Page 86 of The Lies I've Told
“What? Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry.”
I gave a quick wave of my hand. “It’s fine. I had it coming. Besides, new opportunities are bound to happen, right?”
She eagerly nodded her head. “Do you have any leads?”
“Well, no,” I answered. “But I haven’t exactly started looking yet. I’ve been taking a bit of personal time.”
“You mean, Aiden time?” She grinned. “I saw the way you two were staring at each other at lunch that day, and Molly has filled me in with all the details since. Sounds like it’s going well?”
“Well, if Molly’s filled you in, I’m not sure you’ve gotten all the facts right.”
Her eyes were on Lizzie as she rode in circles ahead of us on her scooter. “She did express some concern, but honestly, she is mostly just glad to have you back home.”
I breathed in the fresh summer air. “It is good to be back. Even if I am sweating like a pig.”
“Yeah, I could definitely use some ice cream.”
“Me, too. Let’s pick up the pace,” I said.
We did and caught up to Lizzie, who had been doing figure eights and circles for some time. Although it practically killed me in this heat, the two of us ran after her, keeping pace with her scooter the rest of the way into town. I’d been keeping in shape since arriving in town but mostly in the morning when the sun had yet to rise and the temperature was at its lowest.
This was insane.
But the light at the end of the tunnel was the ice cream.
I ordered a triple scoop, having no shame in my giant cone as I devoured that sucker before it had even the slightest chance to melt.
“What kind did you get?” Lizzie asked, enjoying her double-chocolate cone with sprinkles.
“Cookie dough, strawberry, and caramel fudge,” I answered.
“That’s a lot of flavors,” she said as she licked her cone in perfect straight lines. She was kind of a strange kid.
I merely shrugged. “I couldn’t decide. How come you went with boring chocolate?”
“Because it’s the best.”
“That’s all?” I asked. “I was really hoping for some complicated answer with a hundred different facts.”
“Sometimes, the simplest answers are the best,” she said plainly.
We sat in silence, all three of us enjoying our treats in the shade. It had been a while since I was this far down on the main road in Ocracoke. Not much had changed, mind you, but I still took my time admiring my hometown. There were a few touristy shops clustered together nearby, and I found myself looking across the street to a sign in one of the windows.
“Hey, is Rita’s shop closing down?” I asked Cora.
“Yeah,” she answered with a touch of sadness. “At the end of the season. She’s retiring to Florida.”
“Man, I used to love that store. Do you mind if I pop in for a minute?”
“Not at all. We’ll wait for you.”
“Great, thanks.”
I was already halfway across the street by the time she’d answered, my cone devoured long ago. Beachcombers was a typical store for tourists, but Rita, the store’s owner, always carried a small line of clothing that I loved. It was the one place I could go on the island and pick up something to wear that didn’t have Ocracoke or the Outer Banks plastered all over it. It was still considered beachwear—it had to be to make a profit here—but it was trendy and cute.
Stepping into the little shop felt like a trip back in time. Very little had changed since my high school days. The inventory had updated here and there to keep with the times, but by and large, it was like walking into a time warp, especially when Rita herself appeared from the backroom. Dressed just as eclectic as ever in a bright polka-dot top and pink pants, the plus-sized beauty hadn’t aged a day.
“I heard you were back home!” she said, her voice high-pitched and full of excitement as she opened her arms, demanding a hug I was happy to give. “It’s been too long, Millie McIntyre! Why haven’t you come to visit me?”
