But he kind of is.
“Cool. COOL!” suddenly comes a loud voice from behind my back. Who the hell is being so damn sarcastic right now?
Turning around, I find no one. Absolutely no one.
“Cool!” the voice says, making my eyes dart around. “Cool!”
Finally, I glance down. Right in front of me stands a huge ass bird. A parrot. The size of a small chicken, it spreads its wings with a loud “cool.”
I shut my eyes just for a second just so the fog can be cleared and the bird will disappear because, surely, there is no way a huge ass bird is talking to me in the parking lot of Cat and Stallion.
And, of course, when I open them, the bird is not there.
I look around, assessing if someone has seen my standoff with what apparently appears to be a ghost bird, but find no one. So I shake my head and walk to the car.
ChapterSix
JOSIE
A mile down the road from where I was pulled over sits a large wooden sign that reads,Welcome to Little Hope, ME, where something magic is in the water.Turns out, I was just outside of town, which means the sheriff must have been the local one.
Just great. I managed to piss off the local authority, who can make my life miserable when I need to pull a permit or do something legal. I’m still not sure how the local system works and need to look into it—some towns need Town Hall approval; some require the police department to sign off. I’m not above buying a few presents if it gets the job done—after all, this is how old ties work in this business. The problem is I don’t have any ties in this town, or in this state even, but I’m full of determination to make them.
I’m from a small town myself and know how they operate—a tight bunch that isn’t very welcoming to newcomers. No matter how friendly they seem. They might smile and wish me a good day, but when it comes to protecting their old, established ways of living, they turn ruthless.
Groaning at the unknown—and at myself—I pull to the side of the road at the address in my GPS. It’s a cute one-story house, very well maintained from the outside. The gutters have been recently replaced and have a downspout away from the building so the water won’t ruin the foundation or the holly bushes planted under the windows. Looks like a very handy person lives here, and I know it’s not Alicia because she doesn’t know shit about keeping a building standing—the last time she tried doing something around the house, she nearly burned it to the ground.
I climb out of the car, and before I can dissect every detail of the building, the door opens, and a huge German shepherd runs outside. Nearly knocking me down, he starts jumping and giving me sloppy kisses everywhere he can reach, leaving wet splotches over my already sweaty shirt.
“Ghost, chill out,” a loud, commanding voice thunders through the street, and the dog instantly backs away, wagging his tail. “Hey, sorry about that,” he directs at me. “You must be Josie?”
I look at the giant on the porch. His light brown hair is pulled into a low, messy man-bun at his nape, leaving a few wayward strands sticking out on the sides. His beard is thick, and his eyes are welcoming.
“Yeah, that’s me.” I smile back. “And this must be the famous Ghost?”
“I don’t know about famous,” the man who’s clearly Mark, Alicia’s boyfriend, says. “And I have no idea what happened to him. He usually doesn’t behave like a little puppy.”
“That’s okay.” I crouch next to the dog and start talking to him in a soothing voice. “You’re just happy to see me, right? I’m happy to see you too.” His tongue plops to the side, and he comes closer to me. “You’re such a good boy!” I scratch behind his ears, and he pushes his wet nose into my red shirt, leaving yet another wet splotch. I don’t think my ‘power shirt’ will survive today, but it’s totally worth it. “Yes, you are.”
Ghost gives me another sloppy kiss and pulls away.
“Huh,” Mark says, clearly skeptical.
I look up at the massive man in front of me. “What?”
“He’s mean.”
“Who? This adorable, handsome man?” I pet his sweet muzzle again. We always had dogs growing up, and when I moved to New York, I couldn’t have one because I was never really home.
“Yes, that adorable asshole is usually a mean little fucker.”
“No, he’s not.” And as proof, Ghost bumps into me, looking for affection.
“Josie!” A loud voice cries out my name, and I look up. Alicia runs out the door and rushes right into me. Enveloping me into a totally unexpected hug, she squeezes me with all her might, and my face gets squashed into her generous boobs. The woman is tall, the perfect match for a mammoth like Mark. I can already imagine their gorgeous babies and how I’ll be spoiling them because I’m officially forcing myself into their family. I’ll be the ‘fun aunt.’
“Hey, Alicia,” I muffle into her chest while I’m trying to collect myself. And it’s not about being hugged, no, it’s about being huggedby Alicia. She doesn’t do physical affection, and for good reason, but I guess she’s healed more than I expected. A wave of gratitude to Mark washes over me, relaxing my muscles, and I finally find myself hugging Alicia back without fear of spooking her.
I was worried that meeting her for the first time in person would be weird, but it feels like we’ve known each other forever.
