Page 116 of Steamy Ever After

“Try the endcap on aisle four,” the pharmacist said.

“Thanks.” She could feel the moment he set eyes on her. “Do you always read magazines with your eyes closed?”

Looking up at his familiar blue eyes, she forced a smile. “Finnegan, how are you?”

“Same old, same old. One kid’s got a cold, the others are coming down with sniffles, a blizzard’s on its way, and the town’s fresh out of salt, shovels, and bread. Just another winter day in Jasper Falls.”

She glanced down at the rosy-nosed little boy clinging to his side. Finn’s hand casually stroked his strawberry-blond hair with such natural affection her heart ached. Her parents never touched her in such a way.

“How’s Mallory?”

“She’s great. How about you? I heard you’re working at the hardware store now. Got any shovels over there?”

She blinked at his casual small talk. Had their friendship ended so long ago that he could somehow forget how toxic her home life was? Or had she truly hidden the truth from him that well?

Maybe it was just easier to overlook the things people didn’t comfortably see? After all, Ward Montgomery was a beloved figure in their town, always there with last-minute salt, shovels, and that goddamn crumb cake that made the town believe he was a normal man.

She gave a tight-lipped smile. “I’ll put a shovel aside for you.”

Thankfully, the pharmacist reappeared with her dad’s prescription. The sleeping pills were the only thing keeping her sane—not that she needed help sleeping but, if she expected to have any sort of peace, her father needed the pills.

“Great, I’ll swing by later today and grab it. Thanks.”

“Daddy, can we get candy?” the little girl, Maeve, called.

“No, put it back and don’t touch anything else.” He turned back to Erin. “Hey, my, uh, cousin, Giovanni, is back in town. He’s performing at O’Malley’s tonight if you want to stop by. We’re all gonna be there.”

She frowned, once again worried for his memory. He spoke as if she was a part of the old gang, which they both knew she wasn’t. Realizing he was probably just being polite, she ignored the awkward invite and turned the topic to his cousin—a founding member of the anti-Erin club. “Is Giovanni in a band?”

“No,” Finn chuckled. “He’s trying his hand at standup. He’s been doing open-mic-nights around the city and apparently, he’s pretty funny.”

Giovanni Mosconi always thought he was funnier than he actually was. When they were in high school he used to pick on her constantly. Erin hated hanging out with him when she and Finn were dating. He could make a joke out of a broom, saying something like, “Hey Erin, I found your bitch stick. Don’t you need this to get home?”

His jokes never struck her as funny, just cruel. “Is he any good?”

Finn shrugged. “I haven’t seen him perform yet. I’m sure he’ll get a few laughs. He has no shame.”

She first thought how fun it would be to watch Giovanni humiliate himself. He’d spent plenty of time embarrassing her when they were kids. But her second thought was how lonely it would be to visit O’Malley’s and sit alone while her entire graduating class watched the show with spouses.

“I’ll see if I have plans.”

“Come on, Erin. Come out. You can sit with us.”

She couldn’t do that. As much as she appreciated Finn’s offer, his family was not a fan of hers.

“I’ll try.” Picking up the medicine, she smiled. “I have to get back to the store.”

“Okay. Tell Ward I said hey.”

Her brow pinched as she left the pharmacy. She’d never understand why so many of the locals cared about her father. It was pathetic how many people could be bought off with a few measly cinnamon-flavored crumbs and a pot of shitty coffee.

When she returned to the hardware store, the bell over the front door jingled. Her father’s gruff voice carried from the back as he explained how to replace a drain washer to a customer.

“You’re gonna need a pair of channel locks to unscrew the stem once you get the knob off, but that’s simple. After you get the stem out, slip the new washer into place, and put it back together again. That should clear up that leaky faucet for you.”

“Thanks, Ward. Can you point me to the channel locks?”

“Right this way. Doesn’t your husband have a tool set?”

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