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What.A.Jerk.
I'm practically breathing fire as I punch in the code to the door. He whistles as he walks back to the beach. Whistles! As if he couldn't be more pleased with himself.
I'll be right over here at my big ole' bucket of bait.UGH.
The lock clicks open and I storm into the building, remembering too late that my foot is injured. Whimpering, I sink onto a platform holding three naked mannequins. Looking down at my wounded foot, I scowl. He wrapped it so expertly, so gently, that I'd been tricked into believing he was a nice guy. I should have stuck with my first inclination—to run far and fast.
But I've never been much of a runner.
Burying my face in my hands, I try to block out the memory. Why did I have to run from him like he was an axe-wielding maniac?
And that couldn't be the end of my humiliation. Oh, no. I had to go and step on a sharp shell and fall into the path of surging water, losing my shoes and my dignity in one fell swoop.
But most of all, I hate that I just stood there with my mouth wide open like a Venus Fly Trap waiting for lunch while he walked away whistling the chorus toDon't Worry, Be Happy.
I hate him.Hate. Him.
I'm not loving Friendly, either. The town needs to be renamed. It’s not fair to lure unsuspecting and innocent bystanders here with the idea that the name somehow fits the town.
I didn't expect a parade or anything, but so far, Friendly has greeted me with a closed road and a nasty neighbor. I am not impressed.
Maybe I'll suggest a new name at the next town meeting. I should be invited now that I'm a resident.
Mental note: Brainstorm hateful names for the town.
I look around at my empty store.Thisis impressive, I have to admit. Sticks & Stones is as lovely as any of Boutique Chrysalis' locations—and I haven't even put out any of the stock yet.
The in-store stock will be limited to save on costs. But it won't be limited bysize. No woman will feel left out in my store.
If a dress is offered in multiple prints, I've only ordered it in one or two. If someone wants a different print, I'll order it for them. There will also be an online component to my business. A person will be able to make purchases from anywhere in the world at any time of day.
That's the aspect that most interested Cara. She can't wait to order new clothes from Sticks & Stones.
A wave of homesickness for my former roommate washes over me. I want to talk to her so badly, to tell her about my handsome but detestable neighbor, but I can't bring myself to call. Not when I'm feeling so low.
A good night's sleep will help, I think. I didnotget that last night.
I don't really believe in ghosts…most of the time. But with it being so quiet, every noise in the apartment was amplified.
There was a scratching at the window. Then I could have sworn I heard footsteps on the roof. I held out as long as I could before going to the kitchen to search for a salt shaker.
If reruns ofSupernaturalhave taught me anything, it's that evil spirits hate salt. I figured it couldn't hurt to keep the shaker on my nightstand. Especially since great-aunt-Hildy died in her sleep.
The bed was replaced, of course, though it pained me to get rid of her beautiful, antique, cherry wood bedroom suite. I went back and forth about it for a while, but in the end, I knew my imagination would never let me sleep soundly in a dead woman's bed.
But I still spent the night tossing and turning. At one point, I woke up tangled in blankets and sweating profusely. So, I opened the bedroom windows to let in the breeze and discovered that I can hear the crashing waves from inside the apartment.
That was nice.My own personal sound machine.
But even then, I slept fitfully, dragged into nightmares with villagers chasing me with pitchforks. I didn’t drift into a peaceful sleep until after the cat snuggled against me and started to purr.
The only problem? I don't have a cat.
So, I've been in Friendly for approximately twelve hours, and I've hallucinated a ghost cat, humiliated myself in front of my neighbor-slash-nemises, and sliced my foot open with a shell.
Nope. So far, Friendly has failed to impress.
Chapter 8
