Page 13 of Fairground

“Yeah, I usually don’t get started until later in the morning. Do you come here every day?”

“Sometimes. I try to squeeze in a workout before heading to the precinct.”

“The precinct?” I ask, surprised.

She nods, turning her head toward me mid-jog. “I work for the police department. I thought I told you that last night.”

I’m guessing she did and I’m just a horrible, new friend who missed her telling me that.

“I’m a records analyst—paperwork, booking, filing, that kind of thing. It’s fun and keeps me busy. Oh, and I also help with financials and reporting at the church.”

Ah, yes. The beloved small town Reverend’s daughter. I silently hope she doesn’t invite me to church on Sunday. Lydia doesn’t seem like the pushy type, but you never know.

“That’s cool,” I say, keeping my answer short.

She studies me, her head tilting slightly as her ponytail sways behind her. “You seem… different today.”

I blink at her. “Other than my dewy skin from all this sweat?”

She laughs, shaking her head. “No, I mean it. You seem happier. Lighter than you did when I met you last night.”

“Hm,” I reply, offering her nothing else but a half-smile because it's nice to see someone has noticed my effort, even if it's probably not all that obvious. I'm sure she's just being kind, the town's sweetheart.

“So,” she presses on, unfazed, “what’s your plan for the rest of the day?”

I adjust the treadmill’s incline and glance at her. “Cleaning my sister’s house, grocery run, picking up a prescription for Daniel, and dropping off Laken’s lunch at her office since she forgot it at home. Then getting dinner ready and on the table by five before collapsing into my bed.”

“Oh wow, busy day!” Lydia says, flashing another smile. “You’re really settling in, huh?”

I give a small shrug, focusing on the rhythm of my steps. “Something like that.”

“Well, I get an hour lunch break. Do you have any plans for that today?”

I hesitate because I really should spend that time vacuuming the upstairs like I promised my sister I would, but I also promised her that I'd make some new friends, and this feels like upholding that portion of the agreement.

“Nope.”

“Want to meet me at Whitewood Restaurant and Brewery at noon?”

For a moment, I want to ask if Cash—Mr. Eye-Candy-With-A-Side-of-Sunshine—will be there again, but I bite my tongue because it would be ridiculous for me to care about that.

“Sure,” I say instead, keeping my tone casual.

She nods, “Yay! Sounds great!” Then she cranks her treadmill to max speed, and takes off in a full-blown sprint, her ponytail bouncing behind her. She looks like she’s running a marathon for fun with a smile plastered on her face the entire time.

I chuckle and shake my head, finishing my cooldown before wiping down the machine and heading home.

Three hours later, I’ve dropped off Laken’s lunch, picked up Daniel’s asthma medication, vacuumed the entire house at warp speed so that she couldn't say I was slacking off, cleaned all three bathrooms, prepared crockpot chicken and rice, and finished the week’s grocery shopping. It’s only noon now, and I’mwrecked. Who wakes up this earlyanddoes this much in a day? At this rate, I’ll be in bed by six o’clock without any energy to watch my movies.

By the time I walk into the brewery, still in my gray yoga pants and black tank top from my morning workout, I’m dragging my feet, my stomach's grumbling loudly and I know I'm going to indulge in more than I should with how good the food smells.

“Hi!” Lydia waves enthusiastically, practically bouncing out of her seat. She’s swapped her gym clothes for office wear, looking polished and professional in a fancy, grey suit jacket and skirt, as if she strolled over here straight from the precinct.

I force a smile because this is the newRae now. The one who isn't perpetually grumpy and hating every second of living in this town.

Time to be friendly.

“Hey, Lydia,” I greet her, mustering some energy that I definitely don't have.

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