Train Bound to Forty by Stephanie Berchiolly

Author:Stephanie Berchiolly [Berchiolly, Stephanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stephanie Berchiolly

Chapter Six

Florebelle

The butler stood in the doorway with a towel draped over his arm, face blank and bland. I took it as a hint he was ready for the crazy girls to get out of Dodge and let him do his job. I grabbed both women’s hands and dragged them to the lobby. It was full of opulent rugs, vases, and overstuffed chairs. The perfect place to play catch-up.

“When did you get here?” I asked.

Amira gave another quick hug before sitting across from me. “We got in pretty late last night. Our flight was crazy delayed. I was actually afraid we’d have to sleep on the porch because the door was locked and all the lights were out, but Mrs. Spigot came to the rescue and let us in.”

“How did you even know I was staying here?”

“I have my witchy ways.” Star waggled her eyebrows.

“Or maybe it’s the only place to stay in Orphic Cove?” Amira chimed in with a laugh. We all joined in. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed that sound—the three of us laughing in the same room.

“Well, I’m just happy you’re here with me. I missed you both so much.” My voice hitched at the end. All the numbness of the past few years had washed away, and the feels were real. I was ecstatic and filled with an energy I hadn’t felt in far too long, as if a veil had been lifted and my life was now in Technicolor.

“All right, ladies, let’s blow this popsicle stand and see what Orphic Cove has to offer!” Star said as she stood. She snatched my hand and pulled me toward the door.

“Should we call an Uber?” She was being her facetious self.

The grin on my face faltered as my eyes were drawn toward the woods, reminding me of my Stephen sighting last night.

Okay, you need to drop that, right now. It’s time to celebrate with your girls.

I shook myself to clear my head before linking arms with Star and Amira. With me comfortably sandwiched between them, we made our way to downtown Orphic Cove.

We did a bit of window-shopping. Star was in seventh heaven when we found a store that sold herbs and crystals. She squealed with delight after setting foot inside, scaring the woman behind the counter. I thought the employee was going to give her a stern talking-to, but her eyes lit up with curiosity and a strange sense of recognition before she went back to doing inventory.

“Oh my God, look at this.” Star abruptly did a one-eighty and waved us away. “No, never mind. Don’t look at this. Stay over there.”

She seized whatever it was she was looking at and hurried to the cash register. The two whispered for a bit, then the cashier fixed her eyes on me and nodded pensively. She disappeared behind a heavy black velvet curtain. When she returned, she came out with something in a bag. She showed whatever she brought back to Star, who nodded, then rang her up.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.