Page 3 of Kisses Sweeter than Wine

It reminded her of the first month she and her mother had fled Candlewood Falls, a place she’d promised her mother she’d never, under any circumstance, ever set foot in again, much less come back and spend a month.

She ripped off her big hat, tossing it to the ugly brown sofa in the middle of the family room. Pushing her oversized sunglasses, which were way too big for her face, to the top of her head, she rolled her suitcase around countless knickknacks and crap until she found the master bedroom.

If one could call it that.

Not that Talbot was used to the finer things. However, ever since her son, Corbin, had been born, she’d lived in a hotel, which came with some perks.

“Holy shit.” She stood at the edge of the saggy bed. “The things I do for you, Claudia,” she muttered. Of course, her boss had no idea Talbot was originally from Candlewood Falls. Or that her birth name had been something else.

That person died twenty-one years ago.

But being back in this small, sleepy town, the first seventeen years of her life came crashing down on her brain like a penny dropping from the top of the Empire State Building.

Living a lie had been the easy part. She’d been doing that her entire life. She’d covered for her father and his sins as a kid. However, falling in love with Merlot changed everything. He made her want to modify the direction of her life. She had no idea that meant she’d have to give him up.

Forever.

Her cell rang. She raced through the house, stumbling over an oddly placed piece of furniture. Whoever lived here before her had an odd sense of taste. “Hello?”

“Hey, Talbot. Are you in Candlewood Falls yet?” Claudia asked.

“Just arrived at the rental. By chance did the owner send you pictures? Because this place is where murders happen.”

Claudia laughed. “You’re always so dramatic. I’m sure it’s not that bad.”

“It looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in months. Is there someone I can call? I can clean it myself, but considering you paid for a month's lease, the owner should have at least run a damn vacuum.”

“I’ll text you Andy Johnson’s contact information. He’s who I sent the check to and I believe he’s the owner. I’m sure he’ll take care of it for you. If there’s a problem, let me know. I’m sure there’s a cleaning service we can use.”

“We shouldn’t have to pay for that.” Talbot searched the recesses of her brain for any recollection of Andy Johnson, but she couldn’t recall anyone from her past with that name. She honestly didn’t want to take the risk of having anyone in her rental who had a connection to her past.

“Andy seemed like a reasonable person and the rent for that place was cheap.”

“I can see why,” Talbot muttered.

“I’ll be there in three or four days. It’s all going to work out. Don’t stress,” Claudia said. “Did you drive past my aunt Georgette’s place?”

“Not yet. I’m going to head into town, get some groceries, and I’ll snap some pictures and send them your way.”

“Perfect. Thanks for doing this. I know you’re worried about money and what’s next. But we'll be all set once I fix this place up and sell it. Trust me.”

“I do with my life,” Talbot said. And that was a true statement. While Claudia had taken on a mothering role when Talbot’s mother had passed and Corbin had been a toddler, Claudia had become Talbot’s best friend. She didn’t know what she would have done if it hadn’t been for Claudia and her kindness. She’d been there for Talbot when she’d needed a friend and Claudia never left her side.

Talbot couldn’t leave Claudia now in her time of need.

Even if that meant being in Candlewood Falls.

“I just texted you Andy’s info,” Claudia said. “I gotta run.”

“I’ll see you when you get here.” Talbot tapped the text message and immediately called Andy. It went right to voicemail. She left a message, stating her displeasure and asking for a cleaning service. She set the phone back in her purse. She tucked her hair into a ponytail and placed the big hat on her head. Even though her hair had been much lighter when she moved away and had a little plastic surgery to fix a broken nose and hide some scars, she didn’t want to take any chances.

The drive into town didn’t take very long. She found a parking spot on Main Street not far from Green Bean.

Memories of her childhood bombarded her mind. Her first kiss with Merlot in the park. Watching her mother take an envelope of cash from Mr. River and board a bus to Chicago, never to see the love of her life again.

She’d tried to forget Merlot, but it was hard to when her son looked exactly like his father.

Same deep blue eyes and big smile. Corbin even developed his father’s sense of humor and the same mannerisms.

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