Page 33 of The Rest is History
“Oh.” Wow. This town is that small? “Yes. I enjoyed it very much, thank you. And, uh, may I have one of your—”
“Oh, honey. I’m packing everything for you. You’re the prettiest thing I’ve seen here in a long time, but that’s not the only reason. I always treat my first-time customers right.”
She gives me another stellar smile.
“Well. Thank you, but—”
“No buts. Day three at the woodlot, huh?”
“Yes?” How the fuck—?
“Walter’s wife, Bianca – you know Bianca, right?” – I half nod, half shake my head – “She texted last night to say the boys at the woodlot got a new guy. Put two and two together and here we are.”
“Oh. Okay.” I don’t know what to say. She hands me a box of pastries. “Hold on. I’ve got some more in the back. Just took ’em out of the oven.”
“Uh. You don’t happen to have any apple pie, do you?” I ask, remembering how many times Asher filled Sawyer’s plate up with apple pie the first day I had dinner with them.
“Sure do.” She grins. “For Sawyer?”
My face heats up. I’m sure it’s from the warmth of the shop.
“That boy loves apple pie.” She laughs affectionately as she moves between the oven at the back and the counter, packing more treats (including mini apple pies). She talks the whole time.
“Now, the post office has a backlog. So, if you need to have something posted, it’s best to use one of those private online ones. Just for now, until they get things sorted out. Then, Al’s gone and got himself in hospital because he took too long taking care of that chest of his. Full blown bronchitis now. His son, Jay is taking care of things. Any hassles you have over at the diner, you ask for Jay. Not Al. Got it?”
I bite back a smile. I love this place. It’s so weird. “Got it.”
“Right. Now, the farmers market is getting rid of the potatoes and carrots left over from the winter, so if you want to grab some, everything is half off, okay?”
“Okay. Thank you for letting me know.”
“And whatever you do, don’t tell Deliah from the General Store across the road anything. And I mean, anything. She asks you anything, you say you don’t know. She tells you anything about anything or anyone, you put it in one ear and take it out the other, y’hear?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“That woman should have her own news channel. Fake news, if you ask me or anyone else in this town. Stay away from her, especially now that she’s campaigning all over town. Elections and all comin’ up, y’know?”
She gives me a once-over. “You like girls or boys, Reece Carter?”
I clear my throat. Wow. What an experience buying some pastries has become. “Boys, ma’am.”
“Okay, we don’t mind anything, most of us. But this town is split down the middle about such things. A few of ’em got some problems. Teachers up at the high school can get a bit uptight sometimes, but mostly, they’re okay. They don’t give Asher a hard time.”
“Well. Thank you for all the information, uh, Dotty. I appreciate it.”
“I’m the one you come to if you need anything, y’hear?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. Now take these—” She piles three boxes one on top of the other — “And share them with the boys.”
I take them from her, thanking her profusely. She walks around the counter and opens the door for me. “Oh, and Mr. Carter?”
I turn to her. Her eyes are kind and friendly. “Welcome to Linksfield. Whatever you came here looking for, I hope you find it.”
“Thank you,” I reply. I spend the rest of my walk thinking about what Dotty said. I don’t know what I’m looking for but whatever it is, I hope I find it too.
Sawyer isn’t at the woodlot when I arrive. My heart drops into my stomach. The disappointment is unnatural, but it’s quickly forgotten when the boys pounce on me the minute they spot Dotty’s packaging in my hands.
