Page 69 of Tangled Up In You

"I know. But I've seen how hard you work." She paused. "I was like you once, Drew. I first came to this store when I was fifteen. I was mad because my mom had moved me here from LA. I didn't want to start over again in a new high school. All the kids from Whisper Lake would have known each other forever. I wasn't going to fit in. And my mom was busy with the job she'd gotten, so she wasn't even around to complain to. That's when I saw the sign in this window and asked Phoebe if she could give me a job. She gave me a lot more than that. She made me feel like I had someone in my corner. She was kind of crazy, and some people thought she was a witch, but I saw a woman who was kind and very caring. Anyway, if you need someone in your corner, I'm available."

"Do you tell Adam what I tell you?" Drew asked, his sharp gaze raking her face.

"You haven't told me much, so, no."

"Are you dating Adam?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"Because he keeps coming around, and the way he looks at you."

She cleared her throat. "We're friends. We know a lot of the same people."

"But you like each other."

"Maybe, but we're not going to do anything about it."

"Why not?"

She had to think hard to come up with a reason, because she really thought they should do something about it. But there was one reason staring her in the face. "I don't know that Adam has ever gotten over losing your sister."

"That was a long time ago."

"I don't think time changes love. But there are other reasons, too. Anyway, you and I can have a friendship that doesn't include Adam. But I will say this. I know he's kind of gruff and serious, but I think he really cares about you."

"He took me in out of duty to my father."

"He did it for you, Drew. He wants to help you. Maybe you should try to talk to him. Open up a little. He might do the same. You're going to be here for a couple of months. Wouldn't it be more comfortable and fun if you got along better?"

"Adam doesn't trust me."

"Show him that he can."

"We'll see." He stood up. "I gotta go."

"Okay. Are you still on for tomorrow?"

"I'll be here all day."

"Great. Have fun with your friends."

After Drew left, she turned out the lights in the store and went up to her apartment. Kicking off her shoes, she flopped down on the couch and put her feet up on the coffee table. As she took her first big breath of the day, she heard the faint sound of music.

Getting back up, she walked over to the window to see the lights from the Ferris wheel that had been set up in the middle of Lakeside Park. She'd planned to go to the festival tomorrow night, after her sidewalk sale, but as she compared her quiet apartment to the dazzling lights just a few miles away, she changed her mind. She could use a little fun, too.

Molly changed into comfortable jeans, flats, and a lightweight sweater and then headed down to the festival. It seemed like half the town had the same idea, and she was carried along by a lively crowd of tourists and locals all headed in the same direction.

When she reached the park, she hit up the food booths first. It was after seven, and she hadn't had anything to eat since she'd snuck one of Chloe's cookies around lunchtime. She knew some of her friends were working at the bakery booth and the cakewalk, but she needed some real food.

As she checked out her options, she felt a part of the excitement but also a little isolated. She tried to shake off the feeling. She was used to being a loner in the middle of a crowd, but she was tired of being that person. If she stayed in Whisper Lake for a long time, she would become part of the fabric of the town. She'd have a crew of friends. She'd have her own business. It was everything she wanted.Wasn't it?

Her mother's words rang through her head. "Change is exciting, Molly. If you're not changing, you're not living."

Her mother had certainly lived by that philosophy.Did she want to do the same?

She pushed the question out of her head. She didn't have to decide anything now. And she wasn't good at planning for the future. She was better at living in the moment. At this moment all she really needed was food. Her gaze lit on a stand selling hot dogs on a stick which reminded her of her first time at the festival as a teenager. She smiled.Why not?She was starving.

She moved toward the stand, but as she got caught up between a family with two strollers and a dog, she made a quick move to the left, only to collide with a man coming in the other direction. Of course, it was Adam.

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