Page 47 of As They Are (Strawberry Springs #2)
WREN
Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
Hu Gh : Drone for sale. Hole in the bottom. Full price only. I know what I’ve got.
Comments:
Tammy Jane : Are they ethically sourced? Or were they hunted?
Marjorie Brown: Can I get a picture of the hole?
Kerry Winsor : Marjorie! Don’t encourage this!
Marjorie Brown : WHAT? Maybe I’m into drones!
I was carefully weeding the irises when a shadow crossed over me. I tensed, hoping it wasn’t Jude, who was trying to get me to interview with him.
“Hey, kid,” a very different voice said. “How are you?”
I looked up, shocked to see Tammy.
“Hey yourself. What’s up? Do you need anything?”
“Can I not just check in on you?”
“You can ... It’s just not normal for me.”
Tammy huffed. “Still hate that woman who pushed you out of her.”
“Not even calling her my mother?”
“She’d have to work for that.” She rolled her eyes. “I was just on a break. I called Kelsey, but she’s busy, and then saw you out here. How’s the library going?”
“It’s almost done. We’re installing tile starting tomorrow, and then we furnish it. I can’t wait.”
Though I almost could wait, because once I was done here, I had a ton to do when I went back to Nashville.
And I didn’t even want to go back.
“Me either. The only people more excited than me are Marjorie and Henrietta. And maybe Henry. And Mollie.” She scratched her head. “That’s a longer list than I thought.”
“I’m gonna try to do my best,” I said. “But if I mess it up, it gives me more reason to come back and fix it.”
“Do you have to have a reason to come back?”
I paused in my weeding as I thought about it.
For most of my life, I was always in search of something to fix.
I couldn’t imagine not finding a bigger and better house to renovate, but now that I thought about it, I didn’t have to fix anything.
I loved my job, and I would want to get back to renovations eventually, but I felt like I could take a break.
I could be with Henry.
“You know, you’re not wrong,” I said. “I guess I can come back for my boyfriend.”
Tammy narrowed her eyes and looked around. “You don’t have to lie to me, kid. I know.”
“You know?”
“I know ,” she repeated as she leaned in. “It’s all for the show.”
I gasped. “What? How did you find out?”
“I figured it out when Henry got all cagey. This is the face of a mother. He couldn’t lie to me.”
I could see Henry crumbling under Tammy’s hard stare. I’d probably do the same.
“Ah, well. I guess the secret is out. In a way.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Did he talk to you like I told him to?”
“You told him to do that?”
“No miscommunications on my watch,” she said with a laugh. “So, he did it?”
“He did,” I replied. “And I said yes.”
“Finally! I might have only known the truth for a day, but that was too long!”
I laughed. “I’m glad no one else knew. They wouldn’t have been able to keep their mouths shut.”
“Definitely not. And you two owe me, considering technically I won the bet.”
“Oh, God. I hadn’t even thought of that. How much money did you lose out on?”
Her flat expression told me it was a lot.
“Let’s just say you’re lucky I like you or else I’d be asking to get paid back.”
“Back pay for bet winning is a new one for me.”
“We take them seriously around here. You’ll get your chance to join in on one soon. Something tells me you’ll fit in just fine once you’re settled.”
Had I ever fit in anywhere? Sure, I had with Mollie, but it wasn’t like this. It wasn’t a community.
“I honestly can’t wait to be done with my work in Nashville so I can get back. Hopefully I won’t miss anything good.”
“What all do you have planned?”
“You wanna hear about all of the things I’m doing back in Nashville?”
“Yeah. I’m fascinated by what you get up to, kid. I’ll hear it all.”
Cotton made its way into my throat. I’d come here to escape and spend time with Mollie before the show resumed. It was supposed to be temporary and fleeting.
And instead, I found a family. And I was starting to really like spending time with them.
“Wren!” Mollie yelled the second I was through the door. She ran over to me, hugging me despite how sweaty I was. “Thank God I can actually see that you’re okay.”
I winced. “Sorry I missed your twenty calls. Last night was ... unexpected, and then I had to film today.”
She was smirking when she pulled back. “I hear someone isn’t single.”
My cheeks heated and I laughed. “You’re right. I’m not.”
“Henry is a sweetheart. Even Cain agrees. He would have even agreed before he liked the town, which really says something.”
I laughed. “It does.”
“We’re almost done with dinner, by the way. Are you hungry?”
I paused. “I was actually gonna hang out with Henry tonight.”
Mollie raised an eyebrow. “You’re spending another night with him?”
“Is that okay?” I wouldn’t blame her if she felt exactly like I did when I first came. Like I was moving on without her.
But she shook her head. “Why would I be mad?”
“Because ... we don’t get as much time together, I guess?”
“You’re in a new relationship, and I know how it is. When you find your person, you wanna share a life with them. I mean, look at mine.” She gestured to the house. “We’ll make time for hangouts, girls’ nights, or just a night with Eric to play, but if you’re happy with Henry, I’m happy for you.”
“I am happy,” I said. “I almost don’t know what to do with it.”
“You’ve been dealing with a lot for a long time,” she said. “Some that I didn’t even know about. I hate that you don’t know what it feels like to be happy. Then again, with Trevor, I didn’t either. But I saw your misery, just as you would have if you were here.”
“I wish I had been,” I said with a sigh. “I felt terrible about it for a while.”
“You were busy with your show.”
“And look how that turned out.” I rolled my eyes.
“I hate the show, and they tried to force me to do things I didn’t want to.
What would have happened if I’d stayed in Nashville and didn’t come here?
You could’ve forgotten me.” As I said the words, emotion hit me hard.
My eyes prickled, though I tried to stop it.
The idea that people left was something I carried with me every day. Once Mom vanished, it left a crack inside of me, and from that, whispers arose from the depths.
Everyone leaves. Protect yourself.
If I wasn’t memorable enough to my own mother, why would anyone else care?
“Wren, I would never forget you.” She stepped close, eyes also shining with tears. “You’re like a sister to me, even when we’re apart.”
“But people have before,” I said with a shrug. “It can happen again.”
“If I ever start to forget you, find me and kick my ass . I would deserve it.”
“Bad word!” Eric called.
Mollie blinked. “Hey! Were you listening?”
“No!” he lied as he came into view. “I was just around.”
“I’m not dumb.” She pointed at him.
“My marble run fell over. I wasn’t listening for long, I promise!”
Mollie crossed her arms, watching him closely.
“It’s okay,” I said, shaking my head. “We were just talking about adult stuff.”
“About people leaving, right?” he asked.
My eyes went wide. “Uh, yes.”
“I’m sorry your mom did that,” he said quietly. “My dad did too. My biological one, I mean.” The word came out slowly, as if he’d recently memorized it.
“He did?” I asked.
“A few kids asked me about him, but I never cared.”
“Why?”
“Because I met new people. Ones who really care about me. My real dad is Cain, and if I have him, I feel okay. Is there someone like that for you?”
My eyes went to Mollie, who was looking at Eric with a small smile on her face. Then I thought of Tammy, who’d come to chat with me simply because she saw me, and Henry who rushed to my side when I’d taken a tumble off of the ladder.
“I do,” I said slowly. “And I’m lucky to have them.”
“It’s good to have people that really like you. Not ones who want to change you.”
“He’s five ?” I whispered to Mollie.
“Almost six, but still ,” she whispered back, wiping at her eyes. “He’s so mature.”
He’d said exactly what I needed to hear.
“Thank you,” I said. “And I can’t stay for too long, but I absolutely can help you with an amazing marble run before I go!”
“Yes! Can you make sure it goes down the stairs?”
“Absolutely not!” Cain yelled from the kitchen. “I’m not breaking a leg because of a marble!”
“When I have some time, I’ll get you more pieces to make something huge ,” I said. “But for now, let’s see what I can do that won’t get you in trouble with your dad.”