Page 57 of Heartstring

Liv, the owner of the bakery, Lovely Buns, makes the best cookies in town. Everyone knows it. Usually, Liv and Julius pair up at events, but today she’s looking after her niece, Ava, who’s Levi’s daughter, and Fletcher and Harrison’s kids, George and Megan.

“Thankfully, she’s not here today. Don’t you rat us out,” I say.

He makes a zipped gesture with his fingers over his lips and throws away the key.

“Anyway, what can I get you?” he asks.

“A black coffee, thanks.”

I join the guys, who returned earlier, taking some of the cookies with me.

Ellis has a stash of papers in front of him while everyone’s drinking their coffee. He’s checking all the notes to ensure we didn’t miss anyone in our deliveries. We’re doing this again next week after we get more supplies delivered so anyone that wasn’t seen today can get their much-needed stuff next week.

“Trust you all to give the teacher homework,” I tease.

“Yeah, but he’s so good at it,” Arlo says.

“We’ll give him an apple,” Harrison says.

“And I’m sure Milo will give him something else,” Fletcher adds.

I throw an empty sugar packet at him. “Is that all you think about?”

He points at Harrison. “Have you seen what my boyfriend looks like?”

“Fiancé,” Harrison corrects, placing his arm around Fletcher.

The guys have always been openly affectionate. Even though I’ve only been hanging out with them since Milo and Ellis got together, it has never bothered me.

I used to think it was because I’d accepted that my chance to have someone special had already happened for me in this lifetime. And I’m certainly not interested in hooking up.

The thought of navigating dating apps fills me with dread.

I used to watch them and be happy that, one by one, the guys close to me were finding their own soulmates. Now, as they joke around and even include Seymour in their inner circle, there’s an emptiness I haven’t felt in a long time.

“Did you hear the news?” Levi says. “Apparently, there’s a celebrity in town.”

“Who?”

He shrugs, taking a sip of his coffee. “No clue. I overheard some women in the bar the other day. They were talking about an app that can track where celebrities live.”

“Did it say someone well-known lives in Stillwater?” Fletcher asks.

“Yeah.”

“They were probably talking about Fletcher or Arlo,” Harrison says. “It’s no secret they live here, and they’re both well-known in the art world.”

Fletcher preens at Harrison’s compliment. It’s quite adorable.

I meet Seymour’s gaze, and it unsettles me that I can’t read him. He knows Levi is talking about Mik. I’m not worried about him saying anything because it’s not his style to intrude on someone else’s private life. Unless it’s mine, of course. But it worries me that he’s figuring out how I react to people talking about acelebrityliving in town.

“I don’t think they’re talking about us though. I’ve heard of the app. It’s more for real celebrities like actors and musicians,” Arlo says.

“God, can you imagine having your steps tracked by strangers and reported on an app? People are sick,” Harrison says.

“I don’t know. There are a few celebrities I wouldn’t mind bumping into. Matt, cough, Boomer, cough,” Fletcher says.

“Yeah, but there’s a difference between randomly bumping into a celebrity and actively searching for their location on an app. I don’t envy them,” Milo says, grabbing a cookie.