Page 56 of Cruel Legacy

On the outside, you wouldn’t think this place does as much business as it does, but I heard it’s booked solid up until the holidays. I’m tired when I finally plop down in a chair near the patio. It felt good to be busy doing something useful.

Since it’s later in the evening, I opted for tea to drink with my pie instead of coffee. Van is sitting next to me and we’re discussing how I like the town so far.

I shrug. “It’s not that it’s boring, but it’s a little too upscale for me.”

She nods at my answer. “It’s changed a lot since I was your age, a lot of people have moved away. We had a lot more independently owned and operated businesses back then. A lot of them were sold off, and then shut down. The landscape of the town is changing.”

She gives me a tight smile. “Newer and better, that’s what young people want, right?”

I shrug. I don’t think new is always better. “Why didn’t you move or sell?”

“Because Canyon Falls is my home. My history is here. My husband and I run this business. I couldn’t walk away.”

“It must be nice to have that type of attachment to a place.”

“Don’t you miss Nags Creek?”

Do I? I shake my head. “I miss my friend Sasha and a few of the hangouts, but not the town. If I’m being honest, I guess it never felt like home. Maybe I’m not designed to get attached to places since I moved a lot.”

“You’re young, and no one expects you to put down roots so soon.”

“I want to be an archaeologist. I’ll probably never put down roots.”

Her brows lift. “Traveling the world? Going on digs?”

I brace myself for the conversation. I’ve heard it enough times. “I know that doesn’t sound like a glamorous career or a moneymaker.”

Her face lights up and she says, “Oh no, Thea. I think that’s fantastic. Where do you want to go first?”

She seems like she’s really interested in hearing my answer, so I tell her my dream destination and before I know it, another hour has passed. Looking at my watch, I say, “Oh my god, I totally lost track of time. I didn’t mean to talk your ear off.”

I feel bad that I’ve been holding her up when she has a business to run.

“Nonsense.” She waves off my concerns. “I was enjoying our conversation. As you can imagine, running a hotel keeps me busy, and it was nice to just sit and talk for a while.”

“It was nice to talk to you too, Van.”

We both climb to our feet. She pushes me toward the cart. “Take two slices to go, and if you’re ever back this way, drop in and say hello. Get home safe.”

Shit, I forgot to make my call. “Uh, I’m sorry. Can I borrow the phone, so I can call a ride?”

“No need dear. I’ll have the hotel shuttle drop you off at school, or wherever you need to go.”

“I’m heading to campus, but I don’t want to take your shuttle out of service. What about the guests?”

“Our driver actually has a pickup at the mall near campus, so this is perfect. He’ll be waiting out front.” She gives me another smile and rushes off towards the back.

Just as she said, the shuttle is waiting for me. The driver doesn’t try to engage me in conversation during the ride and I’m happy about that.

I take the time to reflect on this weird ass day. The folks I should have had a nice cozy interaction with pissed me off, and an absolute stranger made me feel more seen and validated than any adult other than Sasha’s grandparents and Mrs. Sprout has in a long time.

Chapter28

Thea

The day after our disastrous dinner, Moira and Scott had the phone and car delivered to me back on campus. I had three voice messages and two texts of apologies from Moira.

I’m using the phone, but I’m leaving the car parked in the student lot. While I was waiting to straighten out the towing mess, I found out the school offers a shuttle that drops you right in front of the post office. I came here last weekend and I’m back again.

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