Page 73 of Small Town, Big Storm

“The five rules of the Cedar Hollow Mafia,” he reads.“One, never make direct eye contact.Two, never run.Three, never negotiate.”He looks up, brows dragging together.“I thought this was a small town.”

“It is,” I say as we keep walking, turning by the elementary school…

And one of the Cedar Hollow Mafia’s main hangouts.

“Then what—?”he asks, following me.

“That’sthe Cedar Hollow Mafia,” I say, sweeping my hand out at the darkened field, the shadowed forms of sleepy geese curled up in regular clumps.

His eyebrows fly up.

Then he laughs loudly.

Loudly enough to garner the attention of the mafia.

Or at leastonehigh-ranking member.

“You’re fucking with me, right?”

I open my mouth to tell him I’m absolutelynotfucking with him.

But Gerald proves my point before I can so much as utter a syllable.

“Honk!”

Twenty

Poppy

“Thanks for holding down the fort,”I tell Cassie as I close the door to my apartment upstairs and slip behind the bar.“What have we got?”

She fills a couple of glasses with beer as she lists off the open tabs.“Kitchen made their last call and Roger and Tommy seem to be locked in for the long haul.”A tip of her chin toward our regulars’ usual table and I see they’ve busted out their chess set.

Chess in a bar.

Perhaps not the most classic combination.

But it means I’ll be selling more lagers (and more soda waters) tonight.

So, I’ll take it.

“I snagged Megan’s keys,” she says softly, tilting her chin toward a different table.“I’ll give her a ride home.”

I nibble the inside of my cheek.“She still on about the breakup?”

A sigh.“Whichbreakup might be a more apt question.”

“Damn,” I murmur.

“Some people are addicted to drugs,” Cassie says as she loads the beers on a tray.“And some are addicted to love.”

“Well, loveisthe only currency that matters in this town,” I tease.

She rolls her eyes, but it’s good-natured.“God, don’t let Gertie hear you say that.Next thing we know and she’ll be selling T-shirts with that on it.”

“Better yet,” Gertie says, making both Cassie and I jump.“I’m going to petition the mayor to put it on the town’s new welcome sign.”

“Aren’t you married to the mayor?”Cassie asks, hefting the tray.