Page 115 of Pin-up Girl

This fucking town sucked everyone back in. Me. Alys. Maddox. Evie. Gage. More recently Brodie.

And the woman across the street from my new age tea shop, who was wearing tan trousers and a white button-down shirt with a black vest over it. I had no idea how Aubrey got Sylvie’s hair to look anything like Harrison Ford’s without a wig, but I didn’t appreciate that Sylvie made Han Solo look sexy without trying.

Sexy didn’t matter. She could be naked and I wouldn’t give a fuck.

Though, that would make Main Street Trick-or-Treat weird.

Correction—weirder. Nothing here was normal.

I yanked my gaze from the large picture window that covered the front of my store, and returned to my spot behind the counter, near the register. A letter sat there, on top of the tablet I used to control the music in the store.

There was no reason to look at it again. I’d read it so many times since I got it a few days ago, that I’d memorized it. It was an offer to buy Infused Divination, and it was a good one.

Years ago, I’d escaped this place. Like any cliché small town kid after high school, I was out of here. Went to school. Was surprised to run into the adorable local girl in another state, and at eight years younger than me, Sylvie was off-limits back then.

But time passed, she got older, I got along, she helped me spin ideas into more, and the two of us found ourselves in a business arrangement with a man who said he could sell my software to the world.

He did. As his. He and Sylvie fucked me over hard. A few years later, when my aunt passed away and left me this store, I was so lost there that I didn’t have a choice but to come back. Where else was I going to go?

I’d been trying since to sell. I’d loved my aunt, and the people were weird, but not in a bad way. This wasn’t where I was supposed to be though.

The offer in front of me? If had come from anyone else, I would have taken it. But a real estate developer, another former Haddarville resident, had been trying to buy out the properties on Main Street. Don had used a lot of underhanded tactics, the fact that he buried his connection with the company who made me this offer was one of them.

So I wouldn’t sell to him, but maybe I could use his offer to make the place look more appealing to the right buyer.

“Trick or treat.”

The loud voice startled me, and I jumped, jerking my head up from the letter.

Dee laughed. “You didn’t hear me the first time.” She was wearing a tan tunic and matching pants, and had a lightsaber hanging from a leather belt at her waist. The costume was probably an Aubrey original, and the weapon looked like it came from Adam.

“Sorry about that.” I reached for the candy bowl, trying to avoid looking at Sylvie, who was with her.

I couldn’t help it. My gaze was drawn to sexy Han Solo. Her head was tilted sideways, and she was staring at my letter.

Fuck. I didn’t want anyone knowing about this, especially her. I slapped my hand on the edge as I pulled the letter out of view. The sound was louder than I intended, and she jerked her head.

I didn’t let my attention linger on Sylvie. I turned back to Dee and handed her a candy bar from the bowl. “Where’s your dad?”

Dee made a face. “I sent him home. He’s so cringe. Are those full size?”

In other words, Clint had tried to steal the show in some way, and Dee wouldn’t have it. “Of course they’re full size.” I didn’t see the point in handing out candy if it wasn’t done right.

I could guess how Sylvie had landed escort the Jedi duty. Aubrey would be manning the candy bowl in her own shop, and it was unlikely Brodie was up for mingling.

“Thank you, Sebastian. Come on, Vee.” Dee tugged Sylvie’s arm. “Someone said Gage had soda.”

“Where are you going to put a bottle of soda?” Sylvie asked. She was still staring at the counter, where the letter had been.

Dee was only interested in getting back on the street. “I’ll use the force to drink it super fast.”

“Best use for the force I’ve ever heard of,” I said, and snapped near Sylvie’s face.

She shook her head, blinked a few times, looked at me, then turned away. “Let’s go see what kind of soda Gage has.”

I watched them leave, then folded the offer and tucked it away so no one else could stumble on it.

My shop door swung open again, this time I was aware enough to see it happen, and Camden walked in. He glanced over his shoulder out the door, then looked at me again. “Han Solo has never looked hotter.”

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