Page 53 of Spotlight on Poppy

"I met Abbie at the Lucky Saloon, so she knew what I did there. Although I had just started so I wasn't quite as good as I am now. I was starting to do some of the tricks and tandem rides like I do now. She knew and didn't have a problem with it. She knew I was doing it to earn bigger tips for the wedding she wanted. But then three months before the wedding I caught her cheating with one of her co-workers. She blamed me for it, saying that what I did was the same as cheating."

"What?" The seething rage inside of Poppy took over. It is a good thing Abbie did not live in Mystic Falls because Poppy definitely had a couple of things she needed to say to her. "She knew and was fine with it, and still used it against you."

Josh silently nodded, his face a little crestfallen.

"That's bullshit. You know that right?"

"I do know that," he said quietly.

"I would never do that. I don't see that as cheating even a little. It might make me a little jealous, but I would never do that."

“Do you want me to stop?” he asked.

She thought about it for a minute. On one hand, she didn’t like to think about his body pressed up against another person’s body like that, and all the sexually suggestive moves he did with them, but on the other hand she trusted him completely. That’s it, full stop. She trusted him. If he liked doing it and he made good money doing it, who was she to stop him? And really riding a mechanical bull to help people unwind and have a good time, albeit in a sexual way, wasn’t anything real. It was a fantasy, what existed between her and Josh was so much more.

He reached for her hand. She hadn't realize she was making a fist until he gently took her hand and slid his inside.

“I think that’s your decision. I am okay if you want to keep doing it though.” She squeezed his hand. “I mean that.”

“We got something pretty important happening here. I feel it." He lifted her hand to his mouth. "Do you feel it?" He pressed a small kiss to the back of her hand.

She nodded, "I do."

They took a moment, together, in the middle of town, in the middle of this diner to acknowledge what was happening between them. Poppy had never said I love you to anyone she wasn't related to. It had always been this big idea that she dreamed of but never experienced, but she was beginning to wonder if that was what she was feeling for Josh. That feeling would have implications on the direction of things, but if she was really supposed to follow her heart, Josh was where it was all leading.

She was enjoying experiencing the town this way. He was their Rory Gilmore, this perfect hometown hero who could do no wrong, and like the people of Stars Hollow would’ve done, they took care of him. They were his family, and she couldn't help but love them for it. And then there was the vision with her tarot cards, something was changing inside of her today, in a big way.

Josh's phone buzzed on the table. He picked it up and his eyes got big. "Hey, I gotta make a phone call. I'm gonna step outside really quick, is that okay?"

"Go, I'll be here finishing your fries," she said as she playfully took a fry off his plate.

He got up and quickly left the diner. Poppy watched as he paced outside the restaurant with a big smile on his face. Whatever it was, it was good news, and that made her happy.

He came in and sat down. "Okay, let's finish up here and then we have one more errand for the day."

"Are you going to tell me what it is?"

"Nope."

"I hate surprises," she pouted.

"No, you don't," he said as he booped her nose and went to pay the check.

He was right. She loved surprises. Patience was her only problem.

CHAPTER24

Poppy

They walked to the center of town, which was only a few blocks away. There really was something charming and quaint about Mystic Falls, especially this time of year with the nip in the air and the color in the trees. They stopped at the driveway of the old Whitney house. It belonged to a once prominent family, but no one had lived in it for years. After the owners passed away their children stopped coming home and this property had sat empty, which was a shame because the place had character.

It was an old colonial style home, big and stately. It was white with black shutters, just like Poppy remembered it. And while it had fallen into disrepair after sitting vacant for over a decade it was still something special. Poppy used to dream about living in this house when she was a little girl. This place always seemed so magical.

She remembered when the Whitney's were in their prime, they used to go all out for holidays. This house was amazing on Halloween, they even turned their basement into a haunted house kids would enter through a creepy cellar door. For Christmas it was full of lights and beautifully picturesque.

Josh took her hand as they walked up the drive and climbed the stairs to the door. The steps were a bit rickety, and the porch was in need of some TLC, but it still had this perfect mixture of charm and being regal. Josh picked up the big brass knocker and knocked.

"What are we doing here?" Poppy asked.

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