Page 38 of Cursed Fox

"Nancy, dear." Tim Sr. pulled me back from memory lane as he slowly walked straight over to me and pulled me in for a hug.

I had forgotten how big this town was on hugging people. "Good to see you, Senior." As kids, Tim hated to be called sir, so he insisted we all called him Senior.

"Bee told me you were back in town, but what brings you around to my place? Lookin' for a drink, perhaps?"

I smiled at the old man. "Not today. I was actually hoping I could pick your brain some."

"Well, it ain't what it used to be, but I'll do my best."

"I need to know where Thomas is these days. Shirley mentioned that you keep records of everyone in town."

I wondered if that meant he’d known about me moving to Divot? I pushed the thought away. It didn't matter at the moment.

"I sure do. And are you talking about that ex of yours?"

I bobbed my head. "The same one."

"Well now, it's been a while, but last I heard he was in Oklahoma. Same as your boy."

I tensed at the mention of Jimmy. "You're sure?"

"Again, it's been a few years since I asked around, but yeah, I'm sure that's what was said."

"Who said?"

Sr. gave me a soft smile. "Now, I can't tell you that. A man can't reveal his sources."

If there was one thing I remembered well about Tim, the old man was a vault. He kept secrets better than anyone else in town. A surprise really, considering gossip ran rampant in a place like this.

"Well, if you could ask those sources and find out for sure, I would really appreciate it."

"Anything for you, dear. Can I ask why you’re lookin' for him?"

"No particular reason." Sr. wasn't the only one who could keep a secret if needed. And when it came to my son, I could do just about anything I put my mind to.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Lex

We walked out of the service station and headed back toward Wickedly Delicious.

"Do you think he’ll find out where Thomas is?" I asked once we were out of earshot of the place.

"If anyone can, it's Senior. He's the male version of Bee. I swear those two were cut from the same cloth when it comes to finding out information."

"I don't think there's anyone in this town who doesn't gossip," I mumbled under my breath.

Nancy laughed. "It's always been that way. It was one of the reasons I had to leave after Thomas cheated on me. The last thing I wanted to be was the topic of the gossip chain."

I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her into my side. "You don't have to worry about that with me." I would make sure she never had to deal with any negative gossip again.

A minute later, we walked into Wickedly Delicious and Nancy stopped dead.

"Wow," was all she said, and I tried looking at the shop from a newcomer's point of view. Most bakeries were soft and inviting colors, but Maisie's place was nothing like that. The woman lived for Halloween, and, based on the décor, it was evident she carried that love into her shop.

Black and dark purples were the main colors. Even the cookies leaned toward a horror movie as they were knife cutouts.

"I'm in love with this place already," Nancy whispered. "And I haven't even met the owner."

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