Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 99921 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99921 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
“Yep.”
One word. One damn syllable. Yet I heard the amusement. That did it. The entirety of the day came to a boil. And the top was about to pop off this pot as I marched toward my jerk of a neighbor.
I stood toe to toe with him and jabbed my pointer into his chest. “You think this is funny? Do you?” It pissed me off that in the middle of my rage, I noticed how hard said chest was underneath my finger. The damn thing felt like a brick wall. But no…just no. I forced myself to ignore it and continue. “I drove fifteen hours in traffic, with my cell phone buzzing like an insistent mosquito at my ear, got a flat tire, the air conditioning in my rental broke, I hit your stupid mailbox, and then the key breaks off in the door. I had to slither over to the grumpy neighbor to borrow a ladder just so I can get in. And when I finally make it inside, the house is a shambles and clearly has been occupied by someone with a hoarding issue. And as if all of that’s not enough, not enough of a shitty day to kill a person’s spirit, then you enjoying this moment has pushed me over the edge.” I pulled my finger from the human oak tree and jabbed it back in with each staccato word.
“I.”
Jab.
“Am.”
Jab.
“Done.”
Jab.
“You.”
Jab.
“Suck.”
At least I’d managed to wipe the smirk from the guy’s face. Though he didn’t say a word. He just stood there staring at me. After a solid minute, he finally spoke.
“You staying here tonight?”
My eyes widened. “Of course I’m staying here!” I screamed like a lunatic. “Where the hell else would I go?”
He looked at me for a few heartbeats, then turned and walked out. I thought that was the end of things until I heard a car door opening. Ten seconds later, Paul Bunyan appeared in my doorway again with my suitcases.
I was rendered as speechless as when I’d walked into the house. The man set the bags down in the kitchen and disappeared again. A minute later he returned, this time with the blow-up bed I’d packed and a box. He added those to my suitcase pile and disappeared yet again. After two more trips, he caught my eyes and gave a curt nod. “You have a good night.”
Then he was gone, door pulled shut behind him and all.
I shook my head as I looked around the house. What the heck had happened in the last fifteen minutes?
CHAPTER 2
* * *
America’s Friendliest Town
Josie
“Hi. Do you deliver?”
The gray-haired man wearing a Sam nametag smiled. “Sure do. Where’s it going?”
“About a mile away, on Rosewood Lane.”
“Not a problem at all. I might be able to get you on the schedule for this afternoon, if you want.”
“Oh, that would be great. Thank you so much.”
“Do you know what you want delivered?”
“I have a list, mostly sheetrock and hardware and whatnot, but I thought I’d take a walk around to see if there’s anything I might’ve forgotten.”
He nodded. “You take your time. My name is Sam. I go on break in about a half hour, but I’ll look for you before I go to see if we can’t get you taken care of.”
Now this was the kind of hospitality I’d expected when I arrived in Laurel Lake, not the reception I’d received from the grumpy guy next door. At least I hadn’t seen him for the last two days. I’d gone over yesterday to tell him I’d ordered his replacement mailbox, but no one was home. In the daylight, I was able to check out his house. Flowerboxes, pretty curtains, a wreath on the front door—it made me wonder if there was a Mrs. Bunyan. I couldn’t imagine him decorating so nicely.
As I made my way up and down the aisles of the home-improvement store, my cell buzzed in my pocket. Digging it out, I tensed, expecting to see Noah’s name on the screen yet again. To my delight, it was Nilda—the woman I wished was my mom. My shoulders relaxed as I swiped to answer.
“Hey, Nilda!”
“Hello, sweetheart. How are you?”
“I’m good.”
“How’s living in America’s Friendliest Town?”
“Well, it’s been interesting so far. The lake is gorgeous, so serene and peaceful. There are only houses on my side. The other side is protected state land, so when you stand out back, it looks like you’re in the wilderness. All you see is a giant lake and big, old trees.”
“That sounds like heaven.”
“It is. The outside anyway. The inside…not so much. Dad’s house was apparently occupied by a hoarder, and the place is pretty much falling apart. I spent yesterday filling a dumpster and still haven’t gotten rid of all the newspapers and VHS tapes.”
“Oh no. Are you staying somewhere else?”