The Thing About Trouble (Crystal Lake 1)

“No,” Blue replied softly. “I’m sort of new to town.” Okay, it was a small white lie. She wasn’t exactly new considering she’d lived here for three years, but she found herself making the statement anyway.

“Where you from?” Poppy was busy wrapping the items and paused as she looked up at Blue.

“Nowhere.” The answer was automatic, and she blushed. “Everywhere.”

Poppy laughed. “I’ve lived my whole life in Crystal Lake. When I was twenty, all I wanted to do was leave, and I did. I went to Los Angeles because I wanted to be an actress. When I was twenty-five, all I wanted to do was come back. Now that I’m thirty, I can’t remember why I wanted to leave in the first place.” She placed the items in a beautiful antique-looking bag and gave Blue the total.

Blue reached for her platinum credit card but then, at the last moment, grabbed her cash instead. As Poppy rang in the order and made change, Blue spied a s

ign on the wall behind the woman. She stared at it intensely as a crazy idea began to unfold.

“You’re looking for help?” she asked lightly, taking the change and shoving it in her back pocket.

“I am.” Poppy nodded and smiled. “Are you looking for work?”

Blue found herself nodding. Okay, the crazy idea was taking hold. It was growing roots and doing something pretty incredible. She was waking up.

“I think so…”

Poppy laughed at that. “Well, it’s only part time. Two days a week.”

“That’s perfect,” she answered quickly. “I mean, if you’re offering. I have retail experience.” Again with the lies. What the hell was wrong with her?

“I am.” She came around the counter. “I’m looking for Tuesdays, noon until five. And Saturdays, noon until six.”

“Okay. I can start Tuesday.”

She laughed and winked. “I’m Poppy Fairbanks, by the way. It would be good if I knew your name.”

Blue hesitated for a second and held her breath as she answered. “Blue.” No recognition. She wasn’t sure why it was so important to her that Poppy not know who she was, but for the life of her, she didn’t want to be known as the notorious widow Barnes. It was a tired, mean-spirited label, and she was sick of it. She knew what most people thought of her, that she was a gold-digging Vegas showgirl who’d managed to snag an elderly millionaire. They whispered behind her back, and some had the audacity to whisper in front of her. They all thought she was trash and that David had been swayed by her charms.

It was insulting to David. He’d been the smartest, kindest man she’d ever known, and she missed him every minute of every day.

“Blue? That’s an unusual name. I like it.” Poppy grabbed a piece of paper from a folder on the deck. “Here. Take this home and fill it out so I have all your details on Tuesday.”

The two women walked to the door, and Poppy followed Blue outside. A man stood across the way on the boardwalk. Dressed in tan board shorts and a black T-shirt, his tall athletic build was hard to miss. He held a large pink bag, and beside him, a young girl happily licked a mint-green ice-cream cone. Dark curls sprang from the little head in all directions, and the yellow dress she wore was at least two sizes too big. A dog sat at her feet, eyes glued to the ice-cream cone, anticipating a drop.

Poppy followed her gaze and gave a low whistle. “Cam Booker. That right there is the most beautiful man in Crystal Lake.”

Blue’s heart skipped a beat when she realized who it was. “Is that his little girl?”

“You know him?” Poppy asked, though she didn’t take her eyes from the man.

“No, I…” She exhaled. “I was just wondering.”

“I don’t know who the little girl is, but she’s definitely not Cam’s.” Poppy turned to Blue. “One thing you’ll notice is that there is an overabundance of hot men in town. Like, smoking hot. And that one right there?” She pointed with a grin. “He’s at the top of the ladder.”

Cam turned slightly, giving the women a glimpse of his profile as he bent into a squat so that he was face-to-face with the young girl. She offered him her cone, and when he smiled at the little girl, Blue was pretty sure every woman within a mile radius was having a meltdown of some sort.

She glanced around, and sure enough, every woman on the boardwalk was tuned in to the man and the little girl.

“What’s he like?” she found herself asking.

“Cam?” Poppy shrugged. “Back in the day that boy was every mama’s worst nightmare. A real charmer with no desire for commitment. But then he got into some trouble a while back, and that seems to have calmed him down.”

“Trouble?”

Poppy blushed. “I don’t know if half of what I’ve heard is true, so I don’t feel comfortable passing it along. Lord knows most of the stuff they say about me isn’t true either.” She shook her head. “The thing about a small town is that the gossip mill runs twenty-four seven. The problem with gossip is usually there’s a small kernel of truth, but that truth gets diluted as it’s passed around. By the time you hear the latest news on”—Poppy air quoted—“‘whoever,’ it’s all wrong anyway.”