Page 31 of Maple Mountain
“Were you guys talking about me?”she inquired with an arch of her brow.
“No,” I lied.
She cocked her head to the side, suddenly looking far older than eleven.
I sighed.“Yes.Look, this town is teeny tiny.Everyone knows everyone.You’re new, and Gracie had no idea Archer had a daughter.For this place, that’s news.”
“So, what did you tell her?”
“I told her you’re an outlaw on the run.”I quipped.
She made her fingers into makeshift guns and pretended to fire them.“Fastest gunslinger in the west.”
I smiled.“I told her I’m going to be your nanny for a while.”
“That makes me sound like I’m five.”
“Fair enough,” I agreed.“What should we call me then?”
“Wyn.We should just call you Wyn.”
“But IamWyn.”
“Exactly.”She leaned back against the booth.“What’s Wyn short for anyway?”
“What’s Lenni short for?”I asked, wondering if she’d disclose the truth to me even though I already knew.
She wrinkled her nose.
“You don’t like your name?”
“No.It’s old fashioned and girlie.”
“Well, my name isnotold fashioned.I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”
“Okay.”
“You promise?”I asked with a raise of my brows.“Or are you going to do that thing where you make me tell you my name and then you keep yours private?”
She didn’t reply.
I grinned.“Thought so.”
Gracie came to the table with our drinks.“Meat pies and donuts will be out in a few.Enjoy.”
She flounced away just as the bakery door opened, and a flood of customers entered.
“This drink is insane,” Lenni said as she looked at the mound of whipped cream.
“It tastes as good as it looks.Now fuel up, kid.We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”
ChapterEight
Town
We stepped onto the sidewalk just outside Sweet Teeth.Lenni zipped up the coat Poet had lent her and quickly donned the red wool cap before shoving her hands into coat pockets.“Why is it called Silver Street?”
I took a sip of my lukewarm Hadley’s Hooch and before I could answer, a woman Muddy’s age stalked toward us, wearing a sheep-lined brown jacket.“It’s because Huckleberry Hill was founded after the silver mines in the area started to produce.Sorry, didn’t mean to eavesdrop.But I couldn’t help myself.”
