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I could feel the sunburn I’d gotten over the weekend pull tight as I frowned. “It’s only noon.”
Mabel beamed excitedly. “Yes, well, do you know the Jacksons’ daughter, Raelyn? She’s holding a small gathering in the town square, where she hopes to drum up some extra business for the local shops around town. It’s the last warm weekend of tourist season, so she’s hosting a big market, with booths and games. There’s bouncy houses for the kids and music.”
It had only been a week since I had seen Rae. How the fuck did she get all this shit done—and why?
My mind spun back to a few conversations about helping the town, and her being worried about the shops here.
I must have been standing there too long because Mabel cleared her throat. “Anyway, it’ll be quite the event.”
“Uh…” I grabbed a random brochure about the best place in Macon to get Wi-Fi, something I already knew, but I needed something to do with my hands. “So Rae will be at this event then, since she’s spearheading it?”
Mabel beamed brightly, shuffling papers and tucking a few stray pens back into her drawer. “Absolutely. She’s going to be stopping at each shop booth to give her marketing tips to the owners. We’re all looking forward to it.”
“What on earth could the library gain from all that? You’re funded by our tax dollars.”
Clicking her tongue, she answered tersely. “There’s people in charge of how we spend that money, and it wouldn’t hurt to hear her ideas on how to make the town look better.”
Right. Turning on my heel, I exited the library, wincing as the sun slammed into me. It was nice, but it was also annoying. I should have brought a hat. Climbing back into my truck, I reversed and headed to the town square. There seemed to be a bit of a bounce in everyone’s step as I watched families walk down the sidewalks. There were colorful balloons everywhere, and kids with half their faces painted and a shit ton of cotton candy. Somewhere inside me was a flicker of pride for what Rae was doing for this town. I may hate Macon, but it was still where I bought groceries and filled up my tank with gas.
Finding a place to park was nearly impossible, so I parked near the diner and just decided to walk the rest of the way. I was out of the truck and ducking to see if I had a hat stashed somewhere under the seat, when I heard someone clearing their throat behind me.
“Davis, right?”
I spun around, seeing Rae’s friend Nora. On instinct, I narrowed my eyes, already defensive. Whatever the fuck this chick was about to dish out, I was ready to—
“I have wanted to catch you alone for some time. Walk with me?” She cut into my thoughts and placed her hand in the crook of my arm.
Slamming my truck door, I walked woodenly next to her. I hated being unsure if I should trust someone or not.
“You know I’ve lived here my entire life?” Nora tilted her head, then amended her statement. “Well, except for my time in California, when I was in college.”
I didn’t respond, but we continued to walk. I noticed the flower baskets that had previously been dead weeds were now overflowing with color and fresh flowers.
“Rae has lived here her whole life too, except for New York.”
I knew this already.
“She’s changed a lot over the years, though. Did you know she had braces?”
Not trying to be a total dick, I shook my head.
“Yeah, and so did I…except I had mine in middle school. Rae didn’t get hers until later in high school.”
Why did I need to know any of this?
“No offense, but why the fuck are you telling me any of this? The last person I want to talk about is Rae, and I have a feeling you already know that.”
She waited a moment before answering, leaving her hand tucked into my arm, until finally she let out a small breath and stopped.
“See, that’s exactly why I’m telling you, because I know youdowant to talk about Rae, and I know she wants you to talk to her.”
“She doesn’t,” I scoffed. “She must be lying to you too, just like her parents, but we—”
“She told me that she had the best weekend of her life with you,” she said, and suddenly the air seemed to leave my lungs. “But she felt like the only option she had was to cut things off with you.”
What the… “Why?”
“That’s what I want you to figure out. I know why, and you have some work ahead of you to get her talking. I can tell you that she cares much more deeply for you than you realize, and based off the talking she did in her sleep the other night, she has some very strong…” Clearing her throat, she laughed and choked out, “sexual feelings for you too.”
