Page 12 of Lucky in Love
“Four? Why four?”
“Well, there are six of ’em total, but one lives in California and one in New York City, so it’s just the four here in GVF. They’ve been a team since middle school, and it’s sort of a buy-one-get-them-all situation.”
“Team?”
“Their high school basketball team won the state championship several years ago. If you’re in town longer than two days, you’ll likely hear someone mention it. It was a huge deal for our humble little town. Anyway, if Alex didn’t call them the minute she cleared the porch, I’ll give you a hundred dollars.”
“I’ll take that action,” Brody said. “Hard to imagine Alex playing ball. She’s so short.”
Nick laughed. “She’s tiny, but tenacious. Don’t let her size fool you.” There was a light shuffling noise outside the door. He lowered his voice. “Wanna see something funny?”
Brody raised an eyebrow as Nick went to the door and swung it open quickly. Sure enough, four women toppled over the threshold, scrambling to catch themselves from falling.
“Nick!” they all complained at once, attempting to regain their balance. And dignity. They’d obviously been pressed up against the door, eavesdropping.
“Ladies,” Nick said, biting back a laugh.
Alex huffed and placed her hands on slender hips. “I take it he’s not the escaped con?”
“Nope,” Nick said. “Just a poor bearded chap who likes to pay in cash.”
“If you shaved,” Alex said, “you probably wouldn’t look like that guy at all.”
“I’ll make a note,” Brody said.
“Kevin,” Nick said. Brody appreciated the effort to save his alias. “You’ve met Alex, but let me introduce you to my wife, Faith.” He pointed to a tall, pretty blonde.
“Lovely to meet you.” Faith smiled like a newlywed who loved hearing the “wife” title.
“That’s Juliet. She owns a dog kennel outside of town.” Nick nodded to a tall, pretty redhead. “And my sister, Tess. She runs The Outdoor Outpost.” A tall, pretty brunette.
“Wow,” Brody said. “Must be somethin’ in the water ’round here. Feel like I dropped onto Paradise Island.”
Nick and Tess laughed, but the others shared looks of confusion.
“You know,” Tess said to her friends. “Where Wonder Woman was from. The Amazon place with all the tall women?”
“Tall,beautifulwomen,” Brody said. “It was meant as a compliment.”
They gave a polite chuckle.
“Tough crowd,” he muttered.
“Anyway,” Nick said. “Sorry about the misunderstanding. We’ll let you get back to your day.”
“Thanks.” He shook hands with Nick and watched as they headed down the stairs, laughing and ribbing each other.
A slight pang of jealousy hit. Being a nomad made it hard to cultivate friendships. He had acquaintances in all corners of the world, but nothing deep or lasting.
He closed the door and picked up his phone to call Chloe. Alex had warned that the signal was spotty, but it showed two bars. Not bad, but there would be better coverage in town, and he needed some groceries anyway. He grabbed his camera and keys and headed out.
The trees were on the cusp of metamorphosis, a few overachievers already leaning toward yellow and orange. Soon, the mountains would catch fire, creating opportunities for some spectacular pictures. Even if he had to extend his stay a bit, he wasn’t going to miss the New England fall colors.
As he passed under the Whispering Pines sign, his cell signal returned full force, but his call to Chloe went straight to voicemail. He left a message telling her about his change of plans, where he was staying now, and that reaching him might be difficult and why.
Finding downtown was easy, and it was just as he imagined—a real small-town, USA vibe. He parked and got out, taking pictures here and there. The century-old courthouse. The mountains towering over the quaint Main Street stores. An old-fashioned red, white, and blue-striped barber pole. An elderly man sitting on a park bench feeding birds.
A bookstore caught his eye. And a coffee shop. Both were just what the doctor ordered.
