Page 56 of Heidi Lucy Loses Her Mind

I blink, surprised. “Um. No,” I say, scooting closer to Heidi.

“See?” the woman says, turning to her companion. “He’s not going to murder me.”

“Ah,” the guy says, holding up one finger. “But that’s what any murderer would say.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Heidi says with a nod. “Sorry,” she adds to the woman with pink hair. “I know what it’s like to have an overprotective man hovering around. But that really is what a murderer would say.” She pauses, her gaze swinging to me, her eyes lighting up in a way that promises trouble. It’s a rare expression for Heidi, but one that I love—even though it bodes ill for me. “I think you should probably make him prove he’s a good citizen,” she goes on. “A show of good faith.”

“Mmm,” the woman says, and she nods, looking serious. “That’s a good idea.”

“Hey,” I say, giving Heidi a look of mingled protest and outrage. “What is this? What are you doing?”

“It’s important to make our customers feel safe, Soren,” she says. “So please answer the question we’re all wondering: Will you or will you not submit to a full-body search?”

I’m pretty sure my eyes bulge out of my head. “I absolutely willnot—”

But I fall silent as Heidi and the woman begin to laugh, while the man shoots me a look that’s half disgruntled, half commiserating—like he deals with this kind of thing every day.

I give him a faint smile, but my attention really is focused on Heidi—on that laugh. She doesn’t laugh very often, so I love to see it when it happens.

She and the pink-haired woman are still smiling when the woman holds out her hand. “I’m Juniper,” she says.

“Heidi,” Heidi says. “And you’ve been in touch with Soren, I guess?”

“Yes,” Juniper says with a nod. “We connected through a local writing site. This is Aiden,” she adds, gesturing to her companion. Her boyfriend, maybe? There’s definitelysomethingthere; he seems perpetually grumpy, but there’s no denying the way his eyes soften on Juniper. “He came along to make sure this wasn’t a predator situation or anything.”

“He’s not a predator,” Heidi says, smiling slightly. She glances at me, her smile fading into something a bit more uncertain. I frown, but the expression freezes on my face when she links her elbow through mine. “He’s just a man.”

Contact. She initiated contact. Our arms are touching.

It’s happening.

Juniper—an odd name that strangely suits the pink-haired woman—smiles as she looks at the two of us, her eyes lingering especially on where Heidi’s arm is linked through mine. “I see that now,” she says. Then she looks back up at me. “How long did it take you to grow your hair out that long?” she says. She steps away from her companion—Aiden—and begins to circle me, studying my hair.

“Uh,” I say, squirming under the scrutiny. “Quite a few years, I guess.”

She tilts her head, her expression calculating. Then she turns to Aiden.

“Don’t even ask,” he says before she can say anything. “It’s not happening. No offense,” he adds, glancing at me.

I shrug. “None taken.”

Juniper nods. “You guys seem like fun,” she says, smiling once more. “We should double sometime. Aiden and I have no couple friends.”

“I’m not sure we have any single friends, either,” Aiden says after a second, his brow furrowing. He reaches for her hand and intertwines their fingers. “Do we?”

Juniper sighs. “No, not really. We’re loners.” Then she turns to us. “What do you think? Want to hang out with us?”

I clear my throat, gesturing back and forth between Heidi and me. “Uh, I don’t know. We’re not actually—”

“Oh,” Juniper says. She claps her hand over her mouth. “You’re not together. I’m so sorry. I misread the situation.”

“It’s fine,” Heidi says, but her smile is slightly uncomfortable, and she pulls her arm out of mine. “Well, feel free to work anywhere you guys want,” she says, gesturing to the shop. “We’re not too busy at the moment, so you won’t be disturbing anyone.”

“Of course,” Juniper says brightly. “Thank you so much.” Then she tugs on Aiden’s arm. “Let’s go,” she says, pointing to the table where my stuff is already laid out.

I follow them, glancing back at Heidi. What was all that?

But she’s already disappearing into the bookshelves.

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