Chapter Three
Rebecca found herself drawn to the café after last nights events and then the weird interaction at the bookstore. She needed a good cup of coffee to restart this day.
The Rose & Thorn sat on the corner of the square like the heart of the town brick walls draped in ivy, little round tables with mismatched chairs, and the warm smell of roasted beans spilling onto the street.
Inside, the atmosphere was bustling but cozy. Behind the counter stood a woman with copper hair in a messy bun, her sleeves rolled up as she moved with the kind of energy that could power the whole town.
"You must be the new face," the woman called before Rebecca had even made it to the register. "Star Berkshire. I sell homes, sling coffee, and keep the gossip mill turning. And you are…?"
"Rebecca Earl," she said, startled into a smile.
Star's eyes sparkled. "Rebecca. Divorcee, right? Don't look so shocked I'm the realtor, honey. I know everyone's story before they even unpack a box. But don't worry, with me, your secrets are safe."
Rebecca laughed, the first real laugh she'd had in months. "Well, that's comforting."
Star slid a steaming mug across the counter. "On the house. A welcome-to-Hollow's-Edge latte. Drink it before the town stares holes in you because they will. They're sizing you up, same as they did me fifteen years ago."
Rebecca blinked. "Do they ever stop?"
Star leaned closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "Nope. But that's half the fun. You'll get used to it. And if you don't? You've got me. We're a package deal now, sugar."
Rebecca felt something loosen in her chest. For the first time since the move, she didn't feel completely alone.
From the corner of the café, a figure in black slipped quietly through the door, almost unnoticed. Rebecca stiffened Nathaniel. But when she looked back at Star, she saw something flicker across her expression. Recognition. Wariness.
Star straightened, too quickly, and pasted on her trademark smile. "Well," she said brightly, "looks like you've already caught Hollow's Edge's most eligible bachelor's attention."
Rebecca's cheeks warmed. "You know him?"
Star's smile didn't waver, but her voice softened. "Everyone knows Nathaniel Edgeworth." Rebecca felt a chill, though the café was warm. "So he's some kind of royalty around here?"
More like a legacy no one dares question," Star said with a wry smile. "Nathaniel's presence keeps the town stitched together. Pleasant as everyone acts, you'll notice nobody crosses him. Not if they want to stay on the right side of Hollows Edge.
Rebecca wrapped her hands around the mug Star had pushed toward her, grateful for the warmth. The café smelled of cinnamon and roasted beans, cozy enough to settle her nerves until she realized Star was studying her the way a jeweler studies a gem closely, with sharp interest and appreciation both.
"You've got the look of a woman who's seen storms," Star said softly, tilting her head. "Don't tell me you came to Hollow's Edge for the weather."
Rebecca let out a shaky laugh. "Divorce, actually. Needed somewhere new. Somewhere quiet."
Star turned and looked out the window to the street "Quiet, huh? Hollow's Edge looks quiet, but don't be fooled. We're a postcard darling. Pretty from a distance, but up close well that's a different story."
Rebecca arched a brow. "You don't make it sound very welcoming."
"Oh, it is," Star said with a grin. "Folks here will smile at you until your face aches from smiling back. They'll bring you baskets of muffins"
Rebecca stiffened. "Someone already did."
Star's eyes flickered, quick and sharp. "Cinnamon?"
Rebecca nodded slowly. "This morning. No note."
Star tapped her fingers against her mug. "Well. That means someone's keeping an eye on you. Around here, food on the porch is never just food. It's a message. You're being watched, sugar."
Do I tell Star what I saw? she wondered.
The figure on the street had been there only a moment, just beyond the corner of her vision a tall silhouette, standing too still, watching her. When she turned, it was gone. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe I'm just jumpy. New town, new house, too many creaks in the night it's no wonder I'm seeing ghosts.
Rebecca's hands trembled slightly around her coffee mug as she admitted, "Sometimes I think I made a mistake coming here. Everyone looks at me like I don't belong."
"Shh," Star murmured, her voice low, almost like a lullaby. "Don't you let their stares get into your bones. New places always feel like that at first. "Hollows Edge maybe the best thing that ever happened to you."
Rebecca felt a lump rise in her throat. She hadn't expected kindness here, not like this, not from someone she'd just met.
"So," Star continued, brightening, "what do you want to know first? The gossip, the warnings, or the history?"
Rebecca hesitated. "History."
Star leaned back, a sparkle in her eyes. "Of course. History here is written in two names: Edgeworth and Weatherman. The Edgeworths built Hollow's Edge money, land, influence. The Weathermans? They stirred the soul of the place.
The café seemed to tilt slightly as Star's words settled between them.
"Weatherman."
Rebecca's breath hitched. The name was familiar, yet hearing it spoken here by someone who carried it like a piece of folklore made her stomach drop. The walls seemed closer, the chatter of the café distant, muffled like she was underwater.
Weatherman. My grandmother's name. My blood. "No that couldn't be right." She disappeared years before I was born. Did it start here first?"
Her vision blurred around the edges. She pressed her palm against the cool surface of her mug, but it did nothing to steady the sudden wave of lightheadedness.
Star frowned, sliding from her chair. "Sugar, you've gone pale. What is it?"
Rebecca shook her head, trying to push a smile onto trembling lips. "It's nothing I just need some air."
Star's hand caught her arm, firm but kind. "No, it's more than air. You're white as a sheet. The clinic's just down the square you let me walk you."
Rebecca wanted to protest, but her legs felt unsteady beneath her as she stood. The world swayed, and she clutched the table edge until Star's steady arm guided her toward the door.
I shouldn't feel this way just hearing a name. Why does it feel like the ground has been pulled out from under me?
They reached the ivy-covered brick of the Hollow's Edge Family Clinic. Star pushed the door open and gave her a reassuring smile. "There now. Dr. Edgeworth will take good care of you. Greyson, not Nathaniel," she added with a wink, trying to lighten the mood.
Rebecca's chest tightened at the familiar name. Edgeworth again.
Star squeezed her hand before letting go. "You're not alone, sugar. I'll be right here if you need me."
Rebecca nodded, her pulse still racing, and stepped inside.