“Yes,” Raven said, but she wasn’t entirely sure that was the truth. She’d always described her intuition as a nudge—a suggestion as intrusive as a breeze. The feelings rolling inside her were more pressing, a siren urging her to run.
“At least you’ll get the money,” Gwen said.
“Exactly, nothing lost,” Raven said with a confidence that should’ve been more robust considering the momentous decision she’d just made.
* * *
Silas studied one green paint swatch before looking at another that was almost identical in color. He kept changing his mind from one second to the next which he preferred.
“It’s a tough choice,” Walt, the shop owner, said from his position next to Silas.
“I feel like I’m going to end up painting the wall white at this rate,” Silas said.
“The nice thing about paint is you can change it if you don’t like it.”
It was such a good reminder that it jolted Silas out of his indecision. “Okay, I’m going with this one,” Silas said, presenting the old man with the swatch with a slightly more yellow tinge.
“Great choice, son,” Walt said before marching to the back to mix the paint.
Meanwhile, Silas picked up a few other items, including a new three-inch flat paint brush with a handle that matched the pink polish Raven had been wearing on her nails this week. He shook his head as if it might physically dislodge the errant thought.
As Walt rang up Silas’s items at the register, the man leaned close and said, “I heard about Mountaintop. The new owner. I’m sorry.”
“Things are still up in the air. It’s not a for sure thing,” Silas said halfheartedly. It had become a well-used phrase over the past month.
The old man looked surprised by Silas’s correction. “Is that so? I heard she’s been looking at homes around town.”
“Where did you hear that from?”
It was probably conjecture. Cedar gossip was stoked by people trying to have the biggest news to reveal, which naturally encouraged hyperbole. Not to mention the game of telephone that happened that resulted in some weird stories.
“Yeah, it’s true.” Walt nodded eagerly before shouting, “Caroline!”
His wife, a plump woman of fifty, walked out from the backroom.
“What I tell you about yelling for me like that? I’m not a dog,” Caroline said.
“Sorry, honey, but Silas here’s asking where you heard about the new girl looking for a home.”
The woman’s eyes lit up as she turned to him. “Mrs. Zimmer told me that Raven was seen leaving a house viewing last weekend.”
“She saw this firsthand?” Silas asked.
“Well, no. Her son is dating Ashley Pham, who’s friends with Beth Chamberlin, who’s looking for a new home now that she and Gavin have that second baby on the way. They saw Raven at the house viewing.”
In his mind’s eye, Silas always tried to see the entire situation working out in his favor. But if Raven was looking for homes, it meant she was leaning toward staying.
“Thanks for letting me know,” Silas said before leaving the store. When he got into his truck, he placed the keys in the ignition but didn’t go anywhere. He stared, unseeing, at the cars rolling along Main Street, his brain fixated on one question: What if Raven stayed?
The thought previously would’ve spurred a spike of anxiety and some fretting. He’d told his brother weeks ago that he wasn’t going to even think about it yet, but today it was a question that he wanted to investigate.
If Raven stayed, she’d most likely remain the boss and continue to be great at it. Despite the disruption her presence had initially caused, there was no denying she was an asset to Mountaintop.
Also, Silas had grown accustomed to her; he liked seeing her around the cabin handling one project or another. That said, they would have to refrain from exploring their attraction further for professionalism's sake.
But if Raven stayed, what would he do?
The answer presumably was continue teaching introductory archery classes to tourists and a few locals. That filled him with dread.
