Page 31 of When the Woods Go Silent

“Is it just me, or is there something on our stoop?” Ruby asks as we near the shop. I squint, my pulse jumping as I recognize another one of those fucking white bakery boxes.

“Is he serious right now? One food gift is cute, the second one was nice, but now it just feels like he’s calling me fat,” I grumble as I bend over to pick up the box.

Before I have it, Ruby swoops down and snatches up the box. She teases me, acting like she’s going to hold it out of my reach. Which is ridiculous, because I have a good five inches on her. Another note slips out from under the lid, and I grab it from the air, grinning at her in triumph as I adjust my glasses.

But when I see the names on the outside, I’m surprised to realize the box isn’t just for me. “Hey, look,” I say, holding it above her head while I read it. “It’s addressed to both of us.”

She shrieks and almost drops the pastry box. “Gimme.”

I laugh and make the trade, and Ruby reads the note with wide eyes. “Is it from your hiker?” I ask, and she nods, grinning.

“And Arlo, too. And look, Torrence left his number!”

I snag the paper from her, narrowing my eyes at the familiar slanted writing. Isn’t this the same handwriting as the previous note that Arlo sent me? Hopefully, Torrence knows his friend sent it, or this could get awkward fast.

“Are we... being courted?” Ruby giggles.

“Not very well.” I roll my eyes and hand her the note before unlocking the shop.

“Hey, you said yourself that Arlo was hot enough to ignore a few red flags. Maybe you should follow your regular MO. Get in, get that orgasm, and get out.” Her shoulder bumps mine playfully.

I shrug and sigh. “I’m kind of just over it now. It was one of those in-the-moment things.”

“Hey, maybe we could try a double date!”

I groan as I follow Ruby up the stairs to our apartment. “That is not on my bucket list, Ru.”

“Please? I’m just gonna text him and see what he thinks. Come along for moral support or whatever, and if you still don’t like Arlo afterward, I’ll never say his name again.”

When she turns at the top of the stairs to fix me in her excited gaze, I give in and hold out my pinkie finger for a promise shake. There’s no point in trying to derail Ruby now - she always finds a way to convince me.

As soon as our fingers link, I hear the notification from her phone of a sent message, and I try not to grimace while she giggles.

“It’s out in the world now,” she says, giving me a playful wink. She knows I’ll be her body double for this, like she’s done for me plenty of times.

“Actually, it’s probably good for me to tag along and meet this guy for real. If he’s an asshole, I’ll see it before you do,” I point out. I’m not the only one experienced in ignoring red flags in favor of a fun night. Once Ruby sets her sights on a guy, he has to really fuck up before she cuts him off.

“Hey, he already read it,” she answers instead, blinking down at her phone. Hardly anyone has those read receipts on anymore. I peer over her shoulder, waiting for the typing dots to appear, but they never do. A sinking feeling begins in the pit of my stomach.

I really don’t want her to get hurt.

She huffs and slides the phone back in her pocket, popping open the bakery box and swirling her finger through the buttercream frosting on a slice of lavender-scented cake. She sucks it into her mouth, her eyes drifting closed.

“Yum.”

I do Ruby the favor of staying quiet, but we both know that leaving her on read only added another tally to my side of theasshole score card. Cooking skills aside, it’s evidently just as hard to find a decent guy in a small town as it was in the big city.

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