“So, either way, we’re fine?”
“We’re fine unless we decided to try a relationship again. In that case, we’d both need a lot of therapy and possibly frontal lobotomies.”
“I see.” He straightened and gave a nod. “If we kept this on a strictly professional basis, are you still willing to help with my article? I talked to my editor last night, and she gave me forty-eight hours to finish it. Some other article got bumped and they need me to fill the space.”
She just couldn’t get rid of him, could she? “I’ll do what I can, but I already took time off yesterday, so I really can’t take more. You saw all those boxes I had stacked up in here—I just barely got everything put away.” She was choosing to forget that she’d volunteered to take the time off, and she hoped he’d forget that little detail as well.
“I’m sorry for interrupting your work, and I won’t take more of your time than I have to. I’ll just ask you some questions, and then you can tell me where to go for my next answers.”
She smirked. “I can tell you where to go? Really? I don’t think that’s permission you want to give me, Jason. I’d use it all day long.”
“Yeah, I realized as soon as I said it that it wasn’t a good idea. But I’m taking a different approach to the story—I think you’ll be pleased.”
“What sort of different approach?”
“I’m going to focus on the positives of this community instead of trying to dredge up something negative.”
Addie couldn’t help it—she gawked at him. “Wait. So, the thing I’ve been saying over and over again since you first walked in here . . . you’re now going to listen to me? And you’re presenting it like it’s new information? What have we been talking about this whole time?”
“I know, I know. I just had it in my head that I needed to do an expose of some kind, maybe the dark secrets of the alternative health world or something, but I couldn’t find anyone with a negative story to tell me. Then Sammi at the diner got me thinking about sharing a positive experience, and . . .”
Addie shook her head. “And I thought I was messed up. It takes someone else for you to realize the truth of something I’ve been trying to say. You could have just listened to me and saved yourself a whole lotta time, you know.”
He nodded. “I should have listened to you about a lot of things.”
She wanted to follow that up with an immediate demand for an alphabetical list, but the door to the shop opened, and Brooke Quinn came in with a friend in tow.
“Hey, Addie,” Brooke said. “This is my friend Delia from Chicago. She wants to grab some stuff to take home to her kids before she flies out tomorrow.”
“You’ve come to the right place.” Addie showed them her new stock of Bigfoot stuffed animals, then left them to browse on their own.
She was grateful they’d come in—she needed a few minutes to remind herself that she wasn’t getting involved with Jason again. The effect he was having on her, though . . . Ex-boyfriends shouldn’t be allowed to be so attractive. A law should be instituted that once you broke up with someone, they should become very ugly to remind you not to go down that path again. It wasn’t fair that he looked better than he ever had before. And the chemistry he’d spoken about last night—yeah, that was a thing. A thing she needed to stomp on like a slug on the sidewalk.
She rang up Delia’s purchases, then waved as the two women left the shop. Then she turned back to Jason. “So, let me ask you this. Why have you been so determined to focus on the negative? Why did you want to write an expose on this sleepy little town? You realize there’s nothing to expose, right? Oh, wait—there was that one time when Hank over at the gas station mixed up the hoses on the soda fountains and Pepsi started coming out of the Coke dispenser and Coke started coming out of the Pepsi dispenser. Let me tell you, brother went to war against brother that day. The bloodshed, the mayhem—it wasn’t pretty.”
Jason reached out and touched the marabou feathers on the silly stork pens in a cup next to the register, not meeting her eyes. “I wanted to find some dirt on this place so you’d realize it wasn’t so great and you’d want to leave. I’m not proud of that fact, but I’m trying to be honest, and that’s the truth.”
“I appreciate that you’re trying to be honest, but I gotta tell you, the more we talk, the more frustrated I get.” Addie picked up her dust rag and moved on to the pewter fairy shelf. She and Heidi over at River’s End Ranch coordinated their stock so they wouldn’t overlap—the tourists who came to the area often visited both places—and the fairies were one way they stayed connected. Heidi carried one half of the product line, and Addie carried the other. It was a little bit of cross-promotion that worked for both of them. And thinking about pewter fairies was so much easier than thinking about Jason.
“Listen, Addie. We’ve both had moments we’re not proud of in this relationship, haven’t we? I want to apologize for my part in those moments. I want you to know that I regret them and I wish I could take them back.”
“You know what? It’s really not important.” Addie gave him a bright smile. “We’re not getting back together, so we don’t need to rehash everything that went wrong before. We just talked about this, right? Like, fifteen minutes ago? Let’s talk about your article instead. What do you have so far, and what do you still need?”
Jason looked at her as though she’d just slapped him, but then he swallowed and nodded. “I have quotes from several locals talking about how much they love this valley, and I have quotes from several tourists who come here regularly for the hot springs or the alternative health treatments—I think I heard someone call April Lynn Quinn a redneck witch doctor.”
Addie nodded. “She is. What else have you got?”
“The pictures that I took while we were up on the mountain. Quite a view from up there.”
“The very reason we went. Well, it sounds to me like you’ve got your story. You just need to flesh it out and get a few more quotes to build up your thesis.”
“I have my story? What do you mean?”
“The locals love the valley, and the valley heals people . . .” She waited for him to make the connection. “Come on, Jason! Love heals! And you’re here right before Valentine’s Day, so you can take pictures of the citywide Valentine’s decorations, and I know they just hung the banner for the dance across Main Street, so you’ve got to get a picture of that too.”
He blinked several times, and then a grin spread across his face. “That’s genius,” he replied. “You’re an absolute genius!”
“This is why I was interested in advertising,” she reminded him. “And you realize that as soon as your article comes out, I’m going to manufacture a whole line of ‘Love Heals’ merchandise and say, ‘As seen in the world’s most famous travel magazine.’”
“Not really the world’s most famous,” he objected, but she held up a hand.
“Advertising, remember? Gotta keep the spin going.”
“You’re fantastic, you know that? This is the best idea I’ve had in a long time . . . but I didn’t even have it. I was coming up totally dry.”
“Probably because you were looking at the situation with the cold, calculating eye of the media.”
“Probably so.” He folded his arms and leaned on the counter. “So, where should I go to get more evidence of this whole ‘love heals’ thing?”
“Are you kidding me? We’ve had more people falling in love around here than you can shake a stick at. Head on out there and look for people holding hands or staring into each other’s eyes—they aren’t hard to find.” Addie looked out the window. “Ciran and Roxane, for one—they’re walking across the street right now.”
“Okay, thanks.” He paused. “I really mean that, Addie. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Now hurry before they’re gone.”
She watched as Jason dashed across the street and caught up to Ciran and Roxane. He apparently introduced himself, they nodded, and then they all crossed the street ag
ain and entered the coffee shop. She felt a little like a stalker because she had to change windows in order to catch all that, but she also felt pretty good knowing that she’d come up with a concept he could use and that he was embracing it.
She’d much rather spread stories about love than stories about conflict or chaos any day.
***
Jason was gone for over an hour, and Addie had to admit, she kind of missed him. Then she chastised herself for missing him—she knew this wasn’t going anywhere, so she had no reason to care if he was gone for one hour or seventeen. When he came back, he had a big grin on his face.
“That was a great suggestion,” he said. “While I was sitting there talking with Ciran and Roxane, a few other people came in—Andrew and Rachel, and Alan and Lindy. They all shared their stories with me, and every one of them can be tied back to the theme of healing. I think I’ll be able to get the article mostly written tonight, and then I’ll edit it and take some pictures tomorrow. Bam! All done before my deadline, thanks to you.”
“You would have figured it out sooner or later,” she told him. “You were on the right track.”
“I don’t know. I’ve been on the wrong track quite a lot in my life.”
Was he going to try to bring this conversation back around to regrets and apologies and starting over? She thought she’d made it clear that she wasn’t doing that anymore.
A glance at the clock told her that it was almost quitting time. “Hey, if you want to be helpful, can you grab the broom from the back while I count out the till?”
“Sure.” He went in the direction she pointed, came back with the broom, and got to work. She busied herself with math—math always took her full attention, and it was proving a great legitimate distraction.
The door opened, and she checked the time. Five minutes until closing—she supposed she could let one more person in without throwing them out into the snow. Then she saw who it was, and she laughed.
“Jaclyn! Come in!” She stepped around the counter and wrapped the elderly woman in a hug. Simon, Jaclyn’s husband, came inside as well, and stood by the door smiling.
“It’s been a while since you’ve come to Quinn Valley. How have you been?” Addie asked.
“We’ve had our ups and downs. We lost poor Gingerbuns—he was old, and we should have expected it, but it was still difficult. However, Mrs. Floopsyfluffs is doing much better. It turns out, she was just depressed. A week of lounging on the couch with soap operas and some extra carrot tops did the trick.”
“Oh, I’m so glad.” Addie loved chatting with Jaclyn about her many rabbits—it made her feel like she was visiting Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood or some other place where kindness was the most important thing.
“We are too. In fact, that’s one of the two reasons why we’re here—we decided to bring her out to celebrate.” Jaclyn reached down into the front of her puffy coat and brought out the rabbit in question, who looked around placidly as though being toted around in the front of a coat was the most natural thing in the world for a rabbit to experience.
“Oh, did I squish her when I hugged you?” Addie asked.
“No, dear. Rabbits are very sproingy. It’s hard to squish them.”
“Sproingy?”
“You know. Springy, only with more sproing.”
“I see.” Addie reached out and scratched Mrs. Floopsyfluffs behind the ears. All Jaclyn’s rabbits were so soft.
“Now, as for the other reason why we’re here.” Jaclyn passed the rabbit over to Simon, who took it obediently. “It has to do with that one.” She pointed at Jason, who was sweeping the far corner of the store.
“That one?”
“Yes. I woke up this morning with a very distinct feeling that I needed to come talk to you. At first, I was hesitant because the roads have been just nasty lately, but the fairies were most insistent. You! You, sir! Please join us!”
Jason looked over, saw that he was being beckoned, and leaned the broom up against the wall. “Can I help you?” he asked as he walked over.
“Yes. I’ve driven several miles over some very icy roads to speak with you.”
He glanced at Addie. “All right. What about?”
“First of all, you should know that my name is Jaclyn.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Jaclyn. I’m Jason.”
Jaclyn looked at Simon impatiently. “You said that if I just introduced myself, that would be enough.”
Simon shrugged. “I suppose I was wrong, my dear.”
“I’m not nearly as famous as he thinks I am,” Jaclyn said, turning back to Addie and Jason. “The truth of the matter is, I’m here on quite a serious mission. You see, the fairies are agitated, and until that’s dealt with, I’ll have no peace whatsoever.”
“I’m sorry—did you say the fairies are agitated?” Jason repeated.
“That’s exactly what I said, and you’ve no reason to act like you’re hard of hearing when you’re obviously a strapping young lad of quite good health and sound mind.”
“All right,” he said slowly, glancing at Addie again, but she didn’t see the need to help him out. This was far too enjoyable.
“It has come to the fairies’ attention that you are in limbo. I had to question them about that because ‘limbo’ usually refers to the state of a soul between death and the final destination—heaven or hell. We just established that you’re in quite good health—and rather handsome, too—so it’s obvious that you’re not in actual limbo.”
“True,” Jason replied. Addie could tell that he was trying to comprehend what was happening, and she had to give him some props for that.
“The sort of limbo you’re in refers to a state of confusion about your life. You have many paths you could be taking, but you aren’t sure which ones you should be taking. And to that, the fairies have one suggestion.”
“And what’s that?” Jason asked.
Jaclyn took a step forward, looked him square in the eye, and barked, “Get over it!”
He flinched and leaned back. “Um, get over it?”
“Exactly. Whatever this issue is that’s keeping you from progressing, get over it. It’s unattractive and it’s a waste of time. Just think of all the time that’s been wasted already. You think it grows on trees? Let me tell you, it does not. None of us can create more time than what we’ve been allotted. All we can do is use each minute to its fullest, and you, young man, are a frightful time waster.”
“I . . . I suppose you’re right,” he said. “How do you recommend I change that?”
“Grow a spine!” She waved her hand in front of him like she was issuing a royal decree. “That’s the only way to go about it. Trust me, you’ll feel much better.”
“Are . . . are you related to Ambrosia, by any chance?”
She gave him a look of utter shock. “No. Why do you ask?”
“You just seem . . . I don’t know. You have some of the same mannerisms, maybe.”
“Let me tell you something.” Jaclyn leaned in close. “Ambrosia is off her rocker,” she whispered. “I’ve never met anyone so strange in all my life.” She straightened again. “But that’s neither here nor there. I have delivered my message, and now my bunny gets her celebratory dinner. We’re going over to the pub, if you’d like to join us once you’re done here.”
“I’m helping Jason with something, but thanks for the offer,” Addie said. “Thanks for stopping by.”
“You’re very welcome, my dear.” Jaclyn waved the tips of her fingers as she and Simon left the shop.
“Just who was that?” Jason asked, a bewildered expression on his face.
“She takes care of the RV park at River’s End Ranch,” Addie said. “You and your trailer should go visit sometime. She’d find you a very nice spot to camp.”
“I don’t know. She kind of scares me.”
Addie laughed. “She kind of scares everyone, but only because she’s right so very much of the time. Were you able to get the sweeping done?”
“Yes, I was. I’ll put the broom back.”
“And I’m almost done with the till.”
Addie finished her task, put the money in the safe in the office, and shut off all the lights. Then she locked the door and gave it an extra tug for good measure. She was a double lock checker—she couldn’t help herself.
“All right, what are our plans now?” she asked.
“I think I’ll head back to my trailer and write out a rough draft,” Jason replied. “Can I email it to you and get your thoughts? I made the mistake before of writing something that didn’t suit you—I don’t want to make that mistake again.”
“Oh, come on. You don’t have to run everything you write past me. Just things that are closed-minded and self-centered.”
“Ha ha. Please—will you read it?”
“Of course, but wait. Do they have the Internet out at the KOA?”
“I use my phone as a hotspot.”
“Oh. Good idea.” She paused on the sidewalk. “Do you want to walk me home? I’m literally one block away, but . . . I don’t know. It might be nice to have some company.” Why was she inviting him? What kind of weird torture was she inflicting on herself? She’d decided that after this article was finished, that was the end of it, but the words had just popped out of her mouth and she didn’t know how to take them back.
“Sure. It’s a nice night—I’m up for a walk.”
They crunched along on the snow, the night made brighter by the moon that was rising overhead. As they stepped off Main Street onto the side road, the streetlamps became farther between, allowing the moon to show off even more.
“Isn’t there any crime in Quinn Valley?” Jason asked.
“Of course. There’s crime everywhere. We even had fifteen thefts last year.”
“Wow. Fifteen whole thefts.” He shook his head. “I’m just asking because you’re telling me that you walk home every night after dark? By yourself? Do you know how dangerous that is?”
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