“They’re going to start sleeping in your cabin?” asked Josh, waiting on his first coffee of the day at the general store. “Because I was thinking I could rent out my spare room at a tidy profit. There’s only my mother’s sewing machine, a Peloton, my old mountain bike, a Christmas tree, and the six-foot aquarium setup from when I used to have a pet turtle in there. It’d be a little cramped, but still very comfortable. You’d just have to bring your own beds and so on.”
“Thank you, Josh,” said Riley with an excellent blank face. “But I think we’ll stick to the cabin for now.”
He tossed back his mullet. “Suit yourself. You don’t know what you’re missing out on. I am damn fun to hang out and watch TV with. Just ask my wife. We’re doing a David Attenborough binge this weekend. It’s going to be great.”
“You moved in with Garrett?” Linda clasped her hands together with a smile. “What wonderful news, Ani. Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” I said with an uneasy smile. “I’m still getting used to the idea.”
“You’re following your heart and it’s wonderful to see.”
“I’m going to pray for you both.” And they did. “I hope that everything works out for you two.”
“Thank you,” I said.
After the rush yesterday, Heather was working with us. Along with being the judge of Tuesday Trivia Night, Heather had started working casual hours at the general store. She was a Black middle-aged woman with box-braids, a no-nonsense demeanor, and brilliant skill as a potter. We sold some of her beautiful mugs and bowls in the store. She and Linda could happily debate spiritual matters for days.
Though as Faye had predicted, there’d been a mass exodus of paparazzi. And most of the fans left when news of Garrett, Smith, and Lucas appearing in L.A. hit social media. This was followed by pictures of Garrett at Grace’s grave site with a huge bouquet of roses. He hid his black eye behind sunglasses. He hadn’t said anything about making the visit. But it made sense that he would go there. It was not a big deal.
The note I’d found on the kitchen table, however, was.
Van was on the door that day while Riley wandered the store. Both were minding their own business. Now was the time to talk it through.
“Garrett seems happy here, right?” I asked. “I mean, he bought up half the town. He must have plans to hang around at least for a while.”
Linda cocked her head. “Why do you ask, dear?”
“Oh, nothing.” I forced a smile. “Just thinking out loud.”
Josh picked up his coffee. “Gary’s happy as a pig in mud. We’ve been talking about starting a poker night. Imagine all the money I’m going to win off of him.”
“But you’re terrible at cards,” said Heather.
“Nonsense. That’s just negative talk.” Josh headed for the door. “See you later!”
“Why is that frown on your face?” asked Linda with concern.
“Okay,” I started. “I found a pros-and-cons list about Wildwood this morning in Garrett’s handwriting, and I need to talk about it before my brain combusts. But it has to stay with us, okay?”
“Of course,” said Heather. “It certainly seemed like the boy was settling in. At least, that’s what everyone’s been saying. I’m surprised to hear he’s thinking of leaving.”
“Right?” I pulled the piece of paper out of my pocket. “I don’t understand. He hasn’t mentioned any of this to me and we just made a massive commitment to one another and moved in together. It’s confusing as all hell. I mean, Wildwood is my home. I’m happy here. I don’t want to leave. I knew he’d be doing some travel for his work, but this is . . . shit.”
“What’s on it?”
“It’s not actually that long. I think he was only getting started,” I said. “But the pros are kind people, location, trivia night, and slower lifestyle. I had no idea he was interested in joining our trivia team. That’s cool. While the cons are location and no nightlife.”
Linda sighed. “The bar and grill is great. But I do have to admit that I miss nightclubs and jazz bars occasionally.”
Heather just nodded.
“What am I going to do if he wants to move back to L.A.?” I wrapped my arms around myself.
“You need to talk this through with him, and the sooner the better,” said Linda.
“Yeah, but I don’t want to do it over the phone. This is more of a face-to-face, serious type of discussion. And he’s busy with meetings and all sorts of things down there.”
“He wouldn’t want you stuck here worrying, dear.”
“When is he back?” asked Heather.
“Tomorrow.” I nodded. “I’ll wait to talk to him then. I think that would be best.”
The first text from him came at nine that night while I was lying on the bed, reading a book.
Garrett: Sorry, babe. This is taking longer than I thought. A few more days at least.