“What do you mean?” he asks, confused.
“Sloane and I are working this table. You should ask Aunt Naomi where you’re supposed to—”
“Actually,” Sloane interjects, “my mom made me a greeter.”
I look at her. “What? When?”
“She just told me this morning.”
Sloane has always been the worst liar. We could never get away with anything when we were younger if it meant her having to tell our parents a fib. And this lie is written all over her pretty face.
“But youjustasked her—”
“Anyway, you two have fun! Bye!” She turns and nearly sprints away.
I sigh and sit in the chair next to Cooper.
“Sloane’s an awful liar,” Cooper says, scrolling on his phone.
“Yep.”
“So… why’d she tell Naomi to trade our jobs?” he asks, setting his phone right next to mine on the table between us.
“I have no idea, but if I had to guess, I’d say it’s because she can’t stand when people don’t get along and she thinks if we’re stuck next to each other all day, we’ll become friends again.”
Cooper nods but says nothing as he looks out at all the dressed-up people arriving. An awkward silence fills the space between us, the shared memory of his rejection last weekend hanging in the air.
Finally he says, “I ran into Dorothy last night.”
“Oh?”
“She brought Harley to Cheesylicious for dinner. Stopped by my table just to rave about you.”
I grin. “Aw. I really liked her, too.”
“Well, as a Bramble Falls native, I feel like it’s my responsibility to make sure you’re informed about the people here,” he says. “Especially if you might become friends with them.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know how Dorothy kept mentioning her walks with ‘her girls’?”
“Yeah…”
“Well, she and her friends are well-known around town as the Gossip Girls.”
“Like the show?” I ask.
“More like they’re the heart of the Bramble Falls gossip mill.”
My jaw drops. “Shut up. Cute elderly Dorothy? Not possible.”
“It is possible. They’re the eyes and ears of this place. They walk in circles around the town square every day, getting their steps in and sharing rumors.”
“Cooper, stop it right now,” I laugh. “I don’t know if I should believe you or not.”
“I’m not lying!” He laughs, gracing me with his dimple.
“Dorothy?”I shake my head. “This is so scandalous.”
