My Twist of Fortune Rayne, Piper (top books to read TXT) 📖

and all those unrequited feelings swarm inside me like bees in a hive.

The bell chimes above the door. As usual, the owner, George, is behind the counter on a stool while three of his fellow members of the gossip brigade are in front of him, whispering.

“Hank!” George waves.

All three of them turn to me, waving and smiling. From the surprise in his voice, my guess is that I was the topic of conversation.

“Hey, George. Fellas.” I nod in greeting. “I need a water heater.”

Walking down the aisle, I locate the water heaters in the back. I know where everything is since I’ve been shopping here since I was in my mom’s stomach. I grab a dolly and wheel it up to the front.

“Water heater, huh? I sure do hope someone’s house isn’t flooded?” George says.

That question is bait on the end of his line.

“Yeah, that’d really be a shame,” one of the other men says.

They think they’re going to trick me into saying it’s for the McAlisters, then I’ll be interrogated about Marla’s return. Because every member of the gossip brigade are military vets, they all act as if they can pull information out of people. Sometimes I assuage them. Not today though.

“Luckily, no.” I’m not lying. There isn’t a ton of damage at the McAlisters’, and as though Frank knew it was coming, he moved all the storage boxes up onto shelves.

“Oh, that’s good,” George says.

“Yeah, good,” the three other men say in unison.

I pay George. “Bye, guys, don’t waste too much of your day inside. It’s beautiful out.”

I wave and wheel out the dolly. Thankfully they didn’t pressure me too hard for information. But as I load the water heater into the bed of my truck, I realize I counted my thanks way too soon—my mom and her blue-haired best friend are at my truck, their hands clasped in front of them like church ladies. Mom met Dori a couple of years ago and they’ve been inseparable ever since. These two are so much worse than the gossip brigade. These two make you feel like a POW.

“Mom,” I say with a nod.

“Hey, Hank.” She steps up to me and wraps her small arms around my stomach.

“Dori.” I lean forward and kiss her on the cheek before I get the heater into the bed of my truck.

“You’re so strong. I threw my back out, otherwise I could’ve helped you with that.”

I wave off Mom’s friend. “It’s all good.”

“Who’s the water heater for? Jeez, I hope there’s no water damage. I remember when ours went out.” Mom looks at Dori. “And it almost ruined all of Hank’s baby pictures. I was so upset, and Jim snapped at me to calm down. Let’s just say I didn’t talk to him for an entire week. Disrespecting me by snapping at me when it was our baby’s pictures…”

Dori shakes her head in agreement. If my mom’s friend wasn’t here, I’d probably interrupt and say let the man rest in peace.

“Oh, but you can imagine after a week of no talking, the make-up sex,” Dori says.

“It is the best.” My mom laughs.

My mom looks at me. “Who’s the water heater for?”

I stare blankly at them. I know my mom’s game. She’s going to continue this until I fess up and fill her in. But I’m going to tolerate this even if I throw up my entire breakfast on the way back to the McAlisters’.

“Let’s just say Jim was all over me.”

I choke on the bile rising up my throat.

“Philip used to… you know.” Dori eyes me, and I’m not sure if it’s because I’m positive I must be green or if she’s judging if I’ve reached my limit yet.

Mom touches Dori’s arm. “I wore this lingerie and tried to do a striptease once, but he grabbed me and tore the lace—”

“The McAlisters!” I say a little too loudly.

Hey, at least I didn’t cover my ears and yell, “No, no, no make it stop.”

“Oh,” Mom says in that tone that speaks more than if she just said what she’s thinking.

“Definitely, oh. Second-chance romance is the best.” Dori smiles.

“We were never a first. She just divorced my cousin. You two better keep this between you two.”

“Sure. Who would we tell?” Mom looks at Dori.

I’ve seen them work their magic. They think they’re modern-day matchmakers.

“I’m serious. She has enough on her plate with returning to this town. She doesn’t need everyone in town making up stories.”

Mom stares at me in disbelief that I would think she’d spread news. “I understand.”

“Do you? Because I vaguely remember you being the one to tell me about her divorce. How your voice was dripping with ‘I told you so’s.’ She has a life and kids. Leave her be.”

“You’ve got it bad. All protective of her. Women like that.”

Dori’s tone is so enthusiastic, I want to yell at her to back off. I’m confident in my skills. If I wanted to ask a woman out, I would. Well, that’s a slight exaggeration. I haven’t really dated since Laurie. Mostly because raising five kids hasn’t left me with a ton of spare time. Chevelle’s issues from losing her mom have been so ever-present, I can barely step away from her to take a piss, let alone bring another woman home.

“Listen, I’m leaving. You two need a ride somewhere?”

They both shake their heads.

“I’ve got my Cadi. We’re heading into Lake Starlight,” Dori says, making their almost identical town—minus our spectacular bay—sound glamorous.

“Yes, Dori is going to show me where she lives now. Northern Lights Retirement.”

I stop walking and turn to face them. “Are you thinking about moving there?”

Mom shrugs. “The house is big, and your dad is gone. I don’t know. We’ll see.”

Huh. I always imagined she’d live there forever.

“Have fun at the McAlisters’,” Mom says, her and Dori walking down the street.

“It’s not fun putting in a water heater.”

“It is if you get all wet doing it,” Dori yells back.

They both bend forward in a fit of laughter as if they’re thirteen. It