Page 53 of Making New Plans

When I didn’t answer, Sal continued to speak while stabbing the carpet with her cane. “I had a couple of the high school boys clear everything out. I didn’t want to step foot in here until everything was gone.”

I shot her a wary look. Sal never got personal. She’d always been the first to move on in any given situation. Something I remembered too well.

She faced me again, her silver eyebrows pulled tightly together. “I want you to do something with it. Anything. Bulldoze it, torch it, start over.”

A sardonic smile crossed my lips. “You do love your destruction, don’t you, Sal?”

Her gaze felt razor-sharp on me. “You have to rip weeds out by the roots, or they’ll continue to come back until they’re choking your garden.”

Had I been a weed to her? Had I only ever been a problem to my family? A burden? Was that why they hadn’t wanted me around?

They were old questions from my younger self. But I wasn’t much braver now than I was then.

“Fine, Sal. I’ll rent the bulldozer if you bring the flamethrower.”

A smile lifted her thin lips. “It’s a date. You free for lunch tomorrow? Monty’s? My treat.”

Taken aback, I blinked at her. The anger I still harbored against her told me to say no. To make her understand how it felt to be rejected by your own family. But the little boy inside of me won. “Okay, sure. If I can get away from the lodge, I’ll meet you at noon.”

Her whole face changed when she grinned. Nostalgia slammed into me like a ton of bricks. She waved her cane at me and left with a spring in her step.

I followed a few moments after her. I didn’t want to stay in that place a second longer than I had to. But I paused outside. I could go back to the lodge. Help Chloe. I’d left her a note saying I was at the old house with Sal. But thinking about going back in there, being around her after last night…

My feet carried me past the lodge. I pulled out my phone and sent her a short text, saying I was taking Arwen for a quick walk. She responded with a “sounds good” and a smiley face.

I stopped for a second when I remembered the tennis balls that she’d left for Arwen were in my room. But I didn’t want to risk running into Chloe, so I walked on.

After picking up Arwen at Furry Family, we started our usual circle of the town. She kept her pace even with mine, looking up at me from time to time with her sweet puppy eyes and a toothy smile. She wriggled deeper into my heart each time we did this. Just like with Chloe and Sal, I couldn’t seem to help getting involved.

Not wanting to dwell on what that might mean, I walked faster and almost bumped into someone coming out of a shop.

“Oh, excuse me,” I muttered, stepping back quickly.

“Mr. Erickson, I was hoping to run into you.”

My eyes narrowed when I focused on the woman in front of me. Chloe’s mother.

Small. Damn. Towns.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Higgins,” I said through gritted teeth. Small talk with someone I detested was like volunteering for blood donations.

She straightened her ridiculous feathered hat, her sharp eyes belying her smile. “Good afternoon. As I was saying, I had hoped to run into you because I would like to extend an invitation.”

Was it too late to pretend that I didn’t know who she was and walk away?

When I didn’t respond, she continued. “My husband, the mayor, and I would like to invite you to dinner at our house tomorrow evening.”

Should I fake-cough or pretend to get a phone call?

She plowed on, her stiff smile reminding me more and more of the Joker. “I know it’s terribly last minute and rather unorthodox being a Thursday night, but my husband and I are out of town this weekend. And, well, we didn’t want to put off dinner with the newest Tangled River business owner.” She paused to let out a delicate laugh. “Soon-to-be business owner, anyway.”

Big fan of subtlety, was she? Chloe must’ve been adopted for all the warmth this woman gave off.

“I’ll have to check in with Chloe. We’ve been pretty busy with the lodge lately, so I might not be able to make it.”

Mrs. Higgins fussed with her violet leather gloves and adjusted her shopping bag to her other arm. “Oh, no need. She’ll be at dinner as well. After all, having you there might be the only way I can count on my daughter to show up.” Her teeth flashed in a predatory smile. “See you at six tomorrow evening, Mr. Erickson.”

Then she tapped down the sidewalk in her short heels, looking like the perfect mayor’s wife in her spotless purple coat and painted smile, waving to her townspeople and chatting with neighbors. But I knew better. There be dragons in this town. And not the fun, fire-breathing kind. But the kind that could roast and eat their prey with no one the wiser.

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