Page 40 of The Fine Art of Faking It
Eden dodged the employee offering samples of beet juice smoothie just inside the door. But she did make a pit stop to taste a gluten-free, vegan oatmeal raisin cookie. It tasted a little like cardboard, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. She pushed her cart into the produce section and grabbed her usuals for weekly lunches. She stocked up on organic, cage-free chicken breasts and her secret obsession: chili lime popcorn. She’d have a bag of it in front of the fire tonight and put her feet up, Eden decided.
She made it into the dog food aisle without being stopped for more than a quick hello or seventeen. In Blue Moon, even strangers weren’t strangers. One trip around the grocery store and a visitor could meet half of the town if they weren’t careful.
Eden’s cart came to an abrupt stop. Mrs. Nordemann, dressed in the head-to-toe black of a widow committed to mourning the decades-old death of her husband, hovered near the aisle entrance. She rivaled Bruce Oakleigh and Minnie Murkle for Blue Moon’s biggest gossip. There was a lot of competition for that title.
“Eden!” Her lined face broke into a calculating smile. “How lovely to see you in town. We’ve all been wondering when we’d see you. I thought perhaps that handsome Davis Gates was holding you prisoner in that beautiful inn of yours.” Her wink was anything but subtle.
Eden’s forced smile hurt her jaw. “No captivity,” she said lightly and turned her attention to the bags of dry dog food. Vader and Chewy ate like small horses.
“Well, I think it’s wonderful about you two,” Mrs. Nordemann said conspiratorially. She plucked a six-pack of canned cat food off the shelf. Eden had been to Mrs. Nordemann’s house every month for the last few years for Book Club and had never once seen a cat.
“What about us?” Eden asked, not liking one bit how for the first time “us” included Davis Gates.
“Abandoning your families’ feud and embracing each other… as neighbors of course,” Mrs. Nordemann added quickly with another wink.
“As neighbors,” Eden echoed.
People were acting like they’d just signed a peace treaty. She hadn’t realized how their little fifty-year fight had affected the rest of Blue Moon.
“And you were the one to take the first step. Why I wouldn’t be surprised if that alone netted you the Business of the Year award.”
Yes, the Business of the Year award was a small acrylic plaque with block lettering congratulating the recipient on vague “service to the community.” Everyone knew that Eden wanted one more than a vacation to the Virgin Islands. Earning that award would symbolize finally putting the past behind her. It meant that her hometown recognized that she was a responsible, upstanding adult who ran a successful business that brought tourism dollars to the community. It meant that everyone would finally have something good to say about her rather than reminiscing about why Blue Moon’s landscaping service had to change their organic lawn fertilizer formula.
People still felt it necessary to remind her that the new, nonflammable formula wasn’t as good as the old.
“Eden, hi!” Emma Vulkov, one of Franklin Merrill’s red-headed daughters, waved to her from the mouth of the aisle. One of Franklin Merrill’s red-headedpregnantdaughters, Eden remembered. Lips zipped, she waved her greeting.
“Hello there, Emmaline.” Mrs. Nordemann wiggled her fingers in greeting.
“Are we still on for Book Club, Mrs. Nordemann?” Emma asked.
“Of course, my dear.The Pilot and the Puck-Upby Pippa Grant. Have you started it yet?”
“Not yet, but I have it downloaded,” Emma assured her grabbing a femur-sized bone off the shelf. Emma’s teenage puppy Baxter had a bit of a chewing problem. Fortunately, he was also devastatingly handsome, so it was hard for his parents to stay mad at him.
“Well, I’ll leave you ladies to your shopping,” Mrs. Nordemann announced. “I’ve got to skedaddle!”
“Bye, Mrs. Nordemann,” Eden called after her. She sighed with relief when the woman ducked around the corner. “How are… things?” she asked Emma, not sure if asking about the woman’s pregnancy would immediately alert her to the secret Eden knew about her sister.
Emma brushed her short red hair back from her face. “Things are good. Niko’s painting the nursery and kicked me out because I was critiquing his trim work,” she said cheerfully.
Emma had surprised Niko on Halloween with the news that the reformed ladies’ man was going to be a daddy. The entire family was still celebrating, most likely the reason her sister Eva wanted to keep her own baby news under wraps for a little longer.
“How are you doing?” Emma asked.
Eden didn’t hear the hint she would from most Mooners in the question. The subtle emphasis on “you” with a tilting of the head encouraging her to spill everything. Blue Moon residents were ruthless. Emma was still relatively new to town. She hadn’t been there two full years yet, so there was still plenty of “normal” on her. They’d make sure it rubbed off eventually.
“I’m fine. Good. The inn is busy,” Eden said.
“I heard you’ve got an unexpected guest,” Emma said innocently.
Dang it. Emma was sneakier than she’d expected.
“Yeah, there was a fire at the winery, and Davis needed a place to stay for a few days. It’s just temporary,” she added quickly. “Sounds like it was a stink-bombing gone wrong.”
“Only in Blue Moon, right?” Emma laughed and rolled her eyes.
“It’s a shame that a prank can do so much damage,” Eden said, thinking about the damage to her life having Davis under her roof was inflicting.
