Page 54 of As It Was (Strawberry Springs #1)

Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch

Mollie Wilson

Guys. I’m begging you to watch Renovating with Love. It’s so good, and my best friend is on it.

Comments:

Kerry Winsor : I’ve been watching it! Does she work in the back?

Mollie Wilson : No, she’s the main lead.

Kerry Winsor : YOU’RE FRIENDS WITH WREN?

“The romance was an unnecessary plot point.”

Mollie gasped dramatically and threw popcorn at me. “How dare you! It was perfect! It had me on the edge of my seat!”

“But they kissed .” Eric stuck his tongue out. “Ew.”

“I got to see my best friend fall in love with her dream man, and both of you are ruining it.” She rolled her eyes. “Seriously, he’s gonna be invited to holidays after this. ”

“I was trying not to say it, but it felt ... forced,” I said.

“Forced? How could it have been forced?”

“A lot of things in show business are forced.”

Mollie shrugged. “I could ask her. When she’s done with filming.”

“Shouldn’t she be? The show’s over.”

“Maybe she’s planning the next thing,” Mollie replied. “But you’re right. There should have been some sort of break or something. I haven’t heard from her in a while.” She frowned as she looked at her phone.

“Is that not like her?”

“No, not at all. Before the show, we talked constantly. But I must have gotten used to not doing it as much. I should message her and check in.” She typed on her phone. “I’m worried.”

“It’s probably nothing,” I replied. “She could be busy planning, like you said.”

“I just miss her,” she replied. “When I told her I moved here, she was so excited to see the place. Why would she up and vanish?”

I hated seeing Mollie sad, and I hoped this friend of hers wasn’t abandoning her just because she’d moved out of the city. I’d only ever heard good things about Wren, and from what I’d seen on TV, she was the most real part of that show.

The only time Mollie was inside was when we were watching it. As strawberry season wound down, she’d taken to planting new bushes and planning out the farm for next year, which would provide a lot more income on top of what the animals produced.

I reached out to her, planning on bringing her into a tight hug as she thought things through, but there was a knock at the door.

“That might be Kerry. She said she was gonna bring a pie over that she made. I’ll get it. ”

Mollie nodded, a small smile on her face. “Thank you,” she replied.

I got up and walked to the door, but right before I opened it, I noticed a truck in the driveway, one that I’d never seen before.

This had better not be like the last time I opened the door to a stranger. If another one of Eric’s family members came out of the woodwork, I would be telling them to kick rocks. The adoption was well underway, and I would be damned if anything stopped it.

I opened the door to a woman with strawberry-blonde hair tied into a ponytail. Freckles dotted her cheeks, and she looked just like the woman I’d seen on TV, but dressed down.

“Uh, hi. You must be Wren.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You know me?”

“Mollie makes me watch your TV show.”

She slowly nodded, but I saw the way her shoulders slumped downward. “Right ... It’s nice to meet you, by the way. Hopefully you’re treating her right.”

“I’m trying to.”

I didn’t know her, but I did know she looked more downtrodden than I would have expected. I had a feeling she didn’t want to be talking to me.

“Hey, Mollie!” I called. “Come here a sec.”

“Is it pie-tasting time?” she asked as she walked around the corner.

But when Mollie saw Wren, her eyes went wide. “Oh my God ! You’re here.” She pulled her into a hug, a wide smile on her face. “I was worried about you!”

“No need to be worried,” she said. “Just needed some time to get affairs in order.”

She sounded flat even to me, and Mollie pulled away, her eyes narrowed. “You’re sad.”

“No, I’ m not.”

“Come on. I know you. What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“Wren . . .”

“I’m done with filming,” Wren said. “And that’s what’s important. I wanted to see the town you moved to and ... get away for a bit.”

“Get away from what?”

“Everything.” Her voice was dark, and Mollie raised an eyebrow. Wren didn’t answer.

“Okay,” Mollie said slowly. “You’re welcome to stay with us. Right, Cain?”

“Yep. I can get the guest room ready.”

Mollie nodded and gave me a look that said we would definitely be talking about this later. I barely knew the woman, but something was off. I could only hope that Strawberry Springs could work its magic on Mollie’s best friend.

Because it had definitely worked for us.