Page 127 of The Path to Loving Him
We turn the corner right onto Almond Avenue, the main strip of Almond Bay, where all the cute shops and delicious restaurants are located. Almond Avenue was one of the main reasons I fell in love with Almond Bay and wished to live here when Bennett attended school. Because Almond Bay is so close to the ocean, it’s expensive. We lived outside of town in a more affordable place, so being able to say I live in town now feels like a big accomplishment.
“Do you know who else looked uncomfortable?” Bower asks.
“Can we not? I know what you’re going to say, but I’d rather not talk about Ryland right now. That’s all this weekend has been, and I’m over it.”
“Okay . . .” She pauses for a moment and then continues. “But seriously, you should have seen Ryland watch you and Mac together. He looked enchanted and freaked out at the same time.”
“Like I said, we’re not talking about it. Okay? We have to have other things we can discuss.”
“You’re right.” She sighs. “How’s Bennett?”
“Good,” I say, excited for the change in subject. I can easily talk about Bennett. “The forty-man roster expansion is coming up for the majors, and he’s hoping he gets called up for playoff season.”
“Are the Bombers going to be in the playoffs?”
“They’re in the lead for the wild card, so a good chance.”
“Surprising, given the cheating scandal they’ve been going through.”
“I’m surprised you even know about that,” I say.
“It came across my Instagram. Oh my God, is that a bookstore?” Bower points at Pieces and Pages.
“Yes, want to go in?”
“Uh, yeah, I can get you a romance novel. Maybe it will help you change your stance on this whole friends-without-benefits thing.” She takes my arm, and we head into the store.
Keeping my voice low, since the shop is on the narrow side—long but narrow—I say, “The cheating isn’t a proven thing. They’re just going through allegations now.”
“And what if the cheating turns out to be real?”
“Then there will be some big team revamping.”
“How does that affect Bennett?” Bower asks as she spots the romance section and makes a beeline for it.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I can’t think about it because he’s worked so hard to get to where he is now that it would be really upsetting if something were to taint that.”
“I can understand that,” Bower says as she scans the books, quietly sayingread it, read it, read itunder her breath as her finger scans across the spines.
“Wow, you’ve really been reading.”
“Had to make friends with fictional characters since my best friend left me.” She turns to me with a smile. “And up until this weekend, my fictional friends were far more interesting than you, but with this new Ryland?—”
“Shhhhh.” I look around. Whispering, I say, “You can’t say anything too loud around here when it involves other people from the town.”
“Why?” she asks.
“They talk, Bower. They talk a lot. Think of the game telephone but on a much larger scale. Please, just stop mentioning him.”
“Mentioning who?” I hear a voice pop up, startling both of us.
We turn to find Hattie with a puzzle in hand, looking all adorable in a matching bike short and top set.
“Jesus,” I say, bringing my hand to my chest. “You startled me.”
“You can’t be startled around here, Gabby. You always have to be on your toes. And you’re right, you can’t talk about anyone in this town in public unless you want someone listening in.”
I wince. “Did you hear us?”
