Page 150 of Craving Consequences

She’s already grabbing two of the boxes off the top before I can even answer. My gaze catches on the thick, silver ring on her middle finger with the chunky turquoise stone in the center.

“That’s beautiful,” I tell her as we head out onto the sidewalk and start in the direction of my car.

Daisy tilts her head to peek at her hand.

“Thank you. It was my mom’s.”

Daisy only moved to Jefferson two months before. She’s kept mainly to herself so far, but I know she applied for a lease on a small store front to sell jewelry. Handmade pieces.

I eye the cluster of stones and wires dangling from her ears and the matching tangle looping her throat.

“Did you make those?”

Daisy glances at me and smiles warmly. “I did. I have a few like it I’m going to showcase in my store ... if I get the approval.”

I don’t have the heart to tell her she probably won’t. She’s too‘new age hippie’for Jefferson, but I also hope she does. Her pieces are stunning and, while I can’t pull them off, she deserves a chance.

“You know, you should look into booking a booth at this year’s autumn festival,” I hint, keeping my tone casual. “It might be a good way to get the town to see what you can do.”

And maybe get enough excitement generated to convince the council to approve her request.

“Autumn festival, huh?” she muses.

“Yeah, it’s held over at Thistle Row. There’s rides and a corn maze. Kids dress up and get candy. It’s a lot of fun.”

“So, like a Halloween thing?”

I grimace. “Jefferson doesn’t do Halloween. It’s just a festival.”

A thick, dark eyebrow lifts over glittering green pools. “A festival where kids dress up in costumes and get candy.”

Realizing the silliness of it, I chuckle. “Yeah, basically.”

She snorts her own laugh. “Well, that is an interesting concept. Does the whole town go?”

I nod. “Most of the events we throw get a lot of participation.”

We take several steps without conversation as she seems to take this in. We arrive at my car and she continues in our silence as I pop the trunk and gingerly set the boxes along the bottom.

“Can I ask you a question?”

Slamming the trunk shut, I dust my hands and face her. “Of course.”

“You were born in Jefferson, right?”

I nod and wait.

“And your parents?”

Again, I nod. “My family has been part of the town for generations. Not since the beginning, but pretty close. Why?”

She seems to mull something over before asking, “If I were looking for old stories and newspaper articles, where would I go?”

I blow out a breath and rack my brain. “Maybe the library? But you can try the archives at city hall. You’d need clearance, but what kind of stories?”

A smooth, bare shoulder shrugs beneath the knitted tank top. “Just want to get to know the town history better, that’s all.”

The corner of my mouth twists up and I grin at her. “You know, you could always join the Women’s Tea Garden. They have gossip on everyone.”

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