The dog quirked his ears and peered at her with what Sadie thought to be sad eyes.
“I agree. That’s a silly name for a puppy. I think I’ll call you Bambi.” Turning the tag over, she didn’t see a number. Why would someone put a collar on the dog without a number? Her chest tightened with indignation.
“Don’t you worry. I’ll take care of you, boy.”
She’d check in with the shelter later; he did have a collar, after all. But something in her felt like Bambi was meant for her. A dog was loyal. A dog you could train with treats and table scraps and attention. Maybe if she could keep him, he wouldn’t leave her.
She gathered up the baskets of vegetables and, smiling, called the dog after her. Finally, something today had gone right.
Bambi lay on the back porch off the kitchen while she whipped up three big loaves of zucchini bread. With every ounce of focus trained on the task, nothing went horribly wrong. Seth used to say that she bent over backward just to make everyone like her. She’d argue that she just liked doing nice things for people.
“There is no truly selfless act,” he’d told her.
“It doesn’t have to be. If it makes me feel good too, who does that hurt?”
“People should like you for you. Not what you do for them. You’re always afraid people are going to leave, so you do anything you can to make them stay.”
She hated the way he always saw into her. Revealed truths she didn’t want to look at. She wanted to tell him that it wasn’t true. But the lie refused to roll off her tongue.
“People can’t be boiled down to black and white,” she said instead. “We’re made up of too many memories and prejudices.”
“When you stop being so afraid of being alone, you’ll realize your worth and stop letting people walk all over you.”
Shaking off the echo of Seth’s words, she filled her car with crates of lavender-infused honey for Wharton’s Market, sachets of good luck buckbean tied with twine, a set of silver welcome bells for Poppy Meadow’s Florist and Gift Shop, and a fresh assortment of ice cream for Lavender and Lace’s. The bells were meant to be rung when visitors arrived, as a sign of welcome and gratitude for friendship. Sadie had dipped them in violet-infused water under a full moon, to ensure peace during the visit.
With everything loaded, she set off for Lavender and Lace’s Ice Cream Parlor, always first on the route. The freezer bags only lasted so long.
“Let me help you with those,” Lavender half shouted from her place at the counter when Sadie came in. Her long, shiny black hair rippled like a flag in the wind as she jumped down.
“No, let me help you!” Lace said even louder, scrambling to grab the bag from Sadie’s shoulder first. “What is it this week?”
“Honey vanilla with toffee and then a pumpkin stracciatella,” Sadie told them, glancing around the immaculate parlor. It was set up exactly like an old-fashioned soda fountain, with its long counter and vinyl stools and acres of chrome, but instead of black or red checkerboard, everything was in shades of softest lavender and cream. If you stuck out your tongue, the air tasted sweet, scented with the fresh waffle cones they made every day.
“Your flavors are always the first to go,” Lavender said sweetly.
“Stop puffing her up, dummy. She knows hers are always the first to go.” Lace rolled her eyes at her sister. Where her sister’s hair nearly reached her waist, Lace’s was cut in a sharp, angular bob that framed her face with frightening intensity.
“I was just being nice,” Lavender said through pursed lips.
“Like you know how,” Lace sneered.
“You heard the news I see?” the twins asked at the same time, turning to peer at Sadie.
“What do you mean?” Sadie asked cautiously.
“Your eyes are star crossed,” Lavender said with a dreamy smile.
“And your aura is clouded,” Lace added in that no-nonsense tone of hers.
“Jake McHotty Hot Pants, of course,” Lavender said when Sadie just stared blankly at them.
Sadie let out a groan as the two started bickering about what was to become of her love life.
“I’ll just—I’m going to go.” She pointed her thumbs to the door and started to turn around when Lace stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
“Have you seen anything lately?”
Sadie pursed her lips and tried to ignore the apprehension pooling in her stomach. Knowing Lace and the way she asked, the question immediately brought to mind the flash of white at the edge of the woods.