Page 24 of Fortune’s Control (Fortune’s Creek #1)

“What are you looking at?” Sophie craned her neck toward the sky.

“The squirrels.”

A dozen leaped from branch to tree and back again as they took turns playing chase.

“Do you see that pile of leaves?” Sophie pointed up at a pine tree. “The one that looks like a strange mess. It’s a squirrel’s nest.”

I always pictured them hiding in hollow trees, like an image from children’s books.

Eager squirrels, a sunny day, and a gentle wind.

Shane worried about me, but there was no reason.

Wilson Skane didn’t know where I was, and the ankle monitor prevented him from coming after me, which meant my reasons for hiding in Fortune’s Creek disappeared.

If what my mother said was true, my grandmother didn’t want me.

My feet dragged on the grass as the realization hit all over again.

“What’s wrong?” Sophie’s eyes tightened with concern.

“Nothing at all.” I forced a smile back onto my face. “Is this the last place?”

“You sound disappointed.”

I reviewed it all. “New window program, a museum rebuild, an old schoolhouse, a church, a rail yard, and a historic storefront. Is that all? ”

Sophie swallowed. Her typical expression wavered between annoyance and amusement, making her hesitation obvious. “There is one more.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Can you keep a secret?”

She meant Shane. “Unless it puts you in physical danger.”

Her shoulders shook. “No, nothing like that. It’s me.”

“What’s wrong?” I wanted to ask if Jack was the cause, but kept silent.

“I work for a big corporation, with hotels and resorts and private getaways all over the world. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a great job, but it’s not hospitality. When I started my career, I pictured something more personal.” She tilted her head to the side. “Unique.”

“You’re looking for that here.”

Her expression confirmed it. “Dreams don’t come true, at least not mine, but maybe I’ll move home again. This entire effort needs a manager, doesn’t it?”

Sophie’s straightforward comment confused me.

She mentioned several times that she doesn’t want to move home again, and now wavered.

She almost confessed a secret, too; the one that mattered.

I’d bet money on it. Either speaking it out loud was more than she was ready for, or she didn’t trust me with Shane.

Or maybe she thinks I’m a mess, too. I married her brother and then stayed rent-free in her home. Sophie interrupted my conversation with Shane, which meant she may have overheard my mother as easily as he did.

Telling myself that was impossible, I shook my head, chasing every depressing thought away. Today was sunshine and grant proposals .

“Would you enjoy that?” I asked.

“A project manager role? No, not even a little.”

Jack appeared down the street, nodded towards us, and went in the opposite direction. “I know people talk about us,” she said as he disappeared.

Her admission surprised me. “You and Jack?”

“I imagined my life moving in one direction, and he disagreed. Sometimes, there’s a deep mystery, and other times, life is ordinary. Jack and I are the latter, so people can keep wondering.”

“Considering I’m here in Fortune’s Creek, I know what the first part is like.” We crossed the street towards Pete’s gallery. “Also, you can deny it all you like, but I won’t believe ordinary, not with you.”

Sophie twisted her fingers over her lips, mimicking a key locking her secrets away. “Focusing on the future. That’s us.”

“I suppose it is. Shall we go in? This shouldn’t take long.”

Shane asked me to double-check Pete’s order request. Ostensibly, it saved him a trip when really he didn’t want to socialize.

*****

I licked the last of the lemon sorbet off my spoon. “We’re due at City Hall.”

“Sam will wait. Did you know he suggested Shane take over the mayor’s job?”

“Shane refused.”

“He did then.” Sophie leaned in so our imagined audience couldn’t hear. “That was before you.”

My jaw dropped. “You want me to convince him?” The sudden request confused me. Granted, I knew little about the job or its requirements, but Shane enjoyed his quiet evenings. “Maybe.”

“Think about it. My family’s history dates back a long way. Our dad was the mayor.”

Didn’t Shane mention that? He once referred to Sophie as an amateur historian.

“Can I ask you a personal question?” Her eyes bulged, and I realized how it sounded.

She probably believed I would ask more about Jack.

“Do you know anyone around here with the last name of Mayberry? Beside me, of course.”

“Mayberry? No.”

“What about a woman with a daughter who left home thirty years ago?”

“You’re asking about your grandmother, aren’t you?” she asked softly.

Shane beat me to it. “It was worth a shot.”

“No, no.” She rattled her hand. “Tell me. It might trigger a memory.”

“I only know her daughter left home, and they didn’t get along. She kicked my mother out.”

“Kicked her out? I thought your mother ran away.”

Hope grew. “That’s what I thought, but now I’m not sure. Shane isn’t convinced of anything.” We heard two different stories from a woman he didn’t trust.

Sophie tapped her knee and leaned back in the rocking chair rather than answer.

“Does that change anything?” A small hope grew in me.

“No, I’m sorry, Lilah. If I had a name, I would tell you.” She placed a comforting hand on my arm. “Let’s go meet with Sam.”

I stepped off the wooden porch onto the pavement and felt a familiar itch, despite the lack of strangers sharing the sidewalk. No one hid in the empty cars. Rubber ducks covered a gray sedan’s dashboard, while a small SUV’s bumper sticker told us where to honk it.

“Lilah?”

Wilson Skane’s black hoodie and overgrown goatee haunted my nightmares, but not Fortune’s Creek.

My imagination enjoyed frightening me. “Sorry.” I attempted a smile.

“Are you okay?”

“I thought I recognized someone. A silly mistake.”

Sophie frowned with concern. “You’re pale. We can reschedule our meeting with Sam. One day won’t make a difference.”

It would to me. “No, I’m fine. Let’s get moving.” I glanced behind me one more time. No strangers with a knife ran after us. I wanted to visit Shane afterwards, but that was misplaced fear. We had dinner and a quiet evening planned. I’d see him soon enough. “It’s such a pretty day.”

“People associate Florida with swamps and humidity, which is true, but springtime is perfect.” Sophie held out her arms and twirled. “We’re a hidden jewel. Oh, that would make an incredible marketing slogan.”

“If it doesn’t go on a government form, I have no opinion.”

I always pictured a town’s city hall belonging in the dead center of downtown, with everything else growing up around it. This one preferred to serve as an introduction, greeting newcomers as they drove into town.

A car engine’s low purr sounded behind us. I checked and noticed the little duckies. “Let’ s move over.”

We quickened our pace as the car drew closer.

It sped up, aiming towards City Hall to block our path.

Sophie shoved me as I reached for her hand. We both spun, taking a clumsy step backward before attempting a retreat.

Its tires squealed, and the engine’s heat swarmed around us.

We reached a car half-stuck in the ditch and ran to the other side, hoping for its protection.

The gray sedan slowed, allowing me a chance to look inside. A bright yellow duck bobbed its head and fell over. The driver wore a dark sweatshirt with the hood pulled up. He stared at me, and I stared back.

What did he say that night? I was next.

The car sped, leaving Sophie and me alone.

Sophie struggled to breathe and speak. “Are you okay?”

“I’m not hurt. What about you?”

She shook her head and looked down at our feet. “We’re in a ditch.”

A ditch filled with muddy water. The sun disappeared behind the clouds, leeching some of the day’s color away.

He found me. How?

My wobbly legs gave out, and I sank to the ground.

“Lilah, you’re sitting in the mud.”

I didn’t care.

Shane put himself as my emergency contact when he gave me the phone. I touched his name, and he answered before the first ring. “Shane? I need you.”