Page 14 of Until It Was Real

“Except it happens to me all the time,” I mutter as I wipe away the crumbs. All I succeed in doing is creating a giant chocolate stain.

“What happened to you?” a woman asks as she sits across from me.

“A cookie attacked me.”

“Gotta hate when that happens.” She sips on my coffee and moans. “Mmm… Parker I’ll have one of these.”

I glide the mug across the table toward her. “You can have mine.”

“I’ll make you another one,” Parker says before walking away.

“Thanks.” The woman salutes me with the mug. “I needed this.”

Probably not as much as I did, I start to say, but stop myself. There’s no reason to be snarky to this stranger. I don’t know her. Maybe she does need the caffeine as much as I do.

“Why are you desperate for a caffeine hit?” I ask.

“My boss had me up most of the night.”

“Who’s your boss? Hold on. Who are you?”

“I’m Blossom. I was the newcomer before you.”

“I’m Dakota,” I say despite having a sneaking suspicion she already knows my name. “Does everyone know everyone’s business here?”

She shrugs. “Pretty much. You get used to it. Personally, I prefer it over going to the grocery store and not seeing one friendly face.”

“I know how you feel,” I mutter. Grocery shopping is not fun when everyone in the cereal aisle is glaring at you, or the women waiting to check out switch lanes to avoid you. It does make doing groceries much quicker, though.

“Here’s your coffee,” Parker says as she sets a steaming mug in front of me.

“Thank…” I trail off when I notice a furry head pop up from her pocket. “Do you have a puppy in your pocket?”

“You were supposed to stay hidden,” she tells the animal as she removes it from her pocket and cuddles it.

“That’s not a dog,” Blossom says.

“She’s an otter. Her name is Viking.”

“You named your girl otter Viking?” I ask.

“Technically, she’s not mine.”

“Are you otter-sitting? Is otter-sitting a thing? Where do I sign up?” I ask as I reach a hand out to pet Viking.

The little creature leans into my palm. “She’s adorable. Why isn’t she yours?”

“She’s the town mascot.”

“The town has a mascot? What does a live mascot do for a town? It can’t exactly throw the first pitch at a baseball game.”

Blossom giggles. “The mascots are strictly forbidden from attending sports events.”

“You’re serious?”

“I blame my boss.”

This is the second time she’s mentioned her boss. I’m officially intrigued. “Who’s your boss?”

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