Page 9 of Relentless

“Now what am I going to wear?” Oakleigh pouted, putting her hands on her hips.

“How bout’ get your own,” Crew replied, flashing his white grin before stepping outside and closing the door behind them.

Crew steered the ranch truck across the bridge into town while firmly clasping Oakleigh’s hand. Her fingers tangled with his while she soaked up every minute spent with hercute cowboy. With her new responsibilities at the ranch, it seemed like they hardly saw each other anymore.

Noticing the dwindling tourists on the sidewalk enjoying the quaint country town, she couldn’t help but consider what a shame it was that they wouldn’t let her post anymore. While they couldn’t ban her entirely, the ordeal had ended in a fiery debate at the town hall. Maeve had graciously gone out on a limb to stand firm in Oakleigh’s defense. Her argument thatthe local businesses benefited from the increased tourism was quickly shot down. The disruption that the crowds of young people brought in their wake had finally driven the locals to their breaking point, and no amount of rationality would sway them.

To keep the peace, Oakleigh conceded to postless.

Crew pulled the truck into a parking spot in front of Murphy’s Cattle and Feed, and came around to open her door.

“You coming with me?”

Although she desperately wanted to, she felt the nagging obligation to Ruth’s Coffee Shop. She sighed, slamming the truck door a little harder than she had intended.

“I have to check on the shop.”

“You go on ahead,” he teased. “I’ll take care of all the cute furry little baby animals all by myself.”

“Oh really now?” she quipped, attempting to give him a sharp elbow.

He dodged and whipped her around, holding her tight as he planted a kiss on her lips.

“Nice try,love,” he bantered with a playful smirk. “Bring me a latte.”

She lingered for a moment, enjoying being in his strong arms — that is, until she felt the eyes of onlookers gawking at their shameless public display of affection. Their privacy was the cost of keeping their relationship public and sharing every moment of their lives with her insatiable followers on social media.

Turning the corner on Main Street, her eyes landed on the long line of customers still wrapped around the building. She was quickly reminded that being an influencer wasn’tentirelyan inconvenience.

“Hey, it’s Oakleigh!” A young woman near the end of the line pulled her phone out and tappedrecord.

Oakleigh dipped her sunglasses and beckoned for her. The girl’s eyes lit up with excitement, joining her side to pose for a selfie. Oakleigh put an arm around her and gave her a squeeze, offering a kind word.

“You’re my favorite influencer,” a young teenage boy gushed. “I watch you like every day.”

A familiar, gristly voice came from behind them, interrupting the pleasant moment entirely with his mocking tone. It was none other than one of Oakleigh’s most demanding customers.

“Oakleigh, you’re like my favorite,” Amos snickered. “Move this along.”

“All right, Amos,” Oakleigh replied calmly. “Can I buy you a coffee today?” Since their last fiery altercation, she and Amos had a fragile detente that involved frequent offers of free coffee and the occasional warm cinnamon roll.

“Well, well.” His voice crackled with a sharp chuckle. “Don’t mind if I do.”

She pushed open the door of the shop, which gave a loud jingle. She could’ve sworn that Maeve had picked out an evenlouder chime for the new door as a constant reminder that she had won the battle of the bell.

Audrey stood behind the counter, and Oakleigh couldn’t help but notice that the barista seemed a little more frazzled than usual that day. She had wisps of hair flying free from her tight ponytail, and her bright smile seemed forced and fragile.

Oakleigh’s presence drew an immediate flurry of attention from those in the shop, and she simply didn’t have the time that morning to inquire about Audrey’s emotional health. There were more selfies to pose for than she could count, taking only a moment to fling an order over her shoulder. “Audrey, I need a latte and an iced coffee to go.”

“Oakleigh, I was wondering —” Audrey stammered.

“Oh, one more thing,” Oakleigh interrupted. “Amos’ coffee is on the house today.”

When the crowd of fans and followers were finally satisfied, she was relieved to see that her coffees were waiting for her on the counter.

Audrey spoke up again, this time with a little more backbone. “Are you going to pick up a shift soon?”

“Audrey,” Oakleigh replied, venturing to offer a word of encouragement. After all, she was the boss, and it was what Maeve would do. “I know you’re busy, but you wanted this position,” she consoled with an empathetic tone that even rang false in her own ears. Tilting her head to the side, she squeezed Audrey’s shoulder. “With Maeve gone and the competitioncoming up, I’m going to need you to buckle down and handle this.”

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