Chapter 1

RILEY

I stepped off the bus into the new town. The woman at the bus station booth said this place was worth seeing, and she was right. It had the most beautiful scenery, and the town seemed to have its own history.

The breeze hits my face. The musky smell of the forest hit me, which was much better than I had over the years, such as manure. I have stayed in some worse places than this.

I stood and scanned the town. It looked small, with a few stores, each with its own quirky style, which made it even more amazing.

This is probably somewhere I can call home—maybe.

Looking over my shoulder and back at the bus stop. It was right in the middle of the town. I place my bag on my shoulder as the bus leaves the station.

I look both ways to cross the road and take everything about this place. There is so much to see. But my eyes fall on the one place I love—a bookstore.

I love reading and everything that it offers. It is an escape from reality when you need to leave, and sometimes, I always needed one. It was a way to escape all the thoughts that consumed me.

I walked over to it since I wasn't even in a rush to look for a place to stay, even though I should. I came here on a whim.

Opening the door and hearing the bell ring above, I couldn't help but look around the store and take in the whole setup that was on display, which was like a library. I walked further in and made my way over to a section on the nearest shelf, where I looked through all the books that this place had.

There was a fantastic selection from the classics to modern ones. The entire store had a lot to offer, with many shelves that made you wonder where the store had ended. It looked like it went on for miles and reminded me of the police box in Doctor Who, which was small on the outside and bigger on the inside. And that's what this store felt like to me. I was in awe of the whole place.

I moved closer to the middle, where I spotted an older woman behind the counter. Her eyes moved up, and she looked at me while smiling.

I have been wondering about the store the entire time. I felt someone watching me, which made me wonder if it was the old lady.

"May I help you find something?" she blurted out while I picked up a book to look at on the nearby table that was for sale. There seemed to be a huge sale, which could be lethal since I could buy the entire store in one sitting.

Pulling myself from my thoughts, I looked at her and smiled. "Do you know of any motels around here?" I asked, keeping my eyes on her. I had just arrived and needed a place to stay for a few days until I knew if I would stay longer."

I didn't want to give too much away about anything just yet. I still hesitated about coming here, but this place might influence my decision. My eyes moved to the window, and I looked out.

There were a few people walking past, but they were all in their own little world. This made me wonder if it was possible to make a home here if you fell in love with the place at first sight, which was new to me. I move around a lot, and I never felt safe or moved by a place until this one, which was odd since I didn't plan to come here.

"I love little towns like this," I blurted, looking back at the woman.

The woman seemed to be in her own mind when she shook her thoughts away and looked at me with a smile. "How long are you staying for?" she asked, stepping behind the counter and leaning on it. Her eyes stayed on me for a moment before she continued. "I know the motel has been full for another three months since this place is very popular with tourists around this time."

My stomach dropped, but her next words surprised me. "I have an apartment upstairs that you could use."

I stared at the woman, stunned.

Was she being serious? No stranger has ever been this nice to me.

"That would be lovely," I said with a small smile. "I don't know how long I want to stay,"

The woman nodded. But there was something I needed to know and needed to find out fast. "By any chance, do you know of any jobs?" I asked, looking around the store. I was hoping there was one here. It would be like I had gone to heaven, but I continued. "I need to make some money, as I am running low."

I wasn't hopeful when I said the last part. I knew I wasn't that lucky to get two for two.

The woman looked at me, and she searched my face. Part of me felt violated somehow. I wondered what she was trying to figure out. Was it my motives?

After a little while, I watched as the corners of her lips curled up into a smile. "Well, you are in luck," she said, which made my eyes wide at her words. Did I hear her right?

"I'm looking for someone to look after the store for me since it has been getting too much for me lately," she said with a warm smile while looking around until she came back to me. "My grandson thinks I need someone to be here helping me out. He has helped me quite a lot over the years, but I need someone more permanent to help me."

I couldn't believe my luck. Not only did I find somewhere to stay but also a job, not even an hour after arriving in the town. That's a record for me.

"I will take it," I said a little too quickly, which made her laugh.

"You haven't even seen the apartment yet," she said with an amused look.

I shook my head. That part never mattered to me.

"I don't care," I said. "I have stayed in some gruesome places over the years. It will be an enormous improvement, trust me."

The woman nodded and smiled. Her eyes stayed on me when she continued. "Well then, let me show you to the apartment," she said, moving away from the counter but looking at me once again. Once you have settled in, I will show you around the store and what I expect you to do here."

I gave her a nod while I moved over to her. I stopped when I noticed her looking at me with an odd expression. "Is that all you have, dear?" she said, motioning toward my bag.

I nodded.

"Yeah, this is my life," I said, looking at my bag and then back at her. "Everything I own is all in one bag. I have never stayed in one place long enough to settle down."

The woman gives me a sad look but then softens slightly. "Maybe this might be the place you will call home."

I said nothing, knowing I wouldn't mind that, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. When bored, I usually change my mind and move on to the next adventure.

"Well, let's show you around," she said, pulling me from my thoughts. I looked at her and smiled while she continued. "My grandson will be here soon to have some tea." The woman frowned and spoke again. "By the way, my name is Margret. What's yours?"

Margret looked at me and smiled, which I returned. "My name is Riley," I said. "Riley Thomas."

Margret smiled at me and motioned me to follow her. She led me to a side entrance and then up some stairs to my apartment, the first door on the right.