Page 10 of Make Me Swoon

“Yeah, I need to run to the store and grab some groceries. I’ve been living off of cereal and ramen for a while now and it’s getting old. I’ll do that and then I’ll head up to Honey Peak to meet you guys. It’s the Honey Bee Bar, right?”

“Yeah. Did you want to ride up there with Teller and me?” she offers, but I shake my head.

“No, I don’t want you guys to have to wait for me in case the store takes a while. I’ll be fine,” I say and she smiles.

“See you in a bit then.”

I wave and head out to my Jeep, starting it up and heading down Main Street. I roll my windows down so that I can hear the waves crashing on the shore and I smile. It’s peaceful here in Destiny Falls.

There are a few people out walking down the sidewalk and the kids just got out of school. I stop as a bus in front of me turns on its lights and a few kids come clamoring off, excited to be done with school for the day.

I get to downtown and try to find a place to park. The Mackinac Bridge looms large in the background and I study it, wondering when I’ll be driving back over it to continue on my journey of self-discovery.

I park a few doors down from the Destiny Falls Market and as I’m climbing out, I spot Iris. She’s out front of her antique shop, Blast From The Past Antiques, and I wave as I head over her way.

“Hey, how’s it going?” I ask and she smiles, setting down some big flowerpot vase-looking thing with a groan. The thing looks like it weighs more than her.

“Hey, not much. I just got back from the antique sale so I’m just trying to find some spots for the new purchases.”

“Need a hand?” I offer.

“No, this was the last of it. I sold a few things online so I need to package them up and mail them before the post office closes tonight.”

“Did you find some good stuff this morning?” I ask and she grins, pointing out a few things.

“And then I found this cool old kitchen sign that I think will sell fast,” she says as she finishes going over her new treasures.

“Sounds like a good haul,” I say and she nods.

“It was. I’m thinking I’ll go to the next one too.”

I nod, leaning against the front door.

“How have you been?” Iris asks me, her voice soft and I try to force a smile.

Iris is the one in the group that always seems to see everything. She’s quiet, so maybe she’s just paying attention more than the others. Either way, she can always seem to tell when something is wrong or when someone needs to talk.

“I’m good,” I lie.

“No, you’re not,” she says, her voice kind but I can tell that she’s growing frustrated with me telling everyone that I’m fine. “What’s going on, Lyla?”

“I’m just feeling a little lost,” I admit. “I’ve been trying to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life, but it’s harder than I thought it would be.”

“You’re not happy at the Mystery Cabin?” Iris asks, sounding surprised, and I shake my head.

“I actually love working there. The job is easy and I love Stan, Sutton, and Teller. It’s just… I’m twenty-five and work as a cashier at a tourist trap. Shouldn’t I want to do more with my life?”

“Like what? What do you want to do instead?”

“I don’t know. Maybe become a cat burglar or run the lighthouse?” I joke, nodding next door to the large white and blue lighthouse.

Iris laughs at that but I’m only half joking. The truth is that I have no idea, but shouldn’t I want to do more than work in a gift shop? Am I really helping society or anyone where I’m at?

“Then do that! You can do anything that you want. My parents wanted me to be a doctor or a lawyer or something. Something where the pay is good and the chance of me getting laid off was low and I understand why they want that. It’s an easier path than selling antiques. We lived paycheck to paycheck growing up and I know how stressful that is, but I would have been miserable in any of those fields.”

I can’t picture Iris as either. She’s too sweet to be a lawyer and I’ve seen how she handles blood. She would have made a crappy doctor.

“What do you like doing? What hobbies do you like?” she asks.

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