. I haven’t had to ask for help once.”
“You know it’s okay to ask for help, right?”
“Sure, and I will if I need it, but something is to be said for being completely independent.”
And by independent, I mean completely away from my forever-disappointed-in-me family.
“If you say so,” she says, stuffing more cake into her mouth.
7
BRIGGS
It’s been a few days since I threw the corn into Goldie’s yard, and each morning, I hear her come out of her house and bang on a pan while yelling at them to scare them off. Of course, a grin stretches from ear to ear each time, and man, do I wish I had set up a camera to see her reaction. After the raccoon incident, I’m pretty certain she’s never experienced deer either.
Are they a little invasive? Yes, but if I were a deer, I suppose I would be too if I had to hunt for my own food, and randomly, there was some lying in the grass. I’d keep going back and looking for more. Eventually, they’ll eat all the corn and move on, but in the meantime, I think it’s hilarious.
I’ve just walked into the back of the cider house to grab a drink when Goldie storms through the front door. It bangs against the wall, and she marches toward the two women sitting at my counter.
“Please explain to me why the two of you are here,” she half yells at them.
Jane, my part-time employee who works the retail side of the barn, and I glance at each other and then back to the two women.
One of them, her name is Avery and she’s married to my friend Ash, and the other I believe is his sister. They both stare at her like they know they are in trouble, but Avery takes a bite of her cider donut anyway and chews slowly.
It’s then that I look over at Goldie and really take her in, ignoring how the sunlight is pouring in from behind her, illuminating her as if she’s a blonde goddess.
She’s wearing white shorts, a dark green shirt that is loose enough for me to see she has a tank top underneath it, and flip-flops. Her hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and I swear she has the largest emeralds I’ve ever seen in her ears. I can’t help but laugh out loud at how out of place they are, and that’s when she registers me.
Her eyes narrow, and her nostrils flare.
“And you,” she says. I widen my arms on the counter in front of her, and I suddenly realize they are her friends. I lean into them, anxious to hear what will come out of her mouth. “Don’t talk to them.” She points at me.
Gone is the girl who came to my door thanking me, introducing herself, and bringing a plant—in her place is a vixen.
The women’s eyes widen in surprise at her outburst, and I just smirk at her. Her already angry composure levels up, and her cheeks flush red.
“I take it you’ve met,” Avery says. She’s the one married to my friend Will Ashton, and she’s adorably pregnant. Good for them, I’m happy for them.
“Oh, we’ve met,” she says, placing her hands on her hips and using a tone that has the two girls now sizing me up in a not-so-friendly way. “Juliet, what are you doing here?”
“Eating donuts?” she says, but it comes out more as a question. She holds up the donut in her hand and takes another huge bite.
