I hummed as I looked at myself in the mirror. I’d chopped off more than eight inches of raven-black curls two weeks ago, and it was still strange seeing myself without it. I’d had long hair my whole life.

I knew what my mother, Blair, would say. I was manifesting my choice to live as a responsible adult by cutting off the hair I saw as a symbol of my childhood.

She’d planned to go into psychology before she’d met my dad, and while she’d never pursued it after they’d begun their whirlwind romance, she’d always loved to use what she remembered from her high school courses to make those sorts of pronouncements.

I’d gotten my hair and dusky complexion from her, and my dark eyes from my father. Both were smart, impulsive, and all about living life to the fullest. They’d been good parents, if unconventional. I knew that neither of them understood why I’d chosen to not completely embrace their way of doing things, but at least they accepted that it was my life and my choice to make.

I fastened my favorite necklace and straightened the wooden pendant. It was an infinity symbol carved into a round piece of ash, hung from a hemp choker. My parents had brought it back for me from a trip they’d taken when I was thirteen. I couldn’t remember exactly where they’d gone, but it’d been one of the times I’d stayed home. Well, wherever home happened to be at the time. I was pretty sure it had been a yurt in South America somewhere at that time. I remembered them leaving me with some twenty-something girl they’d both been seeing. She’d been around a few months, and we’d called her Rain – original, right? – but I doubted that was her actual name. Most of the twenty-somethings they picked up to join them went by things like Rainbow and Butterfly or Khaki and Apache.

“Don’t dwell on the troubles of the past,” I said to my reflection. “Focus on a positive future.”

I wasn’t saying it because I had some awful past I was trying to get over, but rather because everyone had some sort of baggage in their past that they could keep thinking about until it kept them from moving forward. A bad test, a missed appointment, a lost job, a broken relationship. I found that reminding myself to keep focused on the present and the future helped me reach the goals I set for myself.

My apartment was directly above my store, which meant I didn’t have far to go to begin my work day. I carried my container of homemade trail mix and a glass of water downstairs and set it next to my laptop. I liked to think I was a good balance between being a complete Luddite and being entirely dependent on technology.

I did my usual rounds to double-check that nothing had been disturbed in the night. I didn’t think anyone would ever bother to break in here, but the occasional rodent had been known to sneak inside and wreak havoc with some of my products.

Nothing looked out of place this morning though. I loved the way my storage room slash work room smelled. Lavender and sage and various citrus scents, mixing with ones that were harder to distinguish under the stronger ones. I knew them all, through sight, touch, smell, and taste.

I paused at my work table, lightly touching the stone mortar bowl and pestle I’d been given by Galina, the mentor I’d become close to while studying in the UK. We kept in touch even though it’d been nearly three years since I’d last seen her. She was as much responsible for Grow ‘n Heal as the money I’d inherited when I’d turned twenty-one. More so, in my opinion, since Kevin’s parents were dead, and Blair’s parents hadn’t approved or supported my decision to forgo college and essentially pick a vocation that I could learn through hands-on experience and assisting others like me. Not that I’d really heard much about it since I rarely had the opportunity to see them.

I pushed aside the negative feelings that thinking about my grandparents brought up. I’d never really had a relationship with them, and I didn’t plan on changing that any time soon. They’d never forgiven my mother for running away with my father.

Anyway, I didn’t need their approval. My shop was doing well. Rawlins, Wyoming was far from a large city, but I’d built a good reputation in just two years and I did a decent business. My online orders made up the majority of my profit – yet another reason why I made sure I was up on the latest technology. I probably could have done away with most of my online presence if I’d moved to a bigger city, but I didn’t want to leave Rawlins. I’d chosen it on purpose, after all.

It was the one place I’d lived that actually felt like home. Both of my parents had been here with me, and they hadn’t been bringing all sorts of other partners through the house. Granted, it had all been because Blair had needed some recovery time after having caught malaria while she and Kevin had been in some South American country. Kevin had wanted to write a book on their experiences, and they’d both decided that the atmosphere out West was the most conducive to health and creativity. He’d gotten halfway through it before getting bored. Not that it surprised me. That was how things went with him.

I loved my parents, and I knew they loved me, but they’d never quite understood why I didn’t think having parents in an open relationship who insisted I call them by their first name and travel around the world was the greatest thing.

I made my way back to the front of the store and flipped around my sign to say that I was open. The sun was finally out, and I took a moment to step outside. My dress was a bit thin for mid-March, but I let myself enjoy the combination of scents that I’d always associated with Rawlins at this time of year. A hint of spring with that sharp edge of snow.

Wind gusted down the street, and I shivered, goosebumps prickling my skin. I stayed out a moment longer, waving at Mr. Kendrick who owned the barbershop across the street. He came out every morning to sweep or shovel the bit of sidewalk in front of his store. He’d done it when I was here as a kid too, and he’d seemed ancient even then. When I’d first moved back here, I’d asked him if I could help him in the mornings, but he’d insisted that he’d be out here rain or shine every day until he keeled over of a heart attack.

I had a bad feeling that, one day, he was going to do just that. At least his grandson Benji had joined him a few months ago. Maybe he’d be able to convince Mr. Kendrick to take it easy.

I’d take them over some tea later and see how they were doing. Maybe I’d mix up some of my granola bars too. I used local honey, just like I bought any local produce or grains that were available in the area. While my shop was more about herbal supplements and homeopathic remedies, I liked to have healthy snack options around too. I sold a decent amount of them, but they were mostly on hand, so I could snack throughout the day and not feel guilty.

I headed to my in-shop worktable and my less-sentimental mortar bowl and pestle. I needed to grind up some spices to put into the custom-made tea pouches I stocked, and I always left those to do during the workday since they didn’t require the sort of precise measuring that the more medicinal ones did.

By mid-morning, I’d finished everything except the ginger I was saving for last. When I was done with it, I’d brew a pot and take it across the street, then head over to the bakery for a few of their homemade poppy seed rolls.

My phone buzzed just as I was setting out the new supplies, and I headed over to the counter to check it.

A message from Blair. I swiped the screen.

Brea, darling, we have some exciting news we’d like to share in person. Please meet us this evening for dinner.

Dinner? Today? I frowned at the phone. The last I’d heard from them, they’d been living in Vermont with one of Kevin’s old philosophy professor buddies.

Are you flying me out?

After a moment, Blair’s response came back. I’m sorry, dear, we must have forgotten to tell you that we were in Rawlins.

In Rawlins? Since when? I blew out a breath and reminded myself not to be frustrated. She’d tell me everything, eventually. She just took her time getting there.

We’ll explain over dinner. Meet us at six o’clock.

The address was outside of Rawlins, but nowhere near Vermont. What in the world was going on?