Page 13 of Midlife Witch Unexpected

“Sounds charming.” I signed the paper and handed it back to her. “You have the keys to my jeep?”

“There’s a happy hour at the Waldorf,” Bianca said. “A few of us meet up there for drinks on Thursday evenings.”

I looked at her blankly.

“That’s tonight,” she clarified.

I still wasn’t connecting the dots.

“In case you want to join us.” She spelled it out for me.

“Oh,” I said. It was a surprisingly pleasant feeling to be invited somewhere. “I was going to spend the afternoon inventorying the house and figuring out what to do with it.”

“It doesn’t all have to be figured out today, does it?” Bianca asked pragmatically.

“Well, no,” I conceded. “But one of the renters came by this morning, which was quite shocking. She didn’t knock or anything. She was going to make breakfast, so I’ve got to figure out if there’s stuff in the house that belongs to them. I want to make sure they have it. Also, I’m going to change the locks and keep people out.”

Bianca started laughing. It was surprisingly warm and light. “I think you’ll be the only person in Cougar Creek locking their doors at night.”

“It can’t seriously be that quaint,” I said. “This is 2021. It’s like people do lock their doors. I mean I get you guys all know each other and you’re all friends and family and probably-”

I shut my mouth and engaged my brain before I said they probably all knew each other in high school when they all got married. There was no need to sound rude. I didn't want to be rude. The thought of making a friend was interesting since I hadn't made a new friend since Sabrina had started kindergarten. "Well, you probably have all known each other your whole lives."

“Mmhmm,” Bianca looked at me as if unsure if I was going to insult the town or not.

"But you get visitors to the hot springs." I pointed out. "This town is thriving because of the number of visitors you guys get, but you can't trust them all."

"No, but we've got a strong sheriff."

"Ted," I said, shaking my head. "He's about as scary as a puppy dog."

“Yeah, but he didn’t let you get away with anything last night,” Bianca said with a smirk.

“I’m sure I’m not the only armed female in town,” I said. “I’m probably just the only one dumb enough to pull it on a cop.”

“So come on down to the Waldorf tonight. It’s next to the Old Mill by Gargoyle Park,” Bianca said. “I’ll let you know which locals to watch out for.”

“Those can’t be real names,” I said.

“They are. The Old Mill is surprisingly an old mill. It even still grinds flour; organic flour sold in very expensive boutique shops throughout North America.”

“Seriously?” I asked. How did people in these small towns become national successes?

“Yeah, the owner is a gazillionaire,” Bianca said.

“Of course he is.” I shrugged off my sense of failure. Where was I when everyone was being clever?

“Come on,” Bianca said. “I’ve got to get back to work. Meet me for a drink later. It’ll be fun. I’ll tell you all about the town.”

I chewed on my lower lip for a second, but it's not like I had anything better to do. I mean seriously. I literally had zero else to do. Maybe I'd sit in front of the fire and hope for a phone call from my daughter to her lonely old single mother? I could play another game on my phone? Watch another episode of Netflix…find something else to binge on? The list of shit I found to do to entertain myself in my singleness was ridiculous. No, going on a friend's date with Bianca seemed like a much better option.

“All right,” I said with a smile. “Let’s do it.”

I scribbled my number on the form and turned it to her. “Just text me where and when and I’ll be there.”

I grabbed my phone, searched up the locksmith, and found, of course, there were none in Cougar Creek.

Chapter 8

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