Page 27 of Feverburn

“So petty, but filled with righteous anger,”she added, closing the laptop while walking closer.

“You see, Kaylee was my favorite customer at a shop I worked at in Boston. One day, I got a littlefriskywith my then-boyfriend in the bathroom. It wasn’t mybestmoment, so please don’t judge me. It was a dare. Anyway, Kaylee barged in on us.”I paused as they all gasped, adding,“And it turns out he was her boyfriend, too!”

They all gasped again.

Poe clapped a hand to her chest in horror while she whispered,“Manwhore34.”

“Exactly, it rhymes, and that’s his age, too,”I said.

“I’m so sorry,”Andrea said with puppy dog eyes.

It was Kaylee’s turn to chime in.“When I found them, I ran out of the coffee shop like a bat out ofhelland drove to get my mind off things. I ended up stuck in Pine Bluff after I crashed my car. A handsome forest ranger found me and sheltered me during ahorribleblizzard.”A wistful smile spread across her beautiful face.“And it turns out he’s theloveof my life, so I moved here to be with him. And asked Rosie if she’d join me in a business venture rooted in a scorned sisterhood.”

I smiled at Kaylee in the full-circle moment.

Azalea added,“It was so adorable. I saw them together at the market right after he rescued her. The way he looked at her…”

“Stop! That’s so cute!”Dani swooned, clasping her hands together under her chin.

Poe lightly snorted in amusement.“Now you’re out forblood? You bonded over hating the jerk who cheated on you guys and became friends instead of enemies?”

“Why not!”Kaylee and I said in unison, making everyone laugh.

I shrugged, “Why stop at getting even? Might as well get paid, too.”

“Explain the shop name!”Azalea waved excitedly, already knowing the answer.

Kaylee continued,“There’s a song by Fleetwood Mac called‘Silver Springs.’I’m sure y’all have heard it. It’s about a scorned woman and how she wanted tolovea man, but he wouldn’t let her. We all know Stevie Nicks is the queen of witchy folks, and you can’t convince me the bridge to that song isn’t a binding spell. It gives me absolute chills!”

She looked at me for validation. I bobbed my head in enthusiastic agreement and added,“Plus, Silver Springs is an actual place in Maryland that inspired Stevie to write the song. Kaylee wouldn’t be on this side of the country if her dad hadn’t wrecked his motorcycle in Maryland. It’s this whole twisty turn of fate.”

“Ilovethat,”Poe said, running her finger under her necklace.

“So now thischeatingasshat is the butt of all our jokes?”Dani asked.

Kaylee held back a chuckle.“Yeah, pretty much. You should check back by the restrooms. There’s a nod to the incident. We decided to put his picture on the wall for a Shrine of Shame, where people can put up pictures of the men who cheated on them, so everyone knows what a piece of shit looks like. And we have paper strips and a bowl so people can write their grievances and ill will towards the men who hurt them. We will burn all of them on the dark moon in a cleansing ritual. Anyone can come.”

“Oh, and we’ll have Scornful Saturdays,” I said. “An open mic night where people can share the horrors of dating and get validation from the audience.”

Poe fished out her phone, “I fuckinglovethis place! I have to post about this so people come visit!”

Chapter Thirteen

The next couple of days were a blur of training and the finishing touches. On the morning we opened in early May, townies supported us by flooding the place, including the Kouris crew. The first person to enter through the door was Harley, then Carson. Their sister Frankie trailed in after them, holding Meg’s hand. Frankie was in scrubs, Meg in her ranger uniform. Both had curly hair in intricate French braids. Meg’s round glasses made her doe eyes bigger as she read our menu. At the end of the pack, Markos walked behind Maxine, his hands resting on her shoulders as he towered behind her. He smiled at me the moment I saw him.

Maxine spotted Kaylee and flung her arms out dramatically for a hug, exclaiming,“We’re here for coffee, my dear!”

A voice filled up my left side.“Quite the gene pool, eh?” I jumped, realizing an elderly lady was at the end of my counter, nearest the fridge. She was tiny, endearingly frail, with sapphire blue eyes. Her pink lipstick-stained lips were thin but curved in an impish smile.

I let out a nervous laugh.“Ah, yeah, tall.”

“The bone structure on those kids is unreal.”She squinted, smiling at them, then back at me.“Are you Rosie, dear?”

I held out my hand.“Yes, ma’am, I am.”

She took my hand, hers cold and knotted with age.“I’m Viviane. I own the bookstore.”

“Oh! I have been meaning to visit you! Viviane? Like the Lady of the Lake in Arthurianlegend?”I asked, like a complete nerd. I figured she'd know what I referenced if she was a bookworm.

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