Page 19 of When the Woods Go Silent

“Look, there’s the red.” I point at a darkness settled at the bottom, hidden like a filled pastry. So cool. “How does that even work?” I wonder, immediately sidetracked, but Rose nudges me, holding her glass out for a clink.

“Here’s to us and our new life and our new store, Ru. ToUnder the Covers.May we have twice the success ofGoblin Market.”

“ToUnder the Covers, where good girls get their reads met,” I echo, trying out another slogan I thought of on the drive home, and grinning at my best friend and now, co-business owner. She giggles, and we tip the alcohol back. No matter what I promised Rose about appropriate behavior, I can’t help the very satisfied, sexy sigh that slides from my lips. The tart-sweet liquid warms my mouth and wraps my insides in a flavor so sinful, I feel the blood rush straight to my cheeks. Food-gasm, here we come.

“Holy fuck, that’s good,” Rose says, reclining back into the dark purple cushions like a queen settling into her throne. Her long ginger waves spread across her shoulders, and her hazel eyes sparkle behind her glasses in a way that makes me happy.

Everything we try is amazing. Each bite is a bit of pure foodie heaven, and even though we had dinner earlier and we’re getting full, we order another dessert to go.

“I propose regular business meetings here,” I say as I sign the bill. Rose laughs and agrees as she accepts the white to-go box from our server, and we get up to let someone else have ourtable. I could have relaxed and stayed until closing, but I know there’s still a line outside, and I don’t want to be greedy.

“We’ll definitely be back,” Rose says to the server, and he smiles knowingly.

“Of course, you will,” he says, tilting his head in challenge, and I can’t help but notice how he’s appreciating her curves. Maybe I really can get Rose a date with a different hotGoblin Marketguy, if she’s into it.

As I sling my purse over my shoulder and turn toward the door, I catch a glimpse of a man in the back by the kitchen doors, standing in shadows and clearly watching us go. His hair is dark, and his features are hard to see in the dim light, but the chandelier above him makes his eyes glow like the sun low on the horizon.

I stumble a bit under his intense gaze, and his teeth flash as a hint of a smile crosses his face. Again, wow.

“Everything okay?” Rose asks, steadying me with a hand on my elbow. She follows my gaze and snickers as the broad-backed man turns and disappears into the kitchen. “Looks like you just found another reason to come back,” she teases.

“Oh, I am so coming back,” I say, grinning at her. For a moment, I’d been worried the guy in the shadows would turn out to be Arlo, but she didn’t seem to recognize him. And that means he’s fair game.

Arm in arm, we make our way to the silent street where our bookstore waits. We left some of the lights on inside, and the glow of the new windows in the dark night is so pretty, both protecting and showing off the rows and rows of stories waiting to be told to just the right person.

I know I tend to fixate on things I love, but t’s already so much more than a store to me.

“This place is changing our lives, Rose. I can feel it,” I say softly as I pause on the sidewalk and gaze up at it. Threestories tall, with a wide porch, painted a peeling black with gold gingerbread trim glimmering in the soft lights. Some of the siding is a faded dark green, and I try to imagine the whole building redone in all its Gothic splendor, with piles of pink and red roses blooming out front.

It’s going to be absolutely perfect.

Rose pauses on the top step and turns back to me with a questioning look, but I just grin and follow her into the store, then upstairs to our apartment. She gives me a hug and heads to bed, but I’m wide awake, my happiness sparking around me like heat lightning. My imagination is stuttering across all the hopes I have for our lives here, and I can’t surrender to sleep yet.

I want to be the one controlling my dreaming for a little bit longer.

As usual, I feel drawn to the back windows, which showcase the woods I love so much. Grabbing a blanket, I step out of the kitchen’s back door and onto the narrow balcony. There are a pair of worn wicker rocking chairs waiting, and I settle into one, breathing deeply of the crisp night air.

An owl hoots in the trees somewhere, and I think about how seen I always feel in the woods. It’s an odd sensation, really, since I’m actually alone. But all my life, I’ve felt as though deep, dark woods like these are watching over me, keeping an eye on me. Protecting me, even, like I belong to them. And I do belong to them, in so many ways.

Nature is so much easier for me to understand than people, and I’ve never felt lost in the woods the way I feel lost in a crowd.

Even more than the bookstore that we lucked into, being around this forest again feels like it’s settling me, lending me its calm and ancient, anchored power. Accepting my oddities in the quiet way Rose does, no matter what weird thing I get obsessed with.

My eyes slide closed, and my ever-busy mind spreads out so many ideas and images of a gorgeous future here. I feel so complete and content as the small night sounds of the forest keep me company, and the night deepens around me. Somewhere in the distance, the wind sings through the trees, reminding me of a woman’s voice echoing over the hills, and I relish the shiver of excitement that tingles up my spine.

“I’m listening,” I whisper to the trees, imagining that they can hear my words. “Show me your magic.”

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