The easiest way to blend in when living in a new town was to pretend like you belonged there and wanted to fit in. After chatting up Andrew in the hardware store, I made friends with the wife of the owner, telling her about the house I bought and how I had hired Eric’s company to renovate the house. She had informed me that Eric bought local for a lot of his supplies, which helped keep the town flowing. I was very happy to hear that. I hated when companies went the cheapest route. It put small towns like this out of work.
After leaving the hardware store with the few things I needed, I decided to swing by the bakery. Meeting the locals was the most ideal way to cinch my spot in this town and get them on my side. I needed people to trust in me and think the absolute best of me, and that was exactly what I intended to do. Opening the door to the bakery, I walked inside with a million dollar smile. I had made sure to dress like the locals, leaving all my fancy clothes at Arlen’s estate. The last thing I wanted was for them to think I was some rich bitch that couldn’t fit in.
“Good morning,” a woman behind the counter beamed. “What can I get for you today?”
I smiled brightly at her and checked out the case. “Wow, I think I need a minute. Everything looks so good.”
“Oh, honey, you’re not going to find better baked goods anywhere you go. Everyone in town loves my food.”
I could imagine. Everything looked so delectable. I wanted to try everything. I tilted my head to the side as an idea came to mind. I wanted to make friends and I could kill two birds with one stone.
“I was wondering if I could put in an order for every morning and have it prepared for me by six-thirty every morning?”
“Of course. How big of an order are we talking?”
I chewed my lip considering this. “Well, it would have to be enough for a construction crew.”
She leaned across the counter, her eyes rapt with attention. “Are you the one that bought the old Granville house?”
“Yes, I did.”
She gasped, her eyes still just as wide. “That place is a legend. It was beautiful back in the day, but it really fell into ruin over the years.”
“What happened to the old owners?”
“Oh, that’s a sad story. Terrence Granville and his wife, Amelia, had three boys. One was killed in a car accident on his twenty-first birthday, and the other two boys decided they didn’t want to stick around this town. They said it was too small for them. Of course, that wasn’t always the case. They used to run around this town with the Cortell brothers, wreaking havoc wherever they went. But after the one brother died, something changed in the family. I think the two brothers just couldn’t stand to be in the town with so many memories. They scattered like mice. Last I heard, the oldest was living in New York City. He became some big shot and was living the high life. The second brother, he didn’t do as well. He tried his hand at several different things, but he eventually went bankrupt. He was too embarrassed to come home and nobody’s heard from him since.”
I was practically leaning on the counter with this woman, so wrapped up in her story. It was so sad.
“Amelia died not long after the boys moved away. Everyone says she died of a broken heart. Her youngest, Timothy, was like a bright light around here. He was funny and always playing pranks on people. His brothers were more serious, so when he died, it was like all the light left the family. So, after Amelia died, Terrance just became a recluse. He wouldn’t let anyone visit him. The house was already in pretty bad shape, but after she died, he just stopped caring. The house fell into disrepair and now you see what’s happened to it. It was very sad. We rarely saw him in town. Eventually, the grocer started delivering groceries just so the old man didn’t shrivel up and die. But then one day, he went to drop off the groceries and the old man was dead. He was sitting in his favorite chair in the living room, just staring off in space. They say it was an aneurysm. Anyway, nobody ever bought that house after that. Everyone says it’s cursed.”
I huffed. “Well, lucky for me, I don’t believe in that stuff. I love that old house. There’s so much charm to it.”
“And you’re fixing it up?”
“Yes, I hired a Cortell actually, Eric. So, I was thinking that I would have some fresh baked goods every morning for the crew.”
Her eyes lit up and she snatched a box. “I have just the thing. He usually comes in here to buy baked goods for his secretary. She can be a little pesky if she doesn’t have her morning treat, especially now that she’s pregnant.”
“He gets treats for his pregnant secretary?” I asked, slightly confused.
“Anna? Oh, she’s his sister-in-law. Well, she would be if she would ever marry his brother.”
“And which brother is this?”
“Robert. He was a big shot lawyer in Chicago until he gave it all up to come live down here with Anna. She’s the love of his life.”
“That’s so sweet.”
“It really is.” She started working on gathering baked goods, smiling as she did it. “You should join the town facebook page. It’ll catch you up on all the town gossip. And if you really want some eye candy, that man of yours—“
“Sorry, what?”
“Eric, the man doing your work, he’s got his own page.” She snickered as she dropped in
