Page 138 of Home to the Hollow

“We’ll come back after we do our stuff and the four of us can have dinner at Bottles ‘N Cans tonight,” Prez says as we walk back towards the house.

“Not to sound dumb, Dr. McSteamy, but Bottles ‘N Cans is a liquor store. Are we eating beer nuts as a meal?”

“Ooh, Prez, she doesn’tknow. This is gonna begreat.” The Speakeasy part of Benjy’s store is the absolute best part, and it’s a great escape from the flood of tourists who blow through during the racing season.

Saoirse glares at us when we get to the door. “Oi, boys. S’not nice to tease Peanut. Even if she has the best bloody pouts on the planet.”

“Listen up, you eejits. I’ll not have you tag-teaming against me; got it?” Jolene follows her friend in the evil eye and we both laugh.

This is going to be fun.

Week Two

It’s quiet during the week, even in the dog days of summer. Locals know where to come for a drink and a bite away from the clueless humans and tourists that flit through our town on the way to the city. The Speakeasy is a safe place—supes can come in and let loose as long as they don’t destroy my bar or each other.

That’s why I do a double take when two women I don’t know come strolling up to the side door with enormous cats and an eagle in tow. I don’t have the slightest clue who they are or who told them to look for the entrance over here, but I have to get a sense of whether or not they belong before I admit them.

“Not from around here, huh?” I grunt, eyeing the wild clothes and hair of the second one. Something about her friend seems familiar, but hell if I know what.

The raven haired girl squints at me, and I feel electricity crawl up my arms. “I just moved back. She’s an old friend from out-of-town. Are quizzes part of your job?”

As if I’m a fucking Sphinx—I like this girl’s moxie, though.

I give it a moment, drawing out the silence as I think about her words. Like a lightbulb over my head, her identity comes to me: this is her. I laugh at my own stupidity, shaking my head as recognition filters in. “Jolene Whitley!”

“Oi, not chopped soddin’ liver,” her companion grouses. “Part of the Peanut entourage, that’s me.”

Emerald eyes roam over me and her head tilts as she finally gives up. “I-I’m sorry. I don’t remember you.”

If she’s still having those blackouts she used to have, that’s not surprising.

Deciding to make it easy on her, I beam. “Well,of course not! I hadn’t grown into my skin yet.” I open the door, turning to yell inside. “Boone!Jolene’s here!”

“Oh, no. Oh, no. No, no, no…” Her eyes go wide as dinner plates as she looks at her friend and I almost laugh again.

She’s only been in town a few days; what the fuck has Boone already done to her to get this reaction?

The wild haired girl cackles like a witch and it trips my sensors. I wonder if she’s a supe. Nelia made it clear in the town bulletin that Jolene hadn’t emerged yet and had no idea about the true citizens of the Hollow. But this girl….

“Stop making sounds like a bloody TikkyTok. Just because you haven’t ironed out your difference doesn’t mean he’s going to make a—” Her dulcet Irish lilt stops entirely whenmybest friend pops into the doorframe. “Holy feckin’ dildo gnomes.”

Jolene turns as red as a tomato and turns her ire on Edgar. “Teddy, I don’t know who this monster is, but I’m supposed to meet people inside. Can you get him to buy a vowel so I can go in?”

I watch Edgar grin in the way that typically makes the women swoon. Something hasdefinitelygone on between them, and I’ll be damned if that asshole doesn’t move like a rattler when he has someone in his sights.

“Well. Tilly, I don’t know about that. You’ve been avoiding me. Can’t say as I’m inclined to do you a favor.”

Just when it’s getting interesting, the giant bird zooms past us all, heading straight for the two docs. This time, she smirks at Edgar in satisfaction. “Pretty soon you’ll be obsolete, Teddy. Is that…familiar?”

That makes me snort and my old friend narrows his eyes at me. I slap him on the back, shaking my head. “She’s afieryone now. You’re right, Boone—she grew up and got sassy.”

A huff is his response and I notice that Jolene is studying her nails as if she’s bored. She doesn’t answer my comment, nor does she move, but I can feel her irritation coming off her in waves. Finally, she looks up and sighs. “Since you boys had your fun, does anyone want to tell me who the goat fucking hell he is?”

Damn, that was a power move if I’ve ever seen one.

“Tilly, I’m surprised you don’t recognize Benjy. He owns this little slice of Heaven we call The Speakeasy.”

The Irish girl looks at me suspiciously as Jolene gapes. I don’t blame her—I was a runt when we attended WHFS together and now I’m the size of a brick house. She was already headed to State U for summer classes when I finally emerged, and since my supe side is super sized, Jolene has never seen me in the body I was meant to have.

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