Page 12 of Over the Moon

“I wouldn’t know,” she said. “I actually don’t work there, nor do I read that column.”

“Is that so,Emilia Taylor?” He said her name like she was a suspect in a murder mystery.

“That is so,Oscar Smith.” She mimicked him, and my head bounced back and forth between them.

“Well, you rented her your house, so you would have been the first to know that she was coming to Rosewood River,” he smirked.

“I believe Clark Chadwick probably knew first. And we all know this is a nosy little town, so everyone knew she was coming.” She turned to look at me. “Newcomers are big news in small towns.”

“Wait, did I really make theTaylor Tea?” I gaped at them. “I’ve never been in the newspaper before.”

“They can’t name you, girlie. But they alluded to your arrival. A big, fancy doctor coming to fix our small-town hero,” Oscar said, just as a woman walked up beside him and smacked him on the shoulder.

“Are you harassing these lovely ladies?” she said, before extending an arm. “I’m Edith, his better half.”

“Hi. I’m Eloise. Nice to meet you.”

“Pffftt… I thoughtIwasyourbetter half?” Oscar said. “And I’m not harassing them. I’m just inquiring about your favorite Chadwick.”

“You say that about every single one of them,” she scoffed. “Let’s go. The kitchen is backed up, and they need some help.”

“Keep us posted on the hockey star. He’s the biggest thing to happen to Rosewood River since Nancy Prower got knocked up by her husband’s brother,” Oscar said, before his wife shoved him toward the kitchen.

“That’s old news. Let’s go,” Edith said with a laugh.

“Wow. I guess you’re right. The Chadwicks are a hot topic here.” I rolled my eyes.

“Welcome to Rosewood River,” she chuckled. “So tell me, how did the hockey star look in his briefs?”

I swatted her with my napkin. “I was not looking. I’m a professional. And trust me when I tell you he’s not my type. The man sings too loudly, and he dances like he’s working the room for tips. He’s too smooth for his own good. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks. He’s literally a walking red flag. And you don’t need to worry about me being tempted because I signed a contract as part of my employment agreement for the Lions about upholding the highest ethical standards. I’m certainly not going to lose my job because the man does a few pelvic thrusts while he’s belting out a little Benson Boone.”

“Oh, he’s giving Travis Kelce energy. Not sure anyone would call that a red flag,” she chuckled. “But you’ve clearly thought about this. Although, playing devil’s advocate, you have to train with the man every day. You can’t help but look. And what’s your type if it’s not Clark Chadwick?”

“I don’t date hockey players. It’s a hard line for me. My dad has been a hockey coach my entire life. I know the type all too well. Athletic, sexy, and way too cocky for their own good.” I said. “My last boyfriend was a scientist. Quiet and humble is more my speed.”

“Why’d you break up?”

“Well, he was a littletooquiet and humble,” I laughed. “And all he wanted to talk about was dinosaurs.”

Her head tipped back in laughter. “That’s better than my last boyfriend. All he wanted to talk about was himself. In his defense, he was his number one fan, so he couldn’t get enough of the topic.”

More laughter.

I realized in this moment that for the last few years, I’ve just been focused on school and getting past the next hurdle. I hadn’t had a lot of time for lunch with friends or time to hang out.

This was the most fun I’d had in a very long time.

Just talking and laughing and not stressing over exams or finals.

“Thanks for showing me around downtown. I was dreading coming to Rosewood River, but it’s turned out pretty good so far,” I admitted.

“Because you saw Clark Chadwick in his tighty-whities?” She covered her mouth to keep from laughing.

“No. That was the low point of my day,” I lied, because it had been a while since me and Spencer had broken up. It didn’t mean I liked the guy; he annoyed the hell out of me. But he looked good, and it was far from the low point of my day. “I’m just getting settled—meeting people who live here and finding my first friend in Rosewood River.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” She smiled. “Hey, do you play pickleball?”

“I love pickleball, actually. We had a league in grad school. I played all the time.”

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