Page 9 of As They Are (Strawberry Springs #2)

HENRY

Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch

Hu Gh: In search of a sewer!!!!!

Comments:

Kerry Winsor: A sewer???? A SEWER???

Atticus Thompson: Hugh, Strawberry Springs is an old town. We don’t do sewers here. You probably have a septic tank and need a plumber.

Marjorie Brown: @Theo Murf

Theo Murf: Absolutely not. Not again.

Hu Gh: What are all of you on about now? I need someone to sew the crotch of my pants up.

Kerry Winsor: Oh! A sew-er. You must mean a seamstress.

Hu Gh: Seamstress. Sewer. Who cares? I just need someone to fix my crotch asap.

Jade Clark: Hugh, no one wants to fix your CROTCH.

“I can’t believe I burned myself with a curling iron. What am I, a rookie?”

I was wrapping Jackie’s hand with gauze. The hairstylist came in teary-eyed with reddened skin, and I immediately got her back in a room. “It happens. Don’t worry about it.”

“Still. Sorry to take you away from what you were doing.”

I hadn’t been doing much, other than planning out which flowers were going in my garden this year. Hugh had canceled his checkup, saying he was fine and didn’t need me. He wasn’t, and had a list of health concerns longer than my textbooks in medical school, but he was incredibly stubborn.

“Your comfort is important. I’d trade time for that.”

“How are you single, Henry?” Jackie asked with a laugh. “Women should be fawning over you!”

That was the second time today someone had brought that up. “Please tell me there isn’t a bet already in the Facebook group.”

“No. Why would you think there is?”

My cheeks heated. “No reason.”

“ Is there a woman?” Jackie’s eyes were wide. “Is it Jade?”

“No. She’s only a friend.”

“Grace?”

“Also a friend.”

“Who else could it be?” She gasped. “Brooke?”

“Not my type,” I said with a shake of my head. I didn’t have a thing for women who stirred up drama, but especially ones who did it purely because they were bored.

“Oh, you have to give me something. I’m injured!” She weakly waved her bandaged hand in my face.

I gave her a flat look. “I think you’ll survive.”

The front door of the office opened, jingling the overhead bell to announce any new arrivals. I didn’t have a nurse and preferred to do my work myself, so it gave me the perfect out.

“Just keep that covered and clean. You should be good by tomorrow.”

“You’re lucky that there’s a distraction.”

I gestured for her to follow me. I had gotten lucky.

Or at least I thought I had.

But when we entered the lobby, I once again saw the woman who had been on my mind this entire time.

“Wren?” I asked. “What are you doing here?”

Jackie gasped. “It’s her! I heard there was a new girl in town!”

“Am I invisible?” Mollie asked. I blinked and realized that I hadn’t even noticed she was next to Wren.

“Oh, honey. No.” Jackie smiled and brought her in for a hug. They were close since Jackie was like a mother to Cain. “I was just admiring your friend here.”

“You know me from Renovating with Love , don’t you?” Wren asked.

“Yes! It’s so cute.” She put her good hand on her cheek and then turned to me. “When did you two meet?”

“A few days ago.” My eyes lingered on her. Her hair was down today.

“I like to call him my bodyguard,” Wren added. She had no idea how that sounded.

“Oh, interesting .”

I sighed and pushed my glasses up on my nose. “Nothing is interesting here.”

“Sure it’s not.” Jackie looked in between us again. “Have fun, Henry!”

Once upon a time, Jackie was only halfway into the drama in town. But things had changed after Mollie stuck around, and now she was far more open. I’d seen her post more in the Facebook group too.

Normally, I didn’t mind talking with the town. But there was something about Wren that made it hard for me to be normal. And if the town started pushing me with her? I was doomed. If they sniffed out a crush, they would never let me live it down.

“What can I help you ladies with?”

“I need a gynecological exam.” Wren’s voice was deadpan, and I thought the floor fell out from under me.

“W-what?” I was way too into her to handle that professionally.

“Just kidding. Your reaction was good, though.”

My face could now fry an egg. “So what do you actually need?”

“Advice. And depending on the answer, it could be as fun as a gyno exam.”

“You’re gonna give him a stroke if you keep that up,” Mollie said. “What happened to Sad Wren?”

“She’s on vacation. Now I’m Annoying Wren.”

“You’re not annoying,” I said. “Just shocking. It’s too early in the morning for me to be thinking about a gynecological exam.”

“It’s one in the afternoon.”

“What if we pretended it was still the morning?”

Wren laughed.

“Okay,” Mollie said. “I hate to interrupt this because she really needs to laugh, but we did come here for a reason.”

Wren’s smile faded and she stood up straighter. “Right. The STM grant.”

I gathered myself before I could answer. “What about it?”

“Is it legitimate?”

“As far as I know, yes.” I put my hands in my pockets and I forced myself to focus on what she’d asked.

I found it much easier not to embarrass myself when talking business with Wren rather than .

.. whatever had happened at the library yesterday.

“I’ve used it some. Most small businesses have. Why do you ask?”

“I wanna use it to fund the library.”

I blinked. “You want to what ? But that would mean renovating it.”

She smiled. “I know. I do have a show about that. They have reservations, but the long-term funding was the major issue. If the grant covers that, then I think it could work.”

“You went in there once and you want to remodel it?”

“Hang on,” Mollie said. “You went inside?”

“Yeah.” Wren rubbed her neck. “We both did, actually.”

“What?”

“Are you trying to get us in trouble for that?”

Wren waved her hand. “The statute of limitations has expired.”

“It most certainly has not.”

“I thought you said the sheriff wouldn’t do anything. Besides, this is Mollie. She can keep secrets.”

I glanced at Mollie, whose eyes fell to her feet. I’d been a witness to Facebook drama that was caused by her letting a secret slip.

“I can keep secrets now ,” she eventually said. “Just not when I’ve had things to drink.”

“Isn’t that why you usually don’t drink in public?” Wren asked.

“I went back on that once and might have spilled a secret of Cain’s to the town gossip. I learned my lesson, though.”

Wren crossed her arms. “I thought you learned it when you got drunk and told a bouncer that your thong was up your ass.”

“Wren!” Mollie hissed. “That stays in the vault . Where no one hears about it!”

“I didn’t hear a thing,” I said, putting up my hands. “In fact, I have no idea what we’re talking about.”

Mollie glanced at me and then back at Wren. “I see why you committed a crime with him now. But next time, you’re taking me.”

“Done.” Wren nodded.

“So, what was it like in there?” Mollie asked.

“Spooky,” Wren replied. “Dusty. But it has a lot of potential. It’s honestly the first time I’ve been inspired in a while.”

“Were any of the books left?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“There was a desk that Marjorie carved M and H into,” I added. “But that and the mur?—”

Wren shook her head, and I snapped my mouth shut.

“The what?” Mollie asked.

“The mur ... dered body.” Wren tried to cover it up.

“There was not a murdered body in the library.”

“Well, no , there wasn’t.” She turned to Mollie. “But we’re going with that because you can’t know what it is yet.”

“Rude,” Mollie muttered. “But okay, I’ll let it go purely so Wren can win something. She’s been sad lately, unless she’s with you. I guess you’re the exception.”

“I-I’m just?—”

Mollie stopped my stuttering in its tracks. “You have the final say about the STM grant. Wren trusts you.”

There was a lot to unpack there, but if I tried to do any of it in front of Mollie and Wren, I might explode.

So, I focused on the grant. Back to business talk for me.

“I think it’s worth a shot. They’re usually willing to provide funding promises in writing. The only downside is not knowing why it’s so willing to help but ... I think we can both agree the library is worth a little risk, right?”

“We can,” Wren said. “You’ll have to wish me luck.”

An idea popped into my head. “I can give you more than just a wish. Come outside with me.”

I took them both to the back of the clinic where I’d set up a table and chairs for eating outside. There was a small patch of greenery, most of it clover.

I bent down and picked one. “Here. A four-leaf clover. For luck.”

I handed it over to Wren. “You knew this was here?”

“Every spring, I look for them. I don’t have a patch of clover in my yard, so I do it here. I found one a few weeks back and saved it. Probably for this moment.”

Her cheeks turned pink. “Thank you.”

I looked behind her, remembering we weren’t alone. Mollie stared at us, her eyes wide. “I could try to find you one if you want.”

“Oh, no. I’m good. Just watching. And definitely not having thoughts.”

“You shouldn’t be,” Wren warned. “Not about anything here.”

Her voice was firm, and I wondered if Wren knew how people were taking our interactions. Admittedly, they weren’t all innocent. But who could look at a woman like Wren and not flirt?

But her rigidity on the subject was a needed reminder. Just because I thought she was pretty meant nothing. Just because she seemed happy with me didn’t mean anything either. She technically wasn’t single. And I didn’t need to get entangled with anyone.

It wouldn’t end well with her.

“I hope it gets approved,” I said, trying to sound as normal as possible.

Wren twirled the clover in her fingers. “I’ll try my best. Thanks, Henry.”

She left soon after, but the buzz of having talked with her remained long after she was gone. I checked the Facebook group, thankfully seeing no bets, but still couldn’t shake the feeling.

In the end, I wound up closing the clinic early to go home. My routine would help, just like it always did. I could water my plants, eat dinner, and then finish my list of gardening chores. And decidedly not think about the gorgeous woman who might just throw everything off the rails.