For the first time in as long as I can remember, my life is going well. Everything isn't an uphill battle. I'm not constantly fighting exhaustion, eating shitty food, getting shitty sleep, dealing with shitty weather.
Okay, the weather hasn't been super wonderful, but I'll take a freezing cold winter in a small town over winter in a big city any day of the week. The cold here feels cleaner, the snow stays white, and I don't have to contend with traffic, fumes, and people rushing to get somewhere wherever I go. I'd forgotten not only how pretty Clovelly is, but how at peace I used to feel here, before all the family drama went down.
I pull into my parking spot at the inn, step out of the car, and take pleasure in the simple sounds of birds in the distance and the crunch of my boots against the gravel. I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and let my lungs fill with the crisp air.
Yeah,thisis where I'm meant to be.
"Are you okay?" Zane asks. He's wearing dark work pants, a thermal undershirt beneath a fleece-lined flannel, and a puffer vest with the inn’s logo. His long hair is tied in a low ponytail. "You look like you're in a Claritin commercial."
I chuckle. He's actually a funny guy. "I was just taking a moment. Enjoying life's simple pleasures."
He glances around. "Like a parking lot?"
"Yeah. Like a parking lot." I make my way toward reception, and he falls into step beside me. "How's everything going? Manuel tells me you're doing really well."
He smiles at the compliment. "Thanks. That means a lot. I'm not naturally the cleanest or tidiest person in the world, so Linda has had to show me how to doeverything. But she's been terrific, and I'm working super hard."
"That's good to hear." I clap him on the back. "Hey, listen. Buzz is coming by the inn for lunch today. Make sure to come by and say hi."
Yep, my days of being competitive with Zane over Buzz are over, too. The more secure I get about me and Buzz, the more the petty rivalries I used to hold on to just melt away.
"I will. Well, I should get back to it."
"No worries. See ya, Zane."
54
Courtland
I slide a piece of paper toward Lola as a sudden heavy downpour lashes the roof of the inn a few hours later. She takes a break from portioning out homemade yogurt cups, and glances at it, then at me. Her eyes twinkle, then she shakes her head. "Absolutely not."
"It's better than your last suggestion."
"Is not."
"Is too."
I get a whiff of Manuel's cologne and scramble to hide our notes. "What are you two doing, eh?"
"Nothing," Lola says, her voice rising by an octave as I scramble to grab the last loose piece of paper off her prep bench and bundle it close to my chest with the rest.
We're definitely not coming up with new nicknames for Manuel that we're trialing by writing them down in case they're offensive should anyone nearby overhear. The only person we aim to offend is standing right in front of me, way overdressed in an expensive designer suit, with his eyebrows raised so high they give the McDonald's arches a run for their money.
"I see," he says, his eyes shifting between the two of us.
I smile in an attempt to control the urge to burst out laughing while Lola coughs into her fist, averting her gaze.
"Well, since you’re doingnotheeng, Zane wants to see you," Manuel says.
"Me? Why?"
He lets out a weary sigh. "I assume to talk to you. He’s in ze lobby."
And with that, Manuel takes one final look at us, narrows his eyes at the papers I’m oh-so-innocently clutching to my chest, and spins on his heel.
Lola starts cackling as I proceed to tear up the evidence and throw it in the trash. "Don't worry. We'll keep going until we find a new nickname for him. It's not over yet," I say, grabbing a scone as a consolation. The last forty-five minutes have proved to be frustratingly unfruitful.
"Don't." She smacks my hand away. "It's almost lunchtime. You'll ruin your appetite. What time will Buzz be here?"
