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Chapter 57: A Beautiful Melody
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The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 1: A Little Extra Sugar
"Did you hear?" Cynthia says as she reaches down into the dessert case. "Penny and George say they've had some big-shot Hollywood types shooting out at their ranch all week."I smile as I pull three fresh coffee mugs from beneath the counter. "There's been a rumor or two." News travels fast in our town, but Cynthia usually manages to get the best dirt - if there's gossip about anything, she's the one with the full scoop. She hears everything. Our late-night shifts together are rarely dull.She pulls a lemon meringue pie from the case and sets it on the counter. The kitchen here at Dandelion Diner is open twenty-four hours, but after eleven o'clock or so all anybody really wants is soda, coffee, and dessert. Occasionally you'll have a group of teenagers stumble in well after curfew and order chili fries and onion rings, and a few local cops will stop by after their shifts for bacon cheeseburgers, but most people out at this hour end up at Chief's Tavern down the road. At least until t
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 2: A Stranger in the Woods
Four hours later, my shift is finally over. The morning crew arrives at three thirty, and Cynthia and I say our goodbyes and head out to our cars."Good night," she calls to me. We always tell each other good night, even in the summer when the sun is already coming up by the time we get off.Most mornings, I head straight home and collapse into bed, then sleep until noon. That gives me a few hours in the afternoon to take care of errands and everyday life things before returning to work again.Today, though, I find myself lingering at my car door, my face tilted up. The sky is gray and pink, and a couple of birds are already singing, heralding the coming day. As Cynthia's car gets farther and farther away, their chirping is the only sound in the air. The rest of the world is still, holding its breath before the sun rises above the horizon.The loneliness settles over me again. I stand there with my keys in the lock of my beat-up old car, unable to move, staring at that rash of pink
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 3: Beautiful Mystery
Some places, seeing someone you don't recognize wouldn't be a big deal. But we don't get many strangers here. And any man that approaches a woman alone in the woods is suspicious, no matter where you are. And no matter how startlingly attractive he is."Stay back!" I yell.He's already well into the river, ignoring the rocks and just wading right through the water. He's at least six feet tall with shoulders as broad as a bear's - this man could overpower me easily if he wanted to. And in spite of his stunning looks, he also looks dangerous - there are tattoos running up his arms, and I think I even spot one curling around the side of his neck.I throw the rock. I'm not the best shot, but I manage to hit him right in the chest. He grunts and clutches his ribs, and I bend over and find another rock. This one is smaller, but my first throw seems to have at least made him pause. He holds up his hands, palms toward me."Whoa, easy there," he says. "I didn't mean to startle you.""Stay
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 4: Little Bird
The man catches me before I can fall. The heat of his body is even more of a shock than the frigid water swirling around my legs. Warmth rushes through me, flooding the places where our bodies touch. His fingers burn like fire where they grip my arm.I straighten abruptly, pulling my arm out of his grasp. I think I notice a hint of amusement in his face as I do so, but I ignore it, running my cold fingers over my skin, trying to chase away the feeling of his touch. My arm tingles.This is what happens when you refuse human contact for so long, I lecture myself. You meet one attractive stranger and within minutes you're ready to melt into a puddle at his feet.We wade the rest of the way to shore without a word.When I'm fully out of the water and the breeze hits me, I shiver. The water was cold, but the way the wind sweeps over my skin is even worse. Even in summer, there's often a nip in the air.He notices."I'd offer you my jacket," he says, "but I don't have one.""You're ri
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 5: Secrets
"No," I hear myself tell him, to my own surprise. "I don't want you to go.""Good," he says with a wolfish smile. "Because I'm not ready for you to fly away yet."I'm not sure what to make of that answer, so I turn away and begin searching the water around the rock where I was sitting. My bare toes skim across the bottom, feeling for anything that isn't a slick, river-smoothed stone. Periodically, I bend over and run my fingers across the bottom, grasping around through the dark green water.They wouldn't have floated away, I tell myself. They're heavy enough that they would sink. But I'm not sure if that's just wishful thinking. My mind keeps going back to other things."Sorry for dumping on you like that," I say. "About my mom, I mean. We don't even know each other. You don't need to hear about all my problems.""I don't know," he says. "Sometimes it's easier to be open with a complete stranger."I glance his way. "You think so?""Yeah. Isn't it?""Does that mean you're going
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 6: A Crazy, Beautiful Mistake
I don't think I can answer his question. Rafe leans closer, and I tilt my head back so I can keep looking him in the eyes."Did you want me to kiss you?" he asks again, his voice even lower than before. "Do you?"My hand seems to rise on its own, my fingers grazing the thin fabric of his shirt. They finally come to rest on the side of his throat. His skin is so warm, pulsing with life.It's been so long since I had real human contact. And he's so beautiful..."Yes," I hear myself say. Yes, I want this. I want him to make me forget my loneliness and grief for a moment. And I want to help him forget his.He takes his time tilting his face down to mine - so long that I start to wonder if he's simply teasing me. But then his lips brush against mine, and they're warm and soft and they chase every other thought away.His mouth moves gently against mine, but he's not tentative - it's more like he's testing the waters, deliberately drawing it out to see how I respond.And boy, do I resp
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 7: A Life-Changing Surprise
- SEVEN WEEKS LATER -Remember everything I said about there being worse things than making a mistake?I may have been wrong about that."Somethin' wrong?" Cynthia asks me, wiping her hands on her apron.I look up from the menus I've been wiping down. "No, no, I'm fine." There's only one table of customers at the moment, which means we've spent most of the last hour cleaning up and readying the diner for the morning shift."Mm-hmm," Cynthia says, pursing her lips at me in that way she does when she doesn't believe a word I'm saying. "Something's going on with you. I can tell.""It's nothing, really," I insist, taking my soapy rag to a patch of crusty ketchup on one of the menus. Nothing I can talk about, anyway."Mm-hmm."I frown down at the stubborn dried ketchup, trying to think about anything else. It doesn't work.Cynthia comes over to stand beside me, nudging me with her hip. "I know you, Edie. As much as anyone in this town knows you. You've been distracted all shift." W
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 8: The Truth About My Mystery Man
Cynthia's fingers tighten on my arm. She's read the answer on my face. I toss the test down on the table and grab my mug again. The coffee has finally cooled enough to drink, and I need something bracing.Cynthia waits for me to speak first. It's funny - when I asked to come over and do this here, I never expected her to be so restrained. In fact, I'd hoped she'd be her usual, talkative self - it would help get me out of my head. But her supportive silence is doing its job, either way."I'm keeping it," I say. It's funny - up until this moment, up until the words spilled out of my mouth, I wasn't sure what the heck I was going to do. But now I can't imagine doing anything else."Of course," Cynthia says, nodding. She releases my arm and raises her mug to her lips. Her fuchsia lipstick still looks perfect, even after an eight-hour shift.I need to ask her where she buys that, I think. It's odd, the things that run through your head at a time like this.Cynthia shifts in her seat as
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