Page 1 of One Small Spark
ONE
WREN
Isthis what it’s like to claim an Oscar onstage? It’s got to be a close second.
I walk up the pine tree-lined residential street carrying two boxed pies, my body fizzing with triumph. After months of gentle prodding and a tiny bit of bribery—the pies, obviously—I finally snagged an invite to one of the most mysterious clubs in Sunshine, Oregon. Today is the day. At long last, I get to sit in on Ada and Isabel’s smutty book club.
To be clear, I adored their romance pick for the month—a Highlander hero, this one wheedling his way into marriage via blackmailing his intended with her embarrassing letters to an imaginary beau. It automatically went on my favorites list. But I’ve pictured Ada and Isabel’s secret meetings as something subversive for too long for me to just stop referring to them as risqué.
Even if I’m now included in the get-togethers.
I’ve got a dopey smile on my face when I ring the bell of the classic single-level ranch house. I fully expect every woman in this club to be at least twice my age, but I haven’t been this excited to be part of a group since middle school. Maybe it’ssilly, but it’smine. And I need something that’s all mine right about now.
Ada swings the entry door open wide. Her chic gray bob accentuates her sharp eyes and bright smile. “Well, if it isn’t the newest member of our little enclave. Welcome in, Wren.”
She waves me inside, and I step over the threshold into the cozy home.
Enclave. I like that. I’m one of the lucky few included in their super-secret, ultra-exclusive?—
“Callahan?”
Several older women mingling throughout the open-concept living room and kitchen turn at my outburst. But standing in the middle of them wearing a blue flannel shirt layered over a black tee like a grunge rocker among cardigan-clad grandmas is Shepherd Callahan.
How is this my life?
For a second, he’s frozen mid-conversation, a polite smile stuck on his face. But his smile morphs into a smirk I know all too well.
That smirk sets my teeth on edge and makes my heart rate kick up as I wait for his next move. He’s way too amused, like he knows something I don’t. Ihatehim knowing things I don’t. And right now, I’m so far out of the loop, I’m not entirely sure what the loopis.
Ada leads me to the kitchen table and I set down the pies, but I don’t take my gaze off Callahan. What the heck is he even doing here? I doubt any of these ladies had a bicycle break down on their way to book club and had to call an emergency mechanic. So? What gives?
Ada introduces me to the other women. I nod along but can’t pretend I’m memorizing anybody’s names. Safe to say I’m too distracted by the Callahan of it all.
He has no right to be here. This was supposed to be a gray-haired lady zone, with aNo Loiteringsign for lanky men with scruffy hair and short, dark beards. Don’t even get me started on his stupid brown eyes.
Finally, she gestures between the two of us with one pale finger. “I’m guessing introductions aren’t necessary here.”
He shoves his hand out to me, ready to be properly introduced. I roll my eyes and lightly smack it away, but touching him is always a mistake. A zing of awareness lights up a panel somewhere in my nervous system labeledInconvenient Attraction. It’s like my body never got the memo that the man’s a life-ruiner, and instead gets fixated on useless things likewarm, strong hands.
He makes a rumbly sound in the back of his throat, as amused with me as ever.
“Fill your plates,” Isabel instructs. “We’re pretending it’s still summer and having our discussion on the back deck.”
“The patio warmers are already toasty for us,” Ada adds. “And we’ve got a big stack of blankets if you need an extra layer.”
It’s only early October, but I still expect some kind of complaint from the group. Nobody seems fazed by the revelation, though. I would have worn more than the light hoodie I’ve got on if I’d known we’d be hanging around outside for book club.
Right now, the chill in the air isn’t my most pressing concern.
Callahan shifts to the back of the crowd around the table, letting everyone else go first as if he’s some kind of gentleman. I’m waiting for him to realize he wandered into the wrong house by mistake and sneak out, but my dreams remain dashed.
Rosetta, Sunshine’s library director, turns from the food to face me. Her beautiful brown complexion is complemented by her silver-streaked hair, twisted into a braided bun atop herhead like an ornate crown. “We’re happy to have you with us today, Wren. It’ll be good to hear another young person’s opinions on our book.”
“Who is the other young person in the group?” I ask. Because the obvious answer makes no sense.
“Does that mean you think I’m not in the group or not a young person?” Callahan’s low voice is like a shiver up my spine, equal parts pleasant and unsettling.
“Only one of us is under thirty.” I’ve still got a year to go. Not even he can take that away from me.
