“Do you think they’re all right?”
“Oh, them? They clash occasionally, but it’s never serious. They’re night and day.”
“Funny.” Holly chuckled. “I thought that exact phrase at the diner yesterday.”
“Most folks in town see them that way.” Garret smiled fondly. “They’ve been that way since they were kids.”
“Did all of you grow up here?”
“Oh, yeah.” Garret nodded. “Just about everyone in town grew up here.”
“And no one leaves?”
Garret’s expression suddenly closed off. “Some leave. Others don’t.”
“If you didn’t inherit your father’s store, would you have left?” Holly asked, then quickly caught herself. “I’m sorry if that’s too personal of a question. You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to.”
“I don’t mind,” Garret assured her. “I don’t know if I would’ve left or not. I don’t think I would’ve. I’m not sure I would’ve been able to.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh.” Garret shook his head as if coming out of a trance. “Nothing. Poor choice of words.”
Holly knew there was more to it than that, but she didn’t press him. She went back to quietly sipping her tea.
Johnny and Keller came back into the room looking much calmer, but not any happier than when they’d left.
“Is everything all right?” Holly asked.
“Fine.” Keller smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “How are you?”
“I’m fine,” Holly replied. “I still don’t know what I’m going to do, but I’m fine.”
“From an objective standpoint, I think you should stay,” Keller said. “Worst-case scenario, you lose your job, but you acquire a valuable property.”
“True.” Holly nodded. She didn’t know the first thing about acquiring and selling property.
“I’m going to head into town to check on your car. Do you want to get out of the house for a little bit?” Johnny offered.
“It might do you some good,” Garret said.
Holly pondered for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea. I have some calls to make. Cell service isn’t great here.”
“Not much we can do about that at the moment.” Keller shrugged. “Believe me, I’ve tried. The trees are just too dense. The mountains are just too damn big.”
“At least we won’t spend all day glued to screens,” Holly offered. “That view makes me never want to watch TV again.”
Everyone turned their attention to the magnificent view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“It sure is something special.”
CHAPTER SEVEN - Holly
As promised, Johnny took Holly into town. If he wanted to talk about their kiss, he didn’t let on. However, there was a softness about him when he looked at her. She didn’t mind it. In fact, she had a hard time not looking at him.
They pulled up in front of the diner. Johnny hopped out of the truck and made it to the passenger side just in time to help Holly.
“I only fell the one time,” she said. “You don’t need to rush to my assistance every time I get in and out.”
“Pearl would rise from the dead and kill me if anything happened to you.” He chuckled. “Mac’s shop is up one block. You can come with me if you want, or you’re welcome to explore.”
“I think I’ll explore,” Holly said. “Who knows how long I’ll be here? I may as well see what there is to see before I leave.”
“That’s the spirit. Meet me back here in twenty minutes?”
“That doesn’t give me much time for exploring,” she pointed out.
“This town has two streets that aren’t residential.” He chuckled. “You have plenty of time. Walk around the block once, and you’ve seen all the best stuff.”
“That can’t be true.”
“Silver Spruce is filled with natural wonders, but those aren’t conducive to solo exploration if you’re not from here,” he said. “Keller, Garret, and I would be happy to show you as many of those natural wonders as you want while you’re here.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Holly nodded. “See you in twenty.”
They went their separate ways. Holly did as he said and walked around the block. She passed the diner, Griz’s General Store, a cute boutique that had surprisingly fashionable pieces for being out in the middle of nowhere, a second-hand bookstore she knew she’d want to visit later, and a pub called The Bear’s Bane.
“No better place in town to get a drink,” a voice from behind startled her.
She whirled around to find a man standing closer to her than she would’ve liked. He was young, probably around the same age as Johnny, Keller, and Garret. His black hair was slicked back like a greaser. His leather jacket was worn and covered in patches. She couldn’t see his eyes. His sunglasses were too dark. Odd, since it was a cloudy day.
“Is that so?” she said.
“Well, it’s the only place to get a drink, so the bar is pretty low,” he replied smoothly. “Let me buy you a drink, and you can make the call for yourself.”
“No, thank you,” Holly said. “I’m meeting a friend shortly. I don’t want to keep him waiting.”
The stranger’s brows shot up. “Him?”
“Yes,” Holly said slowly. “Him. Excuse me.” When she tried to walk away, the stranger stepped in front of her.
“I didn’t catch your name,” he said.
“I didn’t give it.”
“I expected you to have better manners, Holly.”
The blood in her veins went cold. “How do you know my name?”
“You’re Pearl’s granddaughter. Everyone knows your name.” He circled her like a vulture. “The question is, what do you know about everyone?”
“I don’t understand.” She furrowed her brow.
“Ah.” He laughed. “Well, that answers my question.”
“Look, I don’t know you. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m going to go.”
