There’d been so many times when she’d said something and then he’d commented on it days later. He didn’t say much but when he did speak, it was usually insightful and profound. She wondered if he was processing what she’d told him. Or if he even cared.
Maybe she was making too much of this. Maybe he’d forgotten she’d even said it.
“Aud?”
Audrey turned and saw Carly standing in the doorway that led to the back of the store where the employee break room and storage rooms were, she was holding her jacket and had her backpack on. It was clear by her expression that she’d been talking but Audrey had no clue what she’d said.
“Sorry, what?”
“I was just saying bye.”
Audrey looked up at the clock. She saw that Carly’s shift ended five minutes ago. Wow. The day had really gotten away from her.
“Oh, right. Bye. See you Friday.” Audrey was proud of herself for remembering when Carly was scheduled next. She’d been so scatterbrained all day she’d take the small victory.
“Babe, you’ve seemed…distracted all day. Do want me to hang out until Viv gets here? I totally can,” Carly offered.
“Sorry, no I’m good. I just… have a lot on my mind.”
Carly smiled widely, causing the deep dimples on her left and right cheeks to appear, both of which were pierced. “Have you read The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse?”
“No.” Audrey shook her head.
Carly walked up to the counter beside her and set her jacket down. “That book changed my life. It taught me a lot of important lessons, but three in particular that I keep with me. And when I see someone is going through something, like you seem to be, I share those lessons with them, and it usually helps.”
Audrey was all ears. She would take all the help she could get.
Carly lifted her hand that was covered in henna tattoos and held up her pointer finger tipped with a bright pink nail. “The first is when the horse and the boy are in the forest and there is like a bunch of fog all around them. The boy tells the horse that he can’t see his way through. The horse asks him if he can see his next step and the boy says yes. And the horse tells him to just take that.”
She raised her middle finger to join her pointer. “The second is when the boy asks the horse what the bravest thing he’s ever said is and the horse answers with one single word, help. He tells the boy that asking for help isn’t giving up, it’s refusing to give up.”
Her ring finger joined her middle and pointer. “And the third is when the horse tells the boy when things get difficult, he needs to remember who he is. And the boy asks him, ‘Who am I?’ And the horse tells him ‘You are loved.’” Carly stared at her for a moment before lowering her hand and picking up her jacket. “Just some things to think about.”
“Thanks.” Audrey said as Carly pulled her into a hug before heading out the back of the store.
Audrey wasn’t sure if the things Carly had told her helped but she did think there were good lessons in them. Sometimes you just need to take the first step even if you can’t see your way out of a situation. That asking for help is a really brave thing to do. And that, no matter what else you are, you are loved.
She’d guessed she’d done the first one last night. She might not be able to see a way out of the virginity forest, but she’d definitely taken the first step. She’d told Josh that she was a virgin.
Audrey returned to her task of inventory and was trying to concentrate, but her mind was a scrambled mess thinking about the dinner the night before.
It had felt…intimate. Not just because she’d revealed something so personal, but also because of it feeling like a real date.
Not that she actually knew what that felt like. As she’d disclosed the night before, she’d never been on a date. But that’s what she’d imagined it would feel like. She’d had butterflies, although in fairness, the winged creatures always seemed to show up when Josh was around.
A long sigh fell from her lips as she dropped her head back. When they’d finished dinner, Josh had walked her to her car, and he’d hugged her and kissed her on her forehead. It was where he always kissed her. But just like the dinner last night it felt different.
Maybe it was her imagination, but she would swear his lips lingered longer than they usually did. Just like she was certain the hug had lasted longer than normal. She’d almost asked if he was okay because he’d been holding her so tight, when he dropped his arms and took a step back from her. Then, he put his hands in his pockets, which always made her insides swoon. The position showcased his biceps and forearms like he was posing for a men’s health magazine. It highlighted every chiseled-to-perfection curve, dip, and bulge. She noticed he did it a lot around her and she wasn’t sure why.
Since she could see his garage out the side window of the coffee shop, she’d seen him interact with a lot of other people and she’d never seen him put his hands in his pockets when he was talking to anyone else. He crossed his arms sometimes, but he never put them in his front pockets.
Not that she was complaining. She was a huge fan and always enjoyed the gun show. She just wondered why he only did that around her.
She’d also never seen him kiss anyone’s forehead like he did hers. The first time he’d done it, she’d been so excited. She’d thought for sure that was the first of many more kisses to come in other, more intimate, areas. She figured it was just his warmup. She’d figured wrong.
He’d been doing the forehead kissing for about, oh let’s see, six years now and it had never progressed past that innocent area. Now she feared it was more familial than anything else. She’d noticed that he always kissed his grandmother on the cheek. Maybe he kissed her on the forehead because he thought of her as his sister.
That was a very real possibility. It would explain why he’d been so protective of her when Viv had set her up on dating sites. And why he’d even offered to go with her to the dates and be there just in case anything went wrong.
Her mind was going a million miles a minute racing around the what-if track when the bell dinged above the door and Audrey’s heart skipped a beat thinking for a split second that it might be Josh.
Her heart sank just a little when she saw Sue Ann Perkins and Renata Blackstone enter the coffee shop. Today Sue Ann’s long floral skirt had a baby blue base and was covered in iris flowers that perfectly matched the cardigan sweater combo she wore. Her cheeks were especially rosy and round and when she saw Audrey a wide smile spread on her face. Beside her, Renata’s waist length, salt and pepper hair was pulled tight in a braid that started at the base of her neck. Her olive complexion was complimented by her forest green turtleneck. Her expression remained stoic as she entered the coffee shop.
“Hello there, Miss Audrey,” Sue Ann beamed as the duo approached the counter.
“Hi, ladies. How are you doing today?”
“We stopped by to speak to Vivien about the singles week events. She has some out-of-the-box ideas that we need clarification on.”
Renata Blackstone did not suffer fools or engage in small talk. She got right to the point.
When Audrey and Viv first moved to Hope Falls, Audrey was certain the woman just didn’t like her at all. Over the years, however, she’d come to realize that Renata just wasn’t a warm and fuzzy person. But she cared about Hope Falls and all the residents in it. She was kind, generous, and Audrey suspected had a soft side that she just didn’t reveal to too many people.