Page 11 of Lovewell Lane

Scarlet: !!! Call me ASAP! I need to know everything!

I put my phone away into the back pocket of my jeans. Despite it being late January, Georgia was warm enough to feel comfortable in a long-sleeved shirt and my favorite pair of Levi’s. My tote bag was heavy on my arm since it was packed to the brim with baked goods.

Since Derek helped me clean my new humble abode yesterday, I was able to go out this morning and buy all the necessities to bake treats that will win over the hearts of my fellow townspeople. Introducing myself to people by driving down random driveways seemed like a bad idea, so I decided to start with local businesses.

The Lakeside Inn seemed like the perfect place to start. Last night at dinner, the Westons said this was the first (and only) successful Dreamer operation. I looked up at the building from the sidewalk, and I couldn’t help but feel like I was in a romcom. The window boxes had flowers. I didn’t realize that plantingwindow boxes was a thing real people did. Ivy crept up the siding of the Inn, but in a purposeful way, rather than being unkempt.

This building was tucked away on a side street, and through the trees, I could see a giant lake in the distance behind it. Aptly named.

I walked inside to find a bell on the desk. A literal call bell. Adorable. Wondering if it was rude to use it, I decided to wait and looked around at the homely furniture. Wallpaper coated the room in a fun coastal pattern.

A stunning woman who looked very overwhelmed paced through the entryway before stopping to look at me. I was immediately drawn to her sad-looking hazel eyes. With light-colored hair and lashes framing her face and her dull-colored clothing, it was hard to look away from those eyes that shifted colors with the light.

“Oh, hello,” she blurted out.

“Hi,” I greeted with a smile. She looked stressed out and walked around her desk to peer at a book. “Oh, I’m not a guest,” I added.

She glanced back at me with a confused look. Like I was a puzzle and she couldn’t find the last piece. The people from this town had a certain suspicion around newcomers, I decided.

“I’m a new business owner here,” I clarified. I held up my bag and pulled out a wrapped package of pound cake. “I just wanted to introduce myself and get to know people around town.”

“Oh,” the woman breathed out. “It’s nice to meet you, you must be the new Dreamer.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Yeah, I guess so. My name is Margo.”

She returned my smile with a shy smile of her own. “Lila, it’s nice to meet you.”

I decided at that moment that I would befriend Lila. She reminded me of a deer who needed a little time and patience to warm up. Scarlet was like that when we were in school— maybeless deer-like and more of a feral cat— and I adored getting her to open up over time. She remained my best friend to this day for a reason.

I gently handed the pound cake over to Lila. “Can I pick your brain for a bit? I have so many questions about this town,” I said.

She laughed softly and nodded. “I’m technically a Dreamer too, but I’ve been here for over a year now. There was a lot to get used to,” she confided.

“Right?!” I whispered conspiratorially. “Like why are the road names straight out of a CandyLand board game?”

Lila straightened up at that question, but she kept her tone light. “Apparently, the founders of the town were madly in love, and Mr. Fields named all major buildings and streets after things that reminded him of his wife.”

My head tilted like an alert dog. “Woah, that’s actually really sweet.”

Lila nodded and then leaned in to add more quietly, “Some of the people here think there’s also a curse on the town since they separated.”

“The couple that created an entire town built upon their love— and named a street Lovewell Lane—separated?” Proof enough that marriage was not worth it.

She nodded sadly at that. “Honeyfield has one of the highest divorce rates in the state.” She paused and considered her words carefully. “People also think it’s why the town has suffered so much economically.”

“Wow,” I said, dumbfounded. “I never would have guessed. Do you know why they split?”

“They both had ideas for the town. Sam told me this part, so I don’t know how true it is, but supposedly Mrs. Fields wanted to keep the town small, while Mr. Fields had bigger ideas and wanted to expand the city as much as possible.”

“Huh, typical man, then.”

“Yes,” Lila’s dimples creased as she laughed. “Typical.”

“You know Sam Weston?” I asked. There could only be so many Sams in a town this small.

I watched as Lila averted her eyes and quickly busied her hands. There was definitely a story there.

“Not well,” Lila said bashfully. “He’s very outgoing, most people here know him.”

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