Page 31 of Pulling Heartstrings

As soon as I found a job where I could work from home, I tucked my tail and ran back to Mittenville. It’s a bit lonely sometimes, but it’s a job. I get to do what I love most, which is research. It also happens to be what I’m best at. If someone needs to know case law, I’m the one to call. And if I don't know the answer, I'll find it.

Seeing the termination email makes no sense. Every project I’m handed, I turn in early, and I know I’ve done a great job. There wasn’t a reason for them letting me go, and it’s making me anxious. Not wanting to sit around and fret, I make myself get up and do something.

My place is small, but it works for me. There’s one bedroom and a bathroom, but it does have a dining room that serves as my desk and craft table. I shuffle through the items on my desk, knocking a few things off in the process.

I’ve been debating on which project to work on next since I’m currently working on about ten different projects at once. I tend to jump from one to another. All I need to do is sew a few buttons onto one of the skirts to complete it. On the other hand, I could finish the knitted panda, which is just one ear away from being done.

When my stomach rumbles, I remember I haven’t eaten today. Marcus’s voice pops into my head, and this time a small growl rumbles from me. That man can get me so worked up. I’m always calm and friendly, yet he manages to push all of my buttons. I’m pretty sure he enjoys annoying me until I’m out of patience and he gets a reaction.

I can’t understand how the heck he ended up here in Mittenville! It’s as though fate is against me and playing a game with my life. He was one of the reasons I ran back home. Then the next thing I knew, he had a shiny new office pop up in town. For half a second, I wondered if he might have followed me to Mittenville. But the more I thought about it, the less likely that seemed to be. Marcus is a very successful lawyer. He even has his own case law. Why does that fact turn me on?

“Because you’re strange,” I mutter to myself and then immediately cringe. That's what most people say about me. Either that or they call me odd.

Marcus never said those things, though. Instead he would be annoyed that I once again forgot to eat. I really don’t mean to, it’s that time slips away from me when I become lost in various tasks. I love food. When I tell people that, they tend to not believe me because I’m so small. But when I eat, I eat everything.

I open my fridge to see that it’s completely bare. Then I check the pantry, and it’s equally empty. Not having much of a choice, I slip on my boots and grab my bag. It’s too late to go to the store, and I don’t have a car to drive out of town. A car isn’t really necessary most of the time since I can walk to the places I need to get to.

The Nutmeg Diner is close and open, so it will have to suffice for tonight. Thankfully, it’s not snowing, but as I make my way down the street, I can feel the cold setting in. I wave to a few people who pass by, and they do the same. That’s one of the things I love about home. I would have gotten a middle finger in my face back in the city.

“Hey, Bronte,” Kristin calls to me as I enter the diner.

“Hi,” I say while searching for a seat.

“Cherry Coke?”

“Yes, please.” I spot a table by a window, and Kristin comes right over with my drink.

"Out of food again?" she gently teases me. Okay, yes, I forget to go grocery shopping a lot too.

"Maybe I missed you." I push my glasses up my nose, and she grins.

"We can go with that if you want." Kristin pulls out her pad. "Hit me."

I know the menu by heart, so there’s no need for the song and dance.

"Crinkle fries, mozzarella sticks, and..." I trail off, knowing I want more but not sure what.

"Nachos?" she offers.

“Yes!"

"All right," Kristin laughs, scribbling it down before going to fill coffees. I reach into my purse and retrieve my phone, along with my knitting needles and the scarf I keep in there. I work on it whenever I’m out and have downtime. I’m not big on the whole social media thing, so this gives me something to do.

My mind wanders while I knit, so it’s relaxing. Oftentimes if I’m stuck on a project for work, the answer will randomly pop into my head if I just knit a few rows.

"You're almost done with that one," Kristin says as she sets my mozzarella sticks and nachos down.

The bell over the diner’s entrance goes off, drawing our attention.

“Whew. I thought I was only into cowboys,” Kristin says to me under her breath. “I guess a man in a suit isn't so bad.”

Kristin is only teasing. She and Kent have been married for a few years. Still, I can’t help the jealousy that flares to life inside of me. I hate the feeling because I don’t much care for the man in the suit. Marcus Xander.

Dang it, I’m cornered. I can’t jump up and run out of here, so instead I do the only thing I can think of. I grab a cheese-covered chip and shove it into my mouth. Then I try my best to ignore him.

The problem is he’s making that nearly impossible because he’s coming this way.

Chapter Two

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