Page 12 of Stay for Forever

Chapter 5

Life’s a bitch and she just had puppies.

Ienter the library and come to a screeching halt at the vision in front of me. What’s happening here? Tonight is movie night – a monthly event I’m in charge of. I spend the better part of each month dodging people’s questions about what the movie of the month will be. It’s too much fun to throw the gossip gals off the scent.

This month’s movie is a classic – Casablanca – because there is no way in hell I’m watching a movie where the guy gets the girl in the end. Nope. Happy endings are complete bullshit.

But now is not the time to think about how ridiculous and completely inaccurate happy endings are, because right now I’ve got a problem. A problem as in everyone’s already here. I check my watch. As usual, I’m thirty minutes early. Normally, I arrive early to set up the chairs and get the movie cued up. Why is everyone else here ahead of schedule?

I scan the crowd and my gaze lands on Ashlyn sitting with her husband Rowan. She gives me two thumbs up. Great. My baby sister is doing what she does best – causing trouble.

Aspen arrives and tries to march past me, but I grab her arm to stop her. “What’s going on? Why is everyone early?”

Her eyes roam the room in a blatant attempt to avoid my gaze. “Early? What are you talking about?”

Wow. Someone sucks at lying. Before I have a chance to call her on her lies, her fiancé Lyric appears and pulls her away from me. I let him. Lyric might be my future brother-in-law, but he’s also the Chief of Police of Winter Falls. I’m not getting on his bad side. When your baby sister can find trouble in a convent – don’t ask – you learn to keep the police on your side.

“Ahem. May I have your attention?”

No way. I close my eyes and pray. Please tell me I’m hearing things. Please tell me it’s not Maverick standing in front of the town introducing the movie. Please. Please. Please.

“This month’s movie is a classic.”

My eyes fly open. Maybe I’m exaggerating things.

Mav’s gaze meets mine. “It’s a classic tale of a man falling in love with a woman except the woman isn’t any old woman. She’s a movie star.”

A movie star? Ilsa Lund, played by Ingrid Bergman, isn’t a movie star in Casablanca. What the hell is he up to?

“Many of you are probably familiar with this film.” He pauses for dramatic effect. “Notting Hill.”

Notting Hill is not this month’s movie selection. My jaw clenches, and I glare at Mav.

“Payback’s a bitch,” Aspen hollers.

“Not the same thing, big sis.”

And it’s not. Aspen and Lyric were on a date and finding their way back to each other when I chose Sweet Home Alabama as the monthly movie. I freely admit I was insinuating Aspen – like Melanie Smooter in the movie – was still in love with Lyric and should stay in her hometown when I chose the movie.

But this situation is completely different. Mav and I are not in the middle of some great love affair. He used me for booty calls in the past and that’s it. He’s not in love with me. Hell, we’re not even friends. At most, we’re employer and employee.

“Who thinks Juniper should give Maverick a chance?” Ashlyn shouts her question, and every single person in the room raises their hand.

“Who thinks Juniper should have a say in who she dates?” I shout back and search the crowd for my dad.

If no one else will stand up for me, Dad will. He may be a laid back hippie but no one – and I do mean no one – messes with his girls.

“Dad’s not here,” Aspen says as if she can read my mind. Since she knows exactly who I’m searching for, I guess she kind of can. She smirks before continuing. “He and Mom are having a night in. Hint. Hint. Nudge. Nudge.”

Ashlyn gags. “La. La. La. I can’t hear you.”

As much fun as it is to watch Ashlyn be uncomfortable – especially considering she’s the one usually causing the uncomfortableness – I am not interested in a discussion about my parents’ sex life. They have one. I don’t need to know more.

“Shall we roll the movie?” Mav asks the crowd, and I lose it.

“No! We aren’t rolling the movie. Notting Hill is not the movie I picked out for this month’s movie night. And since I’m in charge of movie night, we need to switch out the movies.”

“I already sent Casablanca back.”

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