“You’re definitely spending too much time with us,” I said, laughing. “You get more and more dramatic with each passing day. I kind of like it.”
“Why are you enjoying this?” Landon asked. “Look at this guy.” Landon moved to stand next to him. “I’m taller. I have a better body.” He cast a derisive look in Richard’s direction. “I definitely have better hair. What could you have possibly seen in this guy?”
“We dated for a few weeks,” I answered. “It’s not like we moved in together or got married.”
“I don’t like him,” Landon said, flicking Richard’s nose. Richard remained oblivious as he chatted with Bay. “I want to kick him in the nuts. You don’t think he’s wearing a cup, do you?”
“Why don’t you investigate and find out for yourself?” Aunt Tillie appeared on the pathway behind us, her face full of mirth as she watched Landon’s meltdown. “You can earn your pervert merit badge if you check to see whether he’s wearing a cup.”
“You,” Landon hissed, extending a finger as he stalked in Aunt Tillie’s direction. “This is all your fault. I’ve put up with a lot today. I’ve even enjoyed myself for most of it. Seeing Bay born was delightful. Hanging out with little Bay was so cute I almost melted. Hanging out with teenage Bay freaked me out a little bit, but I managed. This, though? This is too much.”
“You’re crying like a woman,” Aunt Tillie said, rolling her eyes until they landed on me. “How can you put up with him when he acts like this?”
I shrugged. “I think it’s cute.”
“Oh, you like his jealous streak,” Aunt Tillie said. “It makes you feel wanted. I get it.”
“She is wanted,” Landon snapped, turning his attention back to Richard. “What is this guy’s deal? Why is he hiding in the woods instead of interacting with the family? I’ll bet he has absolutely filthy things on his mind. If that’s about to happen, I’m leaving. I won’t watch it.”
“Chill out,” Aunt Tillie said, making a face. “This is my memory. That means I witnessed it. Do you really think I sat around in the woods and watched Bay do the nasty with the twerp of the month?”
“Twerp.” Landon laughed. “That fits him perfectly. You’re a twerp, Richard. Or should I call you Dick? I think that fits you better.”
He was starting to act deranged. I didn’t know if it was exhaustion or the surreal situation, but it was beginning to grate on me.
“Tell me about your family,” Richard said. “I’ve met Clove and Thistle … and I love Clove … but I haven’t met anyone else from your family. What are they like?”
“Oh, they’re like any normal family I think,” Bay said, biting her bottom lip.
“Oh, puh-leez,” Landon intoned. “Why are you lying to this guy? Are you trying to impress him? You never lied to me. Well, you lied about the witch stuff. That was only at first, though, and you had to protect yourself. I understand that.”
I didn’t miss Aunt Tillie’s smirk. She was enjoying this. “You’re my Aunt Tillie, right?”
“We’re all your Aunt Tillie. We’re just different versions of her.”
A few feet away, Richard was still in the wooing mood. “I think you could be the prettiest woman in Hemlock Cove.”
“That did it,” Landon said. “I want this guy gone right now!”
“Why are you being such a whiner?” Aunt Tillie asked. “You already got your girl. You’re ignoring her for the younger girl. If you’re not careful, she’s going to get a complex.”
That hadn’t occurred to me. I shifted my eyes to Bay. “Maybe I should grow my hair long again,” I said, fingering my shoulder-length blond locks. “Do you think I look better that way?”
“I think you look perfect the way you are,” Landon countered. “Don’t listen to Aunt Tillie. I don’t want this Bay. I want you.”
“Aunt Tillie just told you that I’m all the Bays,” I pointed out.
“But … you’re not,” Landon argued. “Sure, you were technically baby Bay and little Bay … and I’m hoping really hard that teenage Bay was an exaggeration … but all those moments made you my Bay. This Bay isn’t my Bay. Not yet.”
The sentiment was unbearably adorable.
“Do you hear that?” Aunt Tillie asked. “He thinks you’re his property.”
“I do not!” Landon threw his hands in the air. “You’re already making this unnecessarily hard on us. We don’t need this, too.”
“How am I making it hard on you?” Aunt Tillie challenged. “All you have to do is watch. Is watching television hard on you, too?”
“That’s such crap,” Landon said. “Some of these memories have been great. Heck, some of them have been magical. I’ve watched the rest of them rip Bay’s heart out – and mine by extension. Do you really think I wanted to watch Lila bully Bay? Or Bay feel guilty about moving to Detroit for a few years? You’re making it harder than it has to be.”
Landon was on the verge of a complete meltdown.
“Aunt Tillie, I think it’s time we go home,” I prodded. “You need to wake up. We need to wake up, too. Landon wants his pot roast.”
“That’s right!” Landon hopped in front of Richard, who continued talking as if we weren’t encroaching on his personal space. “You didn’t feed this guy pot roast, did you? It will taint things if you did.”
“I already told you that Richard lasted a couple of weeks and then left,” I said. “Speaking of that, I kind of remember this day. Are you telling me you were out here spying while we took a walk?”
“I wasn’t technically spying,” Aunt Tillie clarified.
“What were you technically doing?” Landon asked.
Aunt Tillie shrugged, holding her hands palms up. “Who can say? My memory isn’t what it used to be.”
Realization dawned on me and I peered over Aunt Tillie’s shoulder so I could confirm my suspicion. I snorted when I saw the second Aunt Tillie hunkered down behind a bush. She had a shovel in her hand and two potted marijuana plants at her feet.
“Oh,” Landon said. “You’re out here gardening. I wondered why you’d care about this. This guy is boring. He doesn’t merit spying.”
“He was boring,” Aunt Tillie confirmed. “That’s why I wanted to show him to you.”
“You wanted to show me Bay’s boring former boyfriend as part of some lesson?” Landon asked. “Why?”
“Because you both need to stop obsessing about the past and worrying about the future,” Aunt Tillie answered. “The past is over. The future will be fine if you relax and let it happen. It’s the present that counts, and your present is … magical … when you let it be.”
“You sound like a deranged talking fortune cookie,” Landon snapped. “I’m done here. I want to go home. My pot roast is probably drying out as we speak.”
“I thought you wanted to see yourself?” Aunt Tillie challenged.
Landon faltered. “Am I coming up next?”
Aunt Tillie smiled. “I guess you’ll have to wait and see,” she said. “I guarantee you’re coming up soon … and you won’t want to miss it.”
“What I don’t want to miss is my pot roast,” Landon grumbled, narrowing his eyes as he regarded Richard. “This guy.” Landon reached over and messed up Richard’s hair. Richard and Bay were in their own little world and didn’t seem to notice. “Stay away from my girl, Dick. Whatever happened to this guy?” Landon asked, grabbing my hand the moment the colors swirled again. “Please tell me Aunt Tillie gutted him and buried him on the property. I don’t want to risk him popping up again. I don’t like him.”
“Are you done?” I asked.
“Never!”
* * *
You’re on my list.
– Aunt Tillie … practically every day of her life.
Sixteen
“Holy crap!”
“You can say that again,” Landon groused. We’d landed outside again, only this time we were in an entirely new location. He hadn’t bothered to look around yet, though, he was stil
l irritated with the previous memory. “Where did that Richard dude go? Is he still in town? I want to pound him.”
“I think you’re overreacting.”
“I think you’re underreacting,” Landon shot back. “Wait … is that a word?”
“No.”
“Thank you, grammar police,” Landon muttered.
“You asked,” I said, refusing to take his mood personally. “By the way, don’t you want to look around?”
“Not especially,” Landon said, refusing to meet my gaze. I think he knew how ridiculous he was acting. Hours of emotional upheaval were taking a toll. “Am I going to be forced to sit through another horrible date with some tool?”
“Kind of,” I said, smiling as I gazed out at the corn maze. “This one was a major tool.”
“Oh, well, great.” Landon scowled as he finally lifted his head. When he caught sight of the other me his expression deepened. When he caught sight of himself – and the drug-dealing biker gang he was undercover with the day we met – the corners of his mouth tipped up. “It’s me.”
“It’s definitely you,” I said. “Look at your outfit. You’re wearing leather.”
“I look good in leather, woman,” Landon said, slinging an arm over my shoulders. “Now this is what I’m talking about.”
“I wouldn’t get all high and mighty if I were you,” I chided. “If I remember correctly, you were a real jerkwad the day we met.”
“You definitely don’t remember correctly,” Landon said. “Watch and learn, little missy. This is how charm is done … and this is how charm is done right.”
“If you say so,” I said, interested despite myself as the other me approached the biker gang.
Landon wasn’t the first to speak. No, that honor went to the leader of his little gang. Speaking of tools, that guy was the Swiss army knife of tools.
“Can I help you?” The ringleader asked.
Despite his attempt to be intimidating, Bay wasn’t swayed. “Who are you?”
“The man of your dreams?”
Landon frowned. “I think I forgot this part.”
“It gets worse,” I said.
“You don’t look like Chris Hemsworth to me,” Bay shot back.
“Chris Hemsworth? I forgot about that, too.” Landon made a face.
“Who’s Chris Hemsworth?” One of the sidekicks asked the question.
“He’s Thor,” alternate Landon offered, moving forward.
Bay squared her shoulders and narrowed her eyes. She was unnerved, but refused to show it. I remembered the day well. “Who are you guys?”
“Who are you?” the other Landon asked, his gaze fixed on Bay.
“I think you liked me right from the start,” I said, giggling. It was surreal to see our first interaction. It was also entertaining.
“My name is Bay Winchester. I’m the editor at The Whistler.”
“The newspaper?” alternate Landon asked.
Bay nodded, and I could see her chest heave as she fought to contain her nerves. “Why are you here?”
“I don’t remember you being this nervous,” Landon said. “You’re just … so freaking cute. You’re trying to be bold, yet you’re obviously worried. If only you knew then what you know now.”
“That I can bribe you with bacon?” I asked, smirking.
“Exactly.”
“To cover the opening of the corn maze,” Bay said, her eyes busy bouncing from face to face as she tried to get a handle on the situation.
“This is news?” The other Landon was having a good time at poor Bay’s expense.
“It is in Hemlock Cove.”
The other Landon tilted his head to the side, considering. “Well, Bay Winchester, I’m Landon.”
The two figures shook hands and then biker Landon proceeded to introduce his friends. They had ridiculous names like Diesel and Gunner.
“Do you know what I was thinking right about now?” I asked.
“What?”
“That Diesel and Gunner were probably really named Norman and Myron,” I answered.
“I don’t think you were very far off,” Landon said, pressing his lips to my temple as he enjoyed the spectacle. “I’m introducing Russ to you now. That made my stomach turn because I knew he was interested in you.”
“You didn’t even know me then,” I pointed out.
“I was already smitten, though,” Landon teased.
“This is Russ,” the other Landon said, gesturing toward the gang leader.
Bay nodded, wary. “You still haven’t told me why you’re here,” she prodded.
“Just wanted to see what all the hoopla was about,” alternate Landon shrugged, accepting a beer from one of his friends and popping the top.
I narrowed my eyes when I saw him drop the beer cap onto the ground, almost laughing when I saw the mirror expression on Bay’s face. She stepped forward and picked up the beer cap and tossed it in a nearby garbage can.
“Sorry,” the other Landon said. “We’ll try not to make a mess.”
“That would be great,” Bay said, sarcasm practically dripping off of her tongue.
“I forgot what a stickler you were for the rules,” Landon said, chuckling. “You don’t like littering.”
“I didn’t like that you were dressed as thugs at a family event,” I clarified.
“The littering bothered you, too.”
I couldn’t really argue with that, so I let it go and refocused on the other us.
“She’s trying to get information out of you,” I said. “It’s not going to go well.”
“That’s because I was undercover,” Landon said. “I couldn’t let it go well. Trust me. If our first meeting had been under any other circumstances, I would’ve charmed your pants off.”
“Where are you from?” Bay asked.
“Around,” the other Landon said evasively.
“Around where?”
“A little bit of everywhere.”
“So, you’re from nowhere?” Bay was growing confrontational.
Biker Landon chuckled. “I guess you could say that.”
“Well, that’s great!” Bay’s faux enthusiasm made me giggle.
“She’s not falling for you at all,” I said. “Look at that. She thinks you’re up to something nefarious.”
“I was up to something nefarious,” Landon said. “I was trying to be bad while really being good. It’s an acquired skill.”
“You’re very good at it.”
“Thank you, sweetie,” Landon said, resting his head against mine. “This is so … odd.”
“I find it comforting,” I admitted. “We’re getting close to the real us.”
“This is the real us, Bay,” Landon said. “We just haven’t worked out all of the kinks yet.”
“Something tells me you don’t actually think that’s great,” alternative Landon said, flashing a bright smile.
“Perceptive,” Bay deadpanned.
“Maybe we got off on the wrong foot here.” The other Landon started hopping from one foot to the other. Russ interrupted him, though.
“Why are you so interested in us?” Russ asked forcefully.
“I’m interested in everyone who visits our quiet little town,” Bay lied.
“That right there was when I first thought you were unbelievably cute,” Landon said. “You were a terrible liar and I knew I wanted to spend time with you and hear some great truth.”
“You have a poetic soul sometimes,” I said. “I forget that.”
“I don’t see you questioning everyone else here,” Russ challenged.
“I already know all of them,” Bay countered.
“You want to know me? Is that what you’re saying? I’m flattered.” Russ ran a hand over his beer gut, causing me to cringe.
“I’m just curious about why you’re here,” Bay argued.
“We wanted to see what all the excitement was about, girlie,” Russ supplied.
“And you brought beer?”
“It’s not that kind of party.” Bay was antsy, but she refused to back down. I had to smile. Landon was right. If I knew then what I know now I wouldn’t have been able to stop laughing.
“Maybe you wouldn’t be so uptight if you had one yourself?” Russ grabbed a beer out of the container at his feet and handed it to Bay.
Bay finally broke and took an involuntary step away from the group. “Thanks. I’m good. It’s a bit early for me.”
Russ shrugged as he slipped the beer back in the cooler. “Your loss.”
The opening of the nearby maze drew Bay’s attention, and alternate Landon almost looked disappointed when he realized she was about to leave.
“I have to go,” Bay announced. “Welcome to Hemlock Cove – whatever it is that you’re doing here.”
“Have fun in the maze.” Biker Landon smiled as he watched Bay disappear into the maze. Then he turned back to his friends. “She’s is freaking hot. I would love to bend her over my bike and … .” The other Landon mimicked a sex act.
My mouth dropped open. Of course I didn’t remember this part. I hadn’t been here for this part. “I can’t believe you just did that!”
My Landon offered me a rueful smile. “I was playing a part, sweetie. I didn’t mean it.”
“Are you saying you didn’t think I was freaking hot?”
“Oh, I stepped right in that one,” Landon said, shaking his head. “I should’ve seen that coming. Boom! There went the landmine.”
I didn’t want to laugh, but I couldn’t help myself. “Do you still think you were charming?”
“I’m starting to think that you might have brain damage,” Landon countered. “You never should’ve gone out with me.”
“You have your moments,” I said, laughing. We lapsed into amiable silence for a moment, and then something occurred to me. “Why are we here?”
“Because we’re strolling down memory lane and this is one of our memories,” Landon replied.
“Yes, but it’s not one of Aunt Tillie’s memories,” I pointed out. “How could she possibly know about this unless … ?” I narrowed my eyes and scanned the people congregated near the barn. “There she is,” I muttered, pointing.
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