On Thursday night, Ellie walked through the doors of what had been a quiet library the last time she’d been there, and a dozen faces turned toward her. She stopped on the threshold, pondering going back home, when a guy with black-rimmed rectangular glasses and a mop of tousled blond hair approached her, his arms extended and a friendly, megawatt smile lighting up his face.
“Hey, you’re Elise, right?” he said, taking her hand that had still been stuck on the doorknob while she’d considered hightailing it back home. “My mother told me she’d invited you. Welcome to Mystery Night.”
He shook her hand vigorously and his smile was so big she couldn’t help smiling back. She’d only been in Spring Harbor for a month, but the few people she’d met so far had been so nice, she already felt like she belonged. When she’d left San Francisco for small-town life, she’d thought she’d end up feeling like the outsider, and that all the residents who’d known each other for decades wouldn’t want her to be part of their clique. She was glad she’d been wrong.
“Call me Ellie; only my mother and my teachers called me Elise.”
His smile grew wider—if that were even possible. “Well, Ellie. Since everyone calls me Jared, I guess you can call me that, too.”
“Seeing as that’s your name, what else should we be calling you?” A young woman with smiling blue eyes and blond hair that brushed her shoulders came up from behind him and nudged him aside, reaching out her hand. “I’m Lauren. Good to have you here, Ellie.”
One by one, everyone approached Ellie and introduced themselves, a flurry of names she was sure she’d forget five minutes later. They all smiled and welcomed her to Spring, some of them remembering her grandparents who, apparently, had been rather active in the small community. For some reason, she’d always thought they hadn’t managed to really mingle with the townspeople, since they usually only spent the summer months in Spring, while their main residence was in Portland. It was nice hearing people talk so fondly about Roger and Lilian.
“Okay, folks. Now we’ve welcomed our new member, let’s get started,” Jared said, clapping his hands to catch everyone’s attention. “Ellie, take a seat wherever you like. And help yourself to a cup of tea or coffee, if you want.”
He pointed to a small wooden table in the corner, with an electric kettle and a coffee machine on top. A couple of people were pouring coffee into their mugs and asked her what she wanted. She took a mug of tea and went back to the circle of plastic folding chairs in the middle of the room.
The blond-haired woman—Lauren, was it?—raised her hand in the air and waved.
“Here, here, sit next to me!” she said, all but bouncing on the seat. Ellie smiled. It felt a little like the first day of school, when you had to pick your desk neighbor and hope you’d be lucky.
When Jared sat down, the low buzz stopped and everyone stared at him, making Ellie guess he must be the coordinator of this event.
“Okay, everyone. Let me just give a brief introduction for Ellie, so she knows what to expect. Yeah, I’ll be quick,” he added, when a middle-aged man opened his mouth to say something.
“Jared’s a wanna-be writer, so watch out—he tends to get a little over-dramatic at times,” Lauren stage-whispered while Jared explained how the meetings worked. His lips twitched as he glared at her.
“Lauren, since you’re so inclined to talk tonight, why don’t you start the discussion? If you’ve actually read the book this time, that is.”
Lauren rolled her eyes, and Ellie smiled. She was definitely enjoying the laid-back camaraderie she’d longed for all her life.
She listened to everyone talking about the book they’d read, their impressions, and what they thought could be inspiration for a new story. At some point during the discussion, Lauren told her Jared planned to write a mystery, and he was trying to involve as many citizens as possible. After getting his degree in journalism and creative writing, he’d come back to Spring determined to make a living as a writer in his own hometown, and to pass his passion on to as many people as possible.
“I hold weekly afternoon classes in creative writing at Spring High,” Jared told her, while they were eating homemade cookies at the end of the discussion. “We’ve created a school blog everyone can contribute to. The other teachers sort of hate me now, ’cause I’m the cool teacher with the cool subject.”
“Jared’s also resurrected the Spring Gazette, the century-old town newspaper,” said a teenager with curly dark brown hair, whose name Ellie thought was Ryley, if she wasn’t mistaken. She’d been surprised to find a small group of teenagers at the meeting, since she’d thought book clubs were too boring for high school kids, but they’d actually been very active in the discussion during the two-hour meeting.
“And we’re currently working on creating an online version of the Gazette,” another teenager with glasses and shaggy blond hair chimed in, excitedly. His name was Trevor or Travis, she wasn’t sure. “It’s gonna be so cool once it’s up and running, ’cause Jared had this great idea to include a fiction column in the actual newspaper, so now we’re creating an online form for people to submit their stories directly from the website.”
Jared nodded. “I’ve already started publishing weekly installments of short stories submitted by residents and even some writers from our neighboring towns. Once we have enough material, I’m thinking about self-publishing them into a boxed set or a short story collection and using the proceeds to fund the community center.”
If Charli knew about this, she wouldn’t think small-town life was boring. The group of teenagers surrounding Jared beamed with excitement, and he looked at them with pride, like a big brother would regard his siblings.
“Lots of us contribute to the Gazette. I write the health column, with nutritional advice, recipes, exercise, and stuff like that,” Lauren said, joining the conversation after saying goodbye to a sixty-something couple who’d just left. “You know what, Jar? Ellie could contribute, too. She could give parental advice or something.”
“That’s a great idea,” he said, smiling at Ellie. Everyone looked at her, and she blushed. Sure, she knew stuff about children and she’d probably be good at counseling or helping parents in trouble, but she wasn’t sure she was qualified for a writing job.
She opened her mouth to say so, but Lauren clapped her hands and said it was great to have her on board. “Don’t worry too much about the writing part. Jar always takes care of editing, proofreading, and all the geeky stuff. You provide the content, and he makes it presentable for the column. I do it all the time.”
Ellie had only known her for two hours, but she could definitely see herself and Lauren becoming good friends. She had the same bubbly personality as Charli, and even though they Skyped every other day, Ellie couldn’t deny she missed her best friend.
“It’s settled, then. Stop by the Gazette on Saturday morning, so we can talk about the first article,” Jared said, and popped the last bite of a peanut butter cookie into his mouth.
“Yeah, and while you’re there you should check out my yoga studio on the first floor, right above Jared’s office,” Lauren added, linking her arm through Ellie’s. “It’s a great way of getting to know everyone while keeping fit at the same time. It’d be great if you could join us.”
Ellie shrugged. “I’ve never really been what you’d call a sporty girl, I’m not sure—”
“I wouldn’t consider yoga a sport,” Jared said with a mischievous grin, which earned him a punch in the arm from Lauren. “But my mother loves Lauren’s classes. Says it’s the highlight of her week.”
“Come try it, the first lesson’s free,” Lauren said. “Then you can decide if you like it. I also hold Pilates classes, and I’ve been thinking about adding Tai Chi, too. It would be nice to hold classes on the beach.”
“I told her she should include a self-defense course or kick-boxing instead.” Jared smirked at Lauren’s glare. “I doubt a greeting to the sun would scare an attacker away.”
“It’s sun salutation. And if you tried it once, you’d stop making fun of what I do.” Lauren rolled her eyes, and Ellie guessed this banter wasn’t unusual between them. She wondered if they were a couple, or simply friends. Jared waved Lauren’s comment away in a whatever kind of way, and turned his attention back to Ellie.
“All right, it’s time I locked up and we all went home. Will I see you on Saturday, then?”
Ellie nodded. “I’ll stop by late in the morning.”
They said goodbye, and Lauren offered Ellie a ride home, which she gladly accepted. This was the small-town life she’d wished for; little by little, she was becoming part of the community and wasn’t just the new girl in town anymore. Little by little, she was starting to feel like maybe she’d finally found the place where she truly belonged.
* * *
“Hey, Ellie!”
She’d been just about to knock on the bright green door of the Gazette, when Jared’s voice behind her made her spin around. He stood on the sidewalk on the opposite side of the road, just outside Spring Delights, the town bakery she hadn’t had a chance to visit yet.
She vaguely remembered visiting the bakery every once in a while with her grandmother, but it hadn’t happened often. Grandma Lilian was a great cook and baker, and most of the time Ellie enjoyed spending time in her tiny kitchen, baking goodies that Ethan and Grandpa Roger would later wolf down in record time.
“Glad you could make it. Come on, I was just about to get my daily dose of caffeine and my fix of Enya’s cinnamon rolls.” He waved her over, and she crossed the street to reach him.
Just before they went in, the door opened, tiny bells chiming above it, and a man wearing aviator sunglasses came out at a brisk pace, nearly colliding with Jared.
“Hey, Adam. Long time, no see.”
“Hi, Jar. Good to see you. Hi, Ellie.” His eyes moved over Jared’s shoulder, and he smiled—nothing more than a polite tilt of his lips to acknowledge her presence. “Sorry, gotta run. I left Sophie with my Gramps and they’re waiting for me to bring them breakfast. See ya.”
His deep, male voice wrapped around Ellie like a gust of warm air. She opened her mouth, but before she could say a word he was already jogging away.
“You know Adam?” Jared’s voice pulled Ellie out of her fantasies—fantasies she had no business thinking.
“His daughter’s in my class. And we’re neighbors.” And according to my mother’s superstition, he’s my soul mate. Go figure.
“He’s a good guy. His mother owns the bakery, together with Lauren’s mom. Come on, I’ll introduce you.” He opened the door and Ellie followed him, determined to banish the inappropriate thoughts from her mind.
Spring Delights was a cozy half bakery, half café, with beige walls, the biggest of which was decorated with pink cupcakes, tiered cakes and cookies. The display counter stood on the left, with a counter holding an espresso machine, a coffee maker and other bar appliances on its right. The rest of the room was occupied by round wooden tables with glass vases and pink gerberas as their centerpieces. The sweet smell of baked goods hit Ellie as soon as they walked through the baby pink door, and her mouth watered.
“Welcome to my mom’s bakery, Ellie!” Lauren stood by the counter, smiling. A fifty-something lady with blond hair pulled up in a bun was putting a tray of cupcakes inside the glass display counter. When she straightened, Ellie recognized Lauren’s features on her face, especially when she smiled brightly.
“Hi there.” The woman’s friendly blue eyes settled on Ellie, and she rounded the counter to introduce herself. “I’m Jenna Ellsworth, co-owner of the bakery. Lauren mentioned you’re Sophie’s teacher. I’m her grandma. Hannah, Adam’s wife, was my daughter.”
Lauren’s smile faded a little, and her mother’s eyes lost the gleam that had been there only a moment before. Ellie hadn’t meant to pry, but she’d heard the whole story from Dee on her first school day when she’d asked her boss what had happened to Sophie’s mom. It was a miracle the little girl was so full of life and so carefree after the tragedy that had hit her family.
“Sophie loves going to school. Adam was so worried she’d be crying all day, but I knew she’d be okay. I guess she gets it from her mom.” The smile was back on Jenna’s face as she spoke about her granddaughter. “She said you live in the house next door?”
Ellie nodded. “Yes. I inherited my grandmother’s beach cottage after she passed away. I believe she came here often when she was in town. Lilian Daugherty?”
The woman’s face lit up. “Oh, you’re that Ellie! Yes, she came here often, and she always talked about you and your brother… Ethan, isn’t it?”
Ellie nodded. “He’s in Afghanistan for the time being, so I’ve taken full possession of the house until he comes home.”
“Your brother’s in the military?” Lauren’s surprised tone came from behind her. “Wow. I bet he’s hot. I love men in uniform.”
“Yeah, just like your firefighter boyfriend.” Jared said from his slouched position on the chair at a table to Ellie’s right. He emphasized the last word with a waggle of his eyebrows. “I bet Nate wouldn’t be very happy to hear you calling someone else hot.”
Lauren rolled her eyes. “Nate knows I have a thing for men in uniform. And he also knows I’d never cheat on him. So just shut up and start worrying about your love life.” She lifted a finger in front of her face. “Oh, wait. You don’t have a love life. So maybe it’s time you started working on getting one for yourself and stopped bothering me.”
“In case you were wondering, they’re pretty much always like that,” Lauren’s mother said while shaking her head, even as a smile curled her lips. “Take a seat and check out the menu. The usual for you, Jared?”
He grinned. Then Jenna disappeared behind a set of pink swinging doors, and Jared looked up at Lauren. “We were going to talk about Ellie’s first article. Wanna join us?”
Ellie sat on the chair Jared had pulled out for her, and Lauren took the seat to her left. Neither looked at the menu, so Ellie put it down, and stared at both of them. “I bet you two know the menu by heart, huh? What do you recommend?”
Each one told her their favorite dishes, and eventually she settled for a caramel latte and a carrot and almond cupcake.
“That’s one of my recipes,” Lauren said, nodding approvingly after her mother had taken their order and returned to the kitchen.
Ellie frowned, not following.
“I majored in Nutrition and Foodservice Systems, and then I got a baking and pastry associates degree, too, for my mom’s peace of mind,” Lauren explained. “Since none of the Cavanaghs decided to pursue a culinary career, she was hoping at least one of her kids would take over the bakery when she and her business partner retire.”
“The truth is, Jenna’s beloved daughter is secretly trying to snatch her bakery from under her nose.” Jared said with a big grin that earned him a murderous glare.
“Anyway,” Lauren continued. “After I got my diploma, I asked Mom and Enya, her business partner, to let me experiment by adding a few healthy recipes to their menu. We only started with a small selection of sandwiches and cupcakes, but so far it’s working out well, at least with the younger generation.”
“Once Lauren takes over, maybe we could turn it into a literary café. A healthy, literary café,” Jared added, when Lauren raised her brows.
“But it’s not going to happen any time soon, since we’re still too young to retire.” A woman’s voice came from behind Ellie, followed by a plate with Ellie’s order that ended up in front of her. “I’m Enya Cavanagh, the other mind behind this place, and Sophie’s other grandma. Jenna told me you were here, said you’re Lilian’s granddaughter.”
She put the other two plates in front of Jared and Lauren, then leaned against the back of Lauren’s chair and smiled down at Ellie. She had stunningly blue eyes, and her auburn hair was styled in a modern bob.
“Are these two still working out their evil plan to steal the bakery from under our noses?” She winked at Ellie, then stared at Lauren. “I already told you: once all you kids give us lots of grandchildren to look after, we’ll take a step back and let you have the bakery. Not a day sooner than that.”
Lauren laughed, Jared faked a cough, and Ellie found herself smiling at the friendly woman.
“I’ll let you get down to work now, guys. Yell if you need anything.”
As Enya moved to another table to tend to an elderly couple that had walked in only a minute before, Ellie took a bite of the cupcake and had to stifle a moan.
“Good?” Lauren asked around a mouthful of her own cupcake. Ellie nodded, with her mouth full.
“So, let’s talk about your area of expertise,” Jared said, after he’d swallowed his second cinnamon roll and washed it down with a generous gulp of coffee. “We can brainstorm some ideas you could work on.”
Ellie told him about her studies and her work experience, while Jared jotted down ideas and Lauren suggested topics and even possible titles for articles Ellie could contribute. Their excitement pulled her in, and she lost track of time, until the bakery started to fill up and she realized it was already lunchtime.
They ordered healthy sandwiches, Lauren’s contribution to the menu, and the two friends filled Ellie in on all the things she needed to know about the town, telling her the names and stories of the people who walked in, while teasing each other like little kids.
Just as Enya placed their coffees on the table, the door opened and a group of four guys walked in. They were all dressed in dark blue t-shirts and yellow turnout pants, and as cliché as it sounded, they were all tall, dark and, well, handsome. Ellie couldn’t help but agree with Lauren: men in uniform were hot.
“Yo, Cay!” Jared raised his hand, and a guy with jet-black hair turned toward the voice. His face softened in recognition, and he waved. Another guy, with short, brown hair and blue eyes, raised his hand in greeting, and Lauren’s face broke into a smile. She stood up and met him halfway, accepting an innocent kiss on the cheek. Lauren said something to him, then took his hand, and led him back toward the table.
“Ellie, this is Nate. Nate, Ellie. She’s just moved to Spring. Jared and I have been trying to make her feel at home.”
Nate shook Ellie’s hand. “Welcome to Spring. Don’t let this crazy girl pull you into her naughty clique. She can get mischievous when she teams up with him. They’re a dangerous duo.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll take that as a compliment,” Jared said, lifting his mug in a mock toast. “Chicks dig bad boys.”
“Who’s a bad boy? You?” The young man Jared had called earlier came up behind Nate and took Jared’s hand in one of those man handshakes that ended with a fist-bump.
“Ellie, this is Cayden: firefighter and kick-ass drummer. He plays in our band when he’s not rescuing kittens from tall trees,” Jared said with a chuckle, pointing to the tall, twenty-something man with jet black hair and emerald green eyes who glared at him.
“You play in a band?” Ellie raised her eyebrows at Jared, unable to picture the nerdy journalist in front of her playing in a band.
Jared nodded. “I play the keyboard, Cay’s our drummer. We play at the Shark’s Tail every Saturday night—except tonight, since the Mariners are playing the Yankees, and everyone will be at the pub watching the game. We play mainly covers from the big rock bands from the eighties and nineties, although we’ve been testing some more recent music, too.” He looked at Cayden and grinned. “Cay suggested playing some songs from a couple of Irish rock bands, in honor of his origins. He’s another member of the Irish clan in town, you know.”
“The Irish clan?” Ellie asked, frowning. This was the first she’d heard of an Irish clan in Spring Harbor. Cayden rolled his eyes and shoved Jared out of his chair, taking his place as soon as it was vacant.
“The lady behind the counter is my aunt. She has Irish origins, and so does my uncle, who’s my father’s brother, so I’m half Irish, too. And we’re not a clan, we’re just a big Irish family that likes to keep up traditions.”
“Yeah, they drink Guinness and chase leprechauns,” Jared shoved Cayden off the chair in return and claimed his seat back. “I’m pretty sure they have a pot of gold hidden somewhere on that ranch on the hill.”
“Jared Branson, stop making fun of my family if you still want your cinnamon rolls tomorrow.” Enya said from behind the counter. Her eyes were narrowed in an intimidating glare, and her hands were fisted on her hips, but the corners of her mouth were twitching, barely holding back a smile.
“Sorry, ma’am. I’ll behave.”
Everyone laughed, including Enya, and a minute later Cayden and his friends picked up their to-go order and said goodbye, leaving the trio to finish their lunch.
Before they left too, Lauren made Ellie promise she’d attend her yoga class on Monday evening, and Jared had made her promise she’d go to the Shark’s Tail next Saturday, to watch him and his band play.
And here she’d thought she’d get bored all alone in a new town. She’d only met Jared and Lauren two days ago, and she was already a member of their clique. She loved small-town life.