Welcome to Castle Cove

Stop and see who it is

Stop and see who it is

I should’ve known it was too good to be true. A beautiful weekend at home was beginning to feel too real. I compose a smile and turn around.

It’s Laura, my boss.

She stands in the hallway just outside her office door with her cell phone pressed to her ear. She pulls the phone away from her head and asks, “Can I have just a minute? It won’t take long.”

“Of course.” I soften my smile, trying to infuse it with sincerity, but I suspect the hint of desperation is still there.

I’m glad I didn’t run into the parking lot. Blowing off the boss after the first week on the job would’ve gone over really well.

I step into her office, and she closes the door behind us. She takes a seat at her large desk and I select a chair opposite her. And wait.

She continues to listen to whomever is on the other end of the line. I can hear the melodic masculine voice from where I sit. I take the moment to appreciate the photos of her kids in pretty sterling silver picture frames and the luxurious navy-blue sofa in the corner.

My phone buzzes in my bag, but I ignore it. Whoever is calling will have to wait. Laura can be rude if she wants. She cuts my paycheck.

“All of that sounds great,” Laura says finally, tapping her nails on her desktop. They’re black with red tips. “Yes, we look forward to seeing it in action. Please send him our best regards. Thanks. Yes, you too.”

She ends the call.

“I apologize for the wait and for holding you over on a Friday,” she begins flashing me that brilliant white smile. I’m certain that her teeth must be veneers. They’re too perfect. Like the red hair framing her bone-white face. “I’m sure you’re as desperate for a day off as I am.”

You have no idea.

“Do you have plans this weekend?” she asks.

My heart skips a beat. I don’t think she’s just curious. I have a feeling she’s going to ask me to work. Before I can decide if I should lie and make up some plans or admit to being free, she barrels on.

“That was Ethan’s assistant, Liam, on the phone. Ethan wants you to visit Labyrinth this weekend, see the establishment first hand. He’s certain it will help you formulate a marketing plan. He’ll give you the VIP treatment of course.”

“That’s nice.” I hope my face is neutral.

Because I can’t say no. Ethan Benedict is the other B in the B & B Creative Partners. Apparently, Ethan Benedict and Laura Benson struck up a partnership to promote Mr. Benedict’s many businesses in Castle Cove. That makes him both my boss and my client.

He owns First Night Theatre in Old Town. A classy renovated theatre a couple of blocks from my apartment that looks like it was cut right out of time, with its classic Broadway-esque marquee. It must’ve cost Mr. Benedict a fortune to restore it to its 1920s glory.

He also has a restaurant in Cliffside, High Tide, focusing on seafood dishes served on pristine white tablecloths overlooking the ocean. And don’t forget The Magic Bean, a coffee shop on the edge of CCU’s campus.

I would almost prefer any of these establishments to the velvet and leather night club I’ve been invited to. Labyrinth, a converted warehouse on the northwestern edge of town. At the very end of the Red Light district, sometimes called the Quarter. The strip of town known for its dark bars and raucous night life.

I have no idea what I will wear.

Laura’s lips quirk in a knowing smile. “Perhaps it isn’t your scene, but it will be good to visit anyway. Ethan would like to meet our newest Castle Cove resident.”

Another 100-watt smile.

“So when will you go?” she presses, tapping her nails against the desktop again.

Not will you go, but when.

“I’m very tired tonight,” I tell her. “But maybe after a good night of sleep…”

“Great! I’ll tell Ethan you’ll be there tomorrow. Club opens at 10.”

“A.M.?”

Laura laughs, a throaty sound. Her brown eyes catching the lamplight. “P.M. It’s a nightclub. He’ll be so pleased.”

Her phone buzzes again and I politely excuse myself from her office before she can make any more unreasonable demands.

As I step into the parking lot, the chilly evening licks the back of my neck and I shiver. I see a red Tesla Roadster pull out of the paved lot and turn onto Pine Creek Road, just before I spot my own car in the parking lot, two spaces down from Laura’s Lexus. I pull my coat tighter and hustle toward my car.

As I cast nervous looks up at the swelling moon and the dancing shadows closing in. I can’t help but feel like my weekend won’t be as quiet as I planned.

Why is that first moment when I get home so glorious? I kick off my shoes, feel my heels soften into the plush carpet and sigh. I toss the bag onto the sofa and say hello to the cat, Sushi. He meows, batting the edge of his food dish. It’s mostly full, with a small quarter-sized part of the bowl showing at the bottom. Yet he’s crying like he’s going to perish of hunger at any moment. It’s hard to resist him though. With his soft gray fur, white-socked feet and big amber eyes—he knows I’m easy prey.

“All right, all right,” I say and add another half scoop to the bowl. He lets me pet him for a minute before batting my hand away. I’m surprised that I get away with that much, honestly.

Sushi has been on edge since we’ve arrived in Castle Cove. I’m sure it’s the new town, new apartment, and he’ll warm up to the place soon.

I call the pizza place listed on my fridge magnet, The Castle Cove Slice, and order a medium pizza with sausage and peppers. Stuffed crust. I do this while fishing the bottle opener out of the drawer and uncorking the chilled Moscato.

Okay, so while I have changed my zip code to escape my ex, I have not yet made adjustments to my diet or my drinking.

Baby steps.

Less than five minutes later, I’m in my pajamas, cold wine glass in hand, and only thirty minutes until my pizza arrives. My bag buzzes again.

I set my wine glass on a stone coaster long enough to sort through my junk and find the buzzing cell phone.

It’s Katie, my only friend in town – if I can call her that. We met at the new employee orientation, Monday. I’m in marketing, she’s in sales. But we were the only two people there, both new to town and therefore friends by circumstance as much as anything else.

I don’t know if she would be my natural choice for a friend. But there is something about being new and friendless that bonds people. And we’re both from big East Coast cities—Baltimore and Boston—finding ourselves in the much smaller and quainter Castle Cove.

My phone buzzes again, impatiently.

I look at my pjs and the wine and the paperback on the corner of my coffee table. Do I ignore the call and proceed with my night as planned? Or do I take Katie’s call, knowing she probably wants to hang out?

Choice 2

Answer Katie’s phone call

Call her back later