Chapter 6

Joelle

I set my plate down to keep from choking on the most delicious slice of cake I’d ever had in my life. It was a true battle between my laughter and my desire for that cake, but the laughter could not be held back. The cake had to wait.

“I swear, when he pulled out those cuffs, I was sure something kinky was going on,” a woman named Willow said. “Then he told me about the dog stealing them and chasing it all over the yard.”

Tears rolled down my cheeks. I didn’t know Willow’s husband, but I could picture a police officer chasing a Chihuahua around a backyard to get his cuffs.

“When he told me the dog was too small to keep the cuffs out of the dog poop all over, I nearly gagged.”

“Oh, stop. You have to stop. I’m going to die!” Valentina said, grabbing my arm and leaning against me as she laughed as hard as I did.

When I walked into the locked bookstore with Piper and Zoey, Valentina lit up and patted the seat next to her for me to sit. I was grateful for the easy welcome. The others asked who I was, but none of them blinked when I told them my name.

And none of them asked more questions when Valentina said I was in town to forget about my ex and figure out my next steps. I hadn’t realized how anxious I was about meeting a bunch of local women until I didn’t have to explain what brought me to their town.

Then they started talking, sharing stories about the men they loved and their kids and their friendships, and I realized there was so much more to this little place than I would have ever imagined. More than I ever knew could exist anywhere.

These women didn’t compete for every little thing. They didn’t smile to each other’s faces, then turn around and betray each other. They were kind and encouraging and good.

“I swear, I’m never letting him near me with those cuffs ever again,” Willow said, shaking her head. “No amount of soap can clean the massive amount of dog shit that was embedded in them.” She shivered.

“Just tell me he wasn’t covered in it, too,” Willow’s sister, Melody, said.

Willow shook her head. “I can’t tell you that.”

Valentina bowed forward, her hand on my arm the only thing seeming to keep her from sliding to the floor.

Elise, who sat on Valentina’s other side, did not have the same luck. She fell out of her chair and sprawled on the floor, laughing loudly. “Poor Rowan!”

“Poor Rowan? What about me? I was all ready for fun, and he soaked the shit-covered cuffs, then took a shower and sulked the rest of the night,” Willow said.

“He’ll get over it,” the woman on Willow’s other side said. Her name was Trinity, and she said her husband worked with Willow’s husband. “But he’s going to be in a mood tomorrow, too.”

Willow’s head snapped to Trinity. “Tell me James didn’t take pictures.” A smile creeped over Willow’s face. “Actually, maybe I want you to tell me he did.”

Trinity nodded. “He did. And he printed them out and is going to wallpaper the precinct with them.”

“Oh, no,” Willow cried, laughing at the same time. “I don’t know if I should be laughing or crying.”

Melody grabbed her sister’s hand. “Laugh now, cry tomorrow when Rowan sees you.”

Willow burst out laughing. “Oh, he’s going to be so mad!”

“You can’t tell him,” Trinity said.

Willow shook her head. “No. I’m not saying a word. It’s too funny to warn him.”

“I’ll send you some of the pictures,” Trinity said.

“Do you have them now?” Elise asked.

Trinity shook her head. “James thought I’d share them and ruin the surprise.”

“He doesn’t know we’re almost as devious as he is,” Elise said.

“Right?” Trinity laughed.

Valentina helped Elise back onto her chair. They laughed for a second, and I risked picking my cake up again.

“What have you done in your week here?” Elise asked me.

I looked around the room, feeling uncomfortable at being the center of attention. My mother always kept me hidden from view, reminding me that I wasn’t conventionally attractive and shouldn’t be the face of anything.

But these women weren’t ashamed of who they were. Each of them had a curvy figure, with big bellies and boobs and thick curves they weren’t afraid to show off. They were all beautiful and confident in ways I’d never had the guts to be. Ways I’d never seen from women who looked like me.

Until I came here.

“Um, not much, really,” I said, feeling my cheeks warm at the attention and the lack of activity. “Is there anything you recommend?”

“Well, I’m a captain of a local tour boat, so I definitely recommend that. My husband owns a maple farm. There’s Catherine Park if you’re looking for a great view and a place to relax. It has a perfect view of the mural Blake did of Karissa’s mom. We have a movie theater in town. Depending on how long you’re here for, you should sign up for Karissa’s dating app and check out some of the events coming up,” Elise said, looking at the others to add more.

My brain stopped on dating app. “Online dating?” I blurted.

Elise chuckled. “We all met our husbands and boyfriends on it. It’s called Book Boyfriends Wanted, if you’re interested in checking it out.”

I tried to hide my scoff. There was no way. My mother…

Slept with my fiancé. Why was I letting her opinion form mine? I’d done that my entire life, and I was still doing it even after I walked away.

“We have a festival this coming weekend, if you’re going to be here,” a blonde woman said, changing the subject I obviously didn’t want to talk about. Goldie, I thought was her name. “We have a few in June, since school is still in session. Once July hits, we have events every weekend through summer.”

“What kind of events?” I asked, curious what things a small town would celebrate.

“This weekend is kind of lowkey. We have a few bands playing, and we’re going to have local restaurants showcasing their menus. It’s a good chance for them to try out new ideas, and a good opportunity for families to get outside and enjoy the area before things get really busy,” Goldie explained.

“It’s a celebration of MacKellar Cove,” Elise said. “Mostly locals are here right now, and the events in June are geared toward the people who live here year round.”

“Really? It’s not to get tourists into town?” I asked.

Goldie shook her head. “We all live here because we love it. It’s a great town, a wonderful place to live, and we want a few events that celebrate that. We don’t discourage tourists from coming, but we know there aren’t as many in June as there are in July and August.”

“Sort of like being a tourist without leaving town?” I asked.

“Exactly like that,” Goldie said. “And it’s good for the local restaurants because they get feedback on what people like. Since the locals are the ones who are going to keep them in business year-round, they lean toward what locals enjoy for their menus. But it’s good to change things up every so often.”

“It is. Do they source local produce and meat for the restaurants?” I asked, leaning forward.

Goldie smiled. “They do. A lot of places here understand the importance of using local items. It’s helps everyone when they can establish partnerships with other businesses in the area. Lower shipping costs means lower costs for the restaurants and more profit for everyone. We’re so close to Canada that some of our local vendors are across the border, too. It’s all about working together around here. Not to say we don’t bring things in from outside the local area or from countries farther away, but it’s not always easy to get stuff to this area.”

“It’s so much better for the environment when we reduce the transportation and shop local. Buying in bulk makes shipping easier, too, so if places get together to share items, that helps. Like if all the restaurants need lettuce, and it comes from a Central or South American country, if everyone can get in on an order so there’s one full shipment instead of three small ones, it’s so much better,” I said.

“Wow,” Elise said. “I’ve never thought of it like that. There are a bunch of maple farms around here. I need to ask Colin if he’s ever worked with the other farmers to do what you’re talking about. That’s really smart.”

My cheeks heated. I was passionate about the environment and making things better for everyone. We were all living on the same planet, and working together to do things made sense to me.

“Are you an environmental scientist?” Valentina asked.

I shook my head. “No. Definitely not. I have a degree in broadcast journalism.”

“Really?” Elise asked. “You seem so passionate about the environment. Did you do a story about it?”

“Um, no. I just find it fascinating. The way things are all connected and the way we can influence the entire world by what we do. Everything from pollution to food sources to travel can affect places we’ve never been.” I clasped my hands together and rolled my lips in. My mother hated when I went on a tangent about the environment. She never cared one bit about anything besides herself, and my excitement over doing better for the world as a whole never interested her.

“I’ve never really thought about it,” Willow said. “I just go to the store and buy things, or order things online if I can’t find it locally. But you’re right. Wow.”

“There’s a lot to it. Farmer’s markets and places that offer local produce are usually a great first step for people because you’re buying produce from your area. Even doing that makes a difference,” I said.

Willow looked at Melody. “Looks like we’re hitting the farmer’s market this summer.”

Melody nodded. “I go every week.”

“Well, fine. I’m going to join you,” Willow said with a huff.

Melody chuckled. “Sounds good.”

The conversation turned to what people were doing that week and the end of the school year. I leaned back and listened, thankful I’d ended up in the tiny town I’d never heard of and never would have come to voluntarily. I had no idea what was missing from my life before.

* * *

I settled in my new room after book club. On the way back to the Inn, Zoey and Piper asked what I thought about the online dating app. I told them it wasn’t something I’d ever considered before, but it was still new that I could choose who I dated. I’d never done that before.

I laid on my new bed and reached for my phone. I hadn’t turned it on since I left town the day I was supposed to get married. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. Or for anyone to find me.

But I was curious about the dating app they mentioned. It didn’t hurt to look, right?

As soon as my phone powered on, messages loaded, overwhelming me enough that I almost turned it off again. Voicemails, texts, I was sure there were emails and private messages, too.

I drew a breath. I made the choice to leave. It didn’t matter what the messages said. I knew it was the right decision.

And I wasn’t ready for any of the messages.

I tapped to search for the app and my phone rang. I nearly dropped it, and somehow, in the process, I answered it.

“Jo? Are you there?” The voice was far away, small, but I knew she was shouting.

Anabelle was my maid of honor. She worked for my mother, like we all did. Anabelle volunteered to be my maid of honor when my engagement to Thomas was announced.

I lifted the phone to my ear as I heard Anabelle say, “I don’t hear anything.”

“I’m here,” I said, barely keeping the sigh out of my voice.

“Jo! What is going on? Where the hell are you?”

“I’m fine,” I said.

“I didn’t ask that. Where are you? Your mom is furious. She’s stomping around the office. You embarrassed her, Jo,” Anabelle hissed.

“Embarrassed? She’s embarrassed?”

“You walked out on your wedding. It’s a good thing she didn’t have everyone there. Can you imagine how bad this would have been if there was a crew there? God, you’re lucky she didn’t want you on camera.” Anabelle exhaled in relief.

Was she serious? I was lucky? That my mother was ashamed of me and didn’t want everyone to see me get married. I was lucky? What the hell?

“When are you coming home? She got the church to agree to bump someone else, for a massive fee, of course. But she said it’s worth it. We just need a date.”

“I’m not… Why would I come back?” I asked.

Anabelle breathed a laugh. “Why? Why not? You have a good life here, Jo. A great life. Anyone would kill for your life, and you’re just going to throw it away? What are you thinking?”

“Did my mother tell you why I left?”

Anabelle’s hesitation betrayed her next words. “No. It doesn’t matter, though.”

“It doesn’t? You would be okay marrying someone who was sleeping with someone else on your wedding day?”

Anabelle sighed heavily. “Thomas is sorry. He knows he made a mistake. He wants to marry you.”

“I don’t want to marry him.”

“Don’t say that,” Anabelle hissed. “Don’t you dare say that. Do you have any idea what your mother went through to set the two of you up? What she had to do?”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Jo, just tell me when you’re coming back. We will fix all of this, but we need you here so we can. You have everything. You have a great man waiting to marry you, a solid job, a beautiful home. You have everything everyone would want. Your future is set. I don’t understand why you would throw it all away over something like this.”

“You don’t understand? Really? You don’t understand?”

“No,” Anabelle said firmly. “I don’t. If I had Thomas, I would marry him in a heartbeat. I would ignore the little issues and focus on the big picture. All men cheat. Especially attractive, powerful men. But he’s ready to marry you. You’re the one who gets to say he’s yours. Why would you throw that away, Jo?”

My jaw hurt from grinding my teeth so hard. My cheeks flamed. My breath rushed out of me. “My name is Joelle, not Jo.”

“Fine. Joelle. I don’t care. What I care about is getting you back here. I need this. We all do.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You and Thomas getting married is going to be good for the station. You have to know things haven’t been going well, and the daughter of our owner marrying the son of the rival station? It’s like Romeo and Juliet. It’s going to be good for everyone. It’ll boost ratings, and I need the money.”

“Money?”

She sighed. “The bonus your mother promised all the bridesmaids. God, Joelle, it’s like you don’t even know about all of this.”

Tears sprang to my eyes. My mother was paying her to be my maid of honor. To pretend to be my friend. And she thought I knew. My mother was paying all of them.

“Sorry. I forgot. I just…” I sniffed.

“Are you crying? Stop acting like all of this is something bigger than it is, Joelle. Come back. Get married. And we can all move on. Your mother can save face with the locals, and with Thomas’s family. Or we can come get you. Where are you?”

“No!” I blurted, not wanting to tell anyone where I was. “I… I’ll be back by the weekend.”

“Yeah? So you’ll still get married in June? This Saturday?”

“Sure. Yeah. I’ll see you in a few days.”

“Okay—”

I hung up before she could say anything else. Tears ran down my cheeks. Everything about my wedding was fake. The groom who was only marrying me for his father’s company. The bridesmaids who were only there because they were getting paid. Even the church was getting paid, extra, to make sure I had a June wedding.

No one cared about me. No one cared that I didn’t want to get married. That I felt nothing for Thomas. That my mother was screwing him on my wedding day.

Fucking him.

Well, fuck him. And fuck her. I was done. I wasn’t going back. I wasn’t giving in. I wasn’t doing any of it. Not now, not ever again.

I clicked over to search for apps again and found the online dating one Elise mentioned. I went through all the prompts and completed my profile, marking everything I knew my mother would hate. I wanted a revenge date. Someone who would be nothing like Thomas.

Actually, that sounded pretty damn good.

Not that I had high hopes for finding a date, but I was finally free. And it felt good.