Page 11 of As It Was (Strawberry Springs #1)

MOLLIE

Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch

Kerry Winsor

Sometimes you try so hard but have to realize that others won’t do the same.

Comments:

Jade Clark : ??? Are you vague-posting in the group?

Kerry Winsor : It’s not illegal.

Tammy Jane : Doesn’t look all that great.

Kerry Winsor : You do know you’re supposed to ask what happened, right?

Kerry Winsor : Tammy??? Seriously? Why is this post getting no attention? @everyone

Marjorie Brown: Kerry, I love you, but I do not have time for your little drama fest.

Kerry Winsor: YOU’RE RETIRED! How could you not have time?

As I drove, I watched for the town welcome sign and the multicolored, two-story buildings of the town square again.

I was technically on my lunch break from work, but I needed to get out of the house.

I was in a new place. I wanted to explore , and while Dad and Trevor were in meetings, I knew no one would be looking.

The town square had always been incredible when I was a kid, but seeing it with adult eyes was different than the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia. There was a lot of color, but more of the buildings were vacant than I remembered—including the once-massive library.

“No,” I moaned. “It closed?”

I wasn’t surprised. In small towns like this, things like recreation were the first things to lose tax funding. Still, I’d spent hours in there. It had been the largest in the area.

For a long moment, I bemoaned the loss of the library before surveying the rest of the square.

The places that were open, like the grocery store, the diner, and the antique shop were all in good shape.

The sidewalks were maintained, and impressive pots full of pansies and mums were on every corner.

In the center of the square was a green space with paved walkways and a brick center courtyard.

It felt so odd to be in the middle of downtown and see so much nature.

It was near lunchtime, and though I was mostly full from eating breakfast rather than having a protein shake, I wanted to check out the diner.

Center Point Diner was on the other side of the square and its neon sign flashed that it was open. When I walked in, I was greeted with white and black checkered tile and pink walls.

It was exactly how it had been when I was a kid.

“Oh! Hello,” a woman with a rough voice said as she walked to the podium. She had dyed blonde hair with a pen in it. Her name tag read Geraldine, but I knew that wasn’t who she was. “A table for one?”

“Yes, please.” I smiled. “Tammy.”

She nodded and walked away, but then froze. “Wait a second, I’m not wearing my real name tag.”

“I know. You’ve done that for years.”

She turned an appraising eye on me. “You’re from here.”

“It’s nice to meet you again. I’m Mollie, Bennie’s granddaughter.”

Her jaw fell to the floor as fast as the menus in her hand. “You’re—you’re back!”

“I am.”

“My God, kid! You’ve grown. You’re a knockout!” She walked a circle around me. “Where have you been all this time?”

“Unfortunately, working for the other family business. But I needed a break, and here I am.”

“Well, let me be the first to welcome you.” She pulled me into a tight hug. “Unless I’m not the first?”

“Ah, good catch. You’re not. But we don’t have to talk about that.” I bent down to pick up my menu.

“First rule about small-town life, kid,” she said as she walked me over to a table. “We talk about everything . Your mama owns the farmhouse, right? And I happen to know someone lives there.”

I sat with an awkward laugh. My eyes widened when she followed suit and sat across from me.

I’d never met anyone so willing to talk before. Sure, there were friendly people in the city, but never someone so interested.

“My mom doesn’t own the farm. I do. And I didn’t know it until now. I thought it was abandoned, actually.”

“It’s certainly not. ”

“I figured that out when I walked in.”

Tammy laughed. “So, you’ve met Cain Smith?”

“I did. And I did not make a good first impression, obviously.”

She hummed sympathetically. “It’s hard to with that one. Need some hotel recommendations?”

“Oh, no. It’s my house. I’m staying there.”

Tammy’s eyebrows crept up to her hairline. “You’re ... what?”

“I’m staying in the house.”

“W-with Cain?”

“Yes?”

Tammy looked like she was watching the finale of the best reality TV show on earth, and dimly, I realized that my telling her meant everyone in town would know.

I had a feeling Cain wouldn’t be thrilled.

But was he ever thrilled with me?

“I can’t believe this,” she said. “And he let you?”

“Very begrudgingly. He hates me.”

“He hates most people,” Tammy reassured. “Don’t take it personally.”

“I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse, considering he’s my roommate.”

“Let me at least give you a warmer welcome than he gave you,” she said. “I’m sure Eric was polite.”

“Very polite. And cute.”

Tammy stood and pulled out her pad. “Stick with the kid. And with me. Your first impression might have been a little rough, but we’re far nicer.”

“It’ll take a lot worse than Cain to scare me off.”

“Good.” Her smile only widened. “I think you’ll fit in here just fine.”

Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch

Tammy Jane

Y’all remember Bennie’s granddaughter? Mollie is back!

Comments:

Kerry Winsor : WHAT

Tammy Jane : AND SHE’S LIVING WITH CAIN AT THE FARM.

Kerry Winsor : WHAT!!! I KNEW HE WAS IN A BAD MOOD TODAY. Well, worse than usual of course.

Tammy Jane : It feels good to be the first to know.

Jackie Anne : Sorry to burst your bubble. I knew this morning.

Kerry Winsor : You’re an insider. You don’t count. AND WHERE WAS YOUR POST?

Jackie Anne : Cain was green in the face at the thought of everyone knowing. It was only a matter of time, but I couldn’t betray him like that. At least not that bad. I think he thinks she’s pretty, though.

Tammy Jane : She’s fucking gorgeous, Jackie. Your boy is in trouble.

The food was incredible, and I was tempted to return to the house and fall into a food coma, but there was a whole town square to enjoy.

I walked around it once, taking it all in.

There was an antique shop that had probably furnished Papa Bennie’s decor, as well as a clinic and store.

I passed by a bar that wasn’t open yet, and tucked in a small corner was a shop that I’d never seen before.

There was a crystal on the sign, and it was called Jade’s Goodies.

It was so out of place that I had to go in.

The inside smelled like lavender, and there were crystals on the shelves in the back of the store. In the middle was a mixture of incense and candles.

“Oh, hi!” a woman’s voice said. “Sorry, I’m not used to new people coming in. Usually, I can ignore everyone until they come to the front.”

When she walked out, the first thing I noticed was her bright pink hair. Her eyes were a deep brown and she had a nose ring.

“Hello,” I said. “This place is so ...”

“Weird? Yeah, that’s what I was going for. You must be Mollie.”

“You’ve heard of me?”

“There was a Facebook post,” she said as she checked her phone. “Ten minutes ago. It’s big news.”

“So, you know everything I told Tammy?”

“You’re Bennie’s granddaughter and you live with the biggest grump in town. Well, second biggest.”

“There’s someone worse?”

“Hugh Jeffries. He owns the antique shop. The only reason he’s first is because he’s old as hell.”

Hugh Jeffries. The name sounded familiar. I wonder if he ? —

“I’m Jade, by the way,” she continued, interrupting my thought.

“Mollie, but you knew that.”

“Sorry. I promise not everything makes it to the Facebook page. But this is just too good. I mean, a woman? Living with Cain Smith?”

“He has that big of a reputation?”

“Anyone who’s as big of a recluse as he is? Yes. You’re our gateway into his life. Or at least what you’ll share.” She leaned forward with an eyebrow raised.

“I’ve only been here a day. So far, all I’ve seen is him stalking to the animal section of the farm and falling on marbles in the hallway.”

“Oh, I wish I could have been there for that.”

“And he keeps a very clean house,” I said. “My ... Someone I used to live with definitely did not.”

“I’d find it hot if I didn’t know him in his angsty teenage phase,” she said. “But that’s definitely good info.”

“Will it be in the Facebook group in ten minutes?”

“I don’t usually post there. That’s mostly a thing for the older ladies in town. I just like to lurk. And annoy people with my comments.”

I chuckled and let my eyes wander over the shop again.

“What brings you in?” Jade asked. “Sorry, I totally forgot to ask.”

“I’m not sure. I’m wandering around to let the interesting things find me.”

“I’m happy my shop made the cut.”

“For one thing, it smells amazing in here.” I browsed the candles, wondering if Cain would like one. He was extremely defensive over the one I’d almost hurled at him. “And it’s different.”

“I’m good at different,” she said.

I picked up a candle and smelled it. It reminded me of spring, like the fields filled with ripe strawberries. “I’ll get this one.”

She looked at the scent. “Good choice. We all love strawberries here. It was a shame when the fields shut down. I loved going there in the summer.”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “I guess I should be happy the farm is even open, but those fields were Papa Bennie’s favorite thing. ”

“Did you approve shutting it down?”

“I didn’t get to approve anything. My family kept the farm in a trust until now.”

“So this is a shock.”

“I thought it was abandoned, so this is better than that.” I walked over to the register and handed her the candle.

“We were all pretty mad when Cain shut it down. But he’s the only one who works there. Bennie used to have a ton of employees.”

And Mom hadn’t approved any more. My jaw tightened. I hadn’t begun to process how bitter I was about her not telling me, but it was hitting me like a ton of bricks regardless. Why did she hate this place so much? Maybe it wasn’t her cup of tea, but everyone had been kind so far.

“Cain seems stretched thin,” I said. “Especially if he’s managing the animals by himself.”

“Still, you could open the fields back up.”

“I ... could. But I probably shouldn’t. I don’t know how long I’ll be here.”

“Really? You’re not here to stay?”

“I have a life I’ll have to get back to eventually. I hope to split my time, but until I figure out finances and the logistics of hiring someone?—”

“Good luck with that,” she said. “It’s hard to find people out here.”

“I’ve heard.” I let out a sigh. “I have no idea what I’m doing. My only hope is to wear Cain down into showing me the ropes.”

She laughed. “He’s not the kind of guy to be worn down. Trust me. Many have tried.”

“How long has he been here?” I asked. “I never saw him before.”

“A long time. We would all have been teens when he arrived. ”

So he was an outsider. That explained a lot.

But not everything.

“It’s his sparkling personality, isn’t it?”

Jade laughed. “Got it in one go.” She handed me a bag. “But I do hope you like it here. I can’t explain it, but there’s something magical about this town.”

“Like the sign says?”

She nodded. “The world is terrible, but it doesn’t feel as terrible here . We all get along for the most part. We don’t have the high rental prices or all the people clamoring to move here. It feels calm.”

That calm could have been ruined if I’d let Trevor go through with his plans. Thank God I’d trusted my gut.

“I need calm,” I said. “I think I was in the city for too long.”

“Let me be the first to say, you should stay as long as you like. Enjoy the magic, Mollie.”