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I nod, not sure what to say. I haven't read much fiction since before Afghanistan. Haven't had the patience for it.
Thunder cracks overhead, making the cottage windows rattle. The rain is coming down in sheets now, a proper small town deluge.
"Wow," Lucy says, peering out the window. "It's really coming down. Um..." She hesitates, then turns to me with an uncertain expression. "I was going to order pizza, if you wanted to stay? Until the rain lets up?"
The invitation catches me off guard. I should say no. I should get in my truck and drive back to my empty cabin and eat whatever's in my refrigerator. Alone. Like I always do.
But the thought of driving through this storm only to sit by myself in my silent house suddenly seems unbearably bleak.
"Sure," I hear myself say. "Until the rain lets up."
Lucy's smile is worth the momentary lapse in judgment. "Great! Let me find my phone. Ate Gino yesterday and loved it. And did you know Gino's delivers even in weather like this? Lou told me they have a guy with a Jeep specifically for rainy nights."
As she hunts for her phone, I stand awkwardly in the middle of her living room, surrounded by the boxes and bags of her life. I should help her organize, maybe start unpacking the kitchen items. That would be the polite thing to do.
Instead, I find myself studying the titles of her books, stacked where I set them down. History of the Pacific Northwest. Logging Communities of the 1800s. Women's Diaries of the Oregon Trail.
"This is also research for your book?" I ask when she returns, phone in hand.
She nods, looking pleased that I noticed. "I'm working on a novel set in this region during the 1870s."
"You should really talk to Mrs. Abernathy," I suggest. "She runs the historical society. Has archives going back to the town's founding."
Lucy's eyes light up. "Really? That would be amazing. I was planning to introduce myself properly tomorrow, but I had no idea she was involved with the historical society."
"Her family's been here since the beginning. Abernathy Lumber was one of the first businesses in town." I shift, uncomfortable with how much I'm talking and how eager I sound. "What kind of pizza do you like?"
She accepts the change in subject with a smile. "I'm not picky. Pepperoni? Or whatever you prefer."
"Pepperoni's fine."
While Lucy calls in the order, I wander to the living room window, watching the rain lash against the glass. The storm has turned the early evening almost as dark as night, the cottage's lights reflecting back at me in the window.
In the reflection, I can see her moving around behind me, clearing space on the coffee table and straightening cushions on the sofa. Preparing for a guest. For me.
This is dangerous territory, I remind myself. Getting involved, even just as a friendly neighbor, isn't what I do. I keep to myself for a reason. People are complicated. Relationships are complicated. And complications are the last thing I need in my life.
But as Lucy approaches with two glasses of water, I find it hard to remember exactly why I've been so determined to keep everyone at arm's length.
"Pizza will be here in thirty minutes," she says. "Hope you don't mind waiting."
I don't mind at all, and that's exactly the problem.
Chapter 5 - Lucy
The rain pounds against the cottage windows, creating a cozy soundtrack as Riley and I sit in the living room, waiting for pizza. He looks strange in my space—too large for the small armchair, too rough around the edges for the delicate floral upholstery. Yet somehow, he doesn't seem out of place.
"So," I say, breaking a silence that's stretched just a bit too long, "you've lived here your whole life?"
His amber eyes flick to mine, then away. "Born here. Left at eighteen. Came back three years ago."
Each sentence is like a door closing—brief, final. But I've always been too curious for my own good.
"Where did you go when you left?" I ask, curling my legs beneath me on the sofa.
He takes a sip of water before answering. "Military. Twelve years."
"That explains the commendations in your shop," I say, remembering the framed certificates I noticed this morning. "What made you decide to come back to Cedar Falls?"
Thunder cracks overhead, making the cottage windows rattle. The rain is coming down in sheets now, a proper small town deluge.
"Wow," Lucy says, peering out the window. "It's really coming down. Um..." She hesitates, then turns to me with an uncertain expression. "I was going to order pizza, if you wanted to stay? Until the rain lets up?"
The invitation catches me off guard. I should say no. I should get in my truck and drive back to my empty cabin and eat whatever's in my refrigerator. Alone. Like I always do.
But the thought of driving through this storm only to sit by myself in my silent house suddenly seems unbearably bleak.
"Sure," I hear myself say. "Until the rain lets up."
Lucy's smile is worth the momentary lapse in judgment. "Great! Let me find my phone. Ate Gino yesterday and loved it. And did you know Gino's delivers even in weather like this? Lou told me they have a guy with a Jeep specifically for rainy nights."
As she hunts for her phone, I stand awkwardly in the middle of her living room, surrounded by the boxes and bags of her life. I should help her organize, maybe start unpacking the kitchen items. That would be the polite thing to do.
Instead, I find myself studying the titles of her books, stacked where I set them down. History of the Pacific Northwest. Logging Communities of the 1800s. Women's Diaries of the Oregon Trail.
"This is also research for your book?" I ask when she returns, phone in hand.
She nods, looking pleased that I noticed. "I'm working on a novel set in this region during the 1870s."
"You should really talk to Mrs. Abernathy," I suggest. "She runs the historical society. Has archives going back to the town's founding."
Lucy's eyes light up. "Really? That would be amazing. I was planning to introduce myself properly tomorrow, but I had no idea she was involved with the historical society."
"Her family's been here since the beginning. Abernathy Lumber was one of the first businesses in town." I shift, uncomfortable with how much I'm talking and how eager I sound. "What kind of pizza do you like?"
She accepts the change in subject with a smile. "I'm not picky. Pepperoni? Or whatever you prefer."
"Pepperoni's fine."
While Lucy calls in the order, I wander to the living room window, watching the rain lash against the glass. The storm has turned the early evening almost as dark as night, the cottage's lights reflecting back at me in the window.
In the reflection, I can see her moving around behind me, clearing space on the coffee table and straightening cushions on the sofa. Preparing for a guest. For me.
This is dangerous territory, I remind myself. Getting involved, even just as a friendly neighbor, isn't what I do. I keep to myself for a reason. People are complicated. Relationships are complicated. And complications are the last thing I need in my life.
But as Lucy approaches with two glasses of water, I find it hard to remember exactly why I've been so determined to keep everyone at arm's length.
"Pizza will be here in thirty minutes," she says. "Hope you don't mind waiting."
I don't mind at all, and that's exactly the problem.
Chapter 5 - Lucy
The rain pounds against the cottage windows, creating a cozy soundtrack as Riley and I sit in the living room, waiting for pizza. He looks strange in my space—too large for the small armchair, too rough around the edges for the delicate floral upholstery. Yet somehow, he doesn't seem out of place.
"So," I say, breaking a silence that's stretched just a bit too long, "you've lived here your whole life?"
His amber eyes flick to mine, then away. "Born here. Left at eighteen. Came back three years ago."
Each sentence is like a door closing—brief, final. But I've always been too curious for my own good.
"Where did you go when you left?" I ask, curling my legs beneath me on the sofa.
He takes a sip of water before answering. "Military. Twelve years."
"That explains the commendations in your shop," I say, remembering the framed certificates I noticed this morning. "What made you decide to come back to Cedar Falls?"