Page 15 of Wood You Knot

“Yes, absolutely.” I nodded eagerly, and Uncle Ed handed me a green apron. “Thank you again for this.”

“Don’t thank me yet—your training is about to begin.” He winked. “First thing I’m going to train you on is cash. This is the product binder; it has the SKU codes for everything in the store.” He lifted a hefty old binder from underneath the cash register and set it on the countertop.

“You don’t have a computer system?” I asked, unable to hide the surprise from my voice.

“A dated one,” he said, gesturing to the small monitor by the register. “But we also keep records in the product binder.”

Uncle Ed spent the next several hours showing me the ropes. He gave me random lists of products to find, and I had to walk up and down the aisles and find them.

Before I knew it, it was lunchtime. I ran up to the apartment to grab a bite to eat, loving the convenience of being able to do just that. If I could only manage to avoid the bistro next door, I’d save a lot of money by not eating out.

On my return, I ran into three almost identical old ladies leaving the hardware store. “Oh, there she is! We were just talking to Ed about you,” the one with dyed hair said. Betty, was it?

Recognizing the three of them as the infamous Hartley triplets, I smiled. In my youth, when visiting Hartwood Creek, it was common to run into these three ladies at events and around town. They always made a point to come up and talk to Uncle Ed and Auntie Em. They also took credit for some of my cousins’ matches in the love department.

The Hartley sisters owned the Tout de Sweets café and bakery in town, and they were known for their In The Name of Love Latte. It was said to be enchanted with magic, that any couple who drank that particular latte would fall undeniably in love.

“Good things, I hope?” I laughed, feeling a little awkward and put on the spot.

“Of course. We wanted to officially welcome you to Hartwood Creek,” Dorothy explained.

“We have a welcome basket for you. Just some homey things, a candle, some incense, a body scrub that we swear by—just look at our youthful complexions—and hand soap,” Alice added, handing me a basket wrapped in cellophane.

“Oh, well, thank you for the warm welcome.” I took the woven basket and returned their smiles with a warm one of my own.

“Hartwood Creek is happy to have you as a permanent resident,” Alice told me before her face transformed with a secretive smile. “Have you run into any old friends yet?”

This encounter was beginning to feel an awful lot like a trap. “Just Nix and Parker, actually. Daphne’s in the same class as Parker’s twins, so we got them together for a bit of a playdate yesterday.”

“Ah yes, we heard about that,” Alice declared, and Dorothy elbowed her gently, giving her a scolding look.

“I really should be getting back to work now…” I trailed off, trying to mask my uneasiness. “It was nice seeing you ladies.”

“Yes, dear. It was good seeing you too. Don’t be a stranger,” Dorothy said before the three sisters crossed the sidewalk and climbed into the purple all-terrain vehicle parked in front of Alcott’s Hardware.

* * *

At three o’clock, Uncle Ed let me head out early so I could pick Daphne up. I couldn’t seem to find parking close enough, so I parked down the street and walked up to the school.

Tabitha was already there, pushing the stroller back and forth while she stood in place and chatted with another woman. She caught sight of me walking and waved me over.

“Lilah, this is Sage Whitaker. She’s new in town. Sage, this is Lilah Willard. Lilah’s kind of an old resident of Hartwood Creek who moved away for a spell and has come back to us,” Tabitha explained, and I gave Lilah a warm smile. “Lilah’s little girl, Riley, is also in Mr. Robertson’s class.”

“That’s awesome! It’s nice to meet you, Lilah.” I held out my hand, and she shook it.

“Hi, Sage. It’s nice to meet you too,” Lilah responded, smiling. She had dark curly hair and beautiful brown skin.

We made small talk for a couple of minutes, and I found out Lilah had relocated back to Hartwood Creek to open a spa.

“No way! We’ll have to come check it out. Do you have any availability this weekend?”

“I do, actually.” Lilah’s entire face lit up.

“I could use some post-breakup pampering. Can you book Daphne and me for Saturday morning?”

“Of course!” Lilah replied eagerly.

The bell rang, and the three of us waited for the girls. Mr. Robertson’s class was the third wave to come out of the school. One by one, he let the kids run to their parents when he saw them waiting.

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