loved on her and hissed at me. When we weren’t together, I was planning our next adventures. I wanted her to see the world of Havenbarrow with me right beside her.
I spent years not having Kennedy around me, and now I was determined to make up for all the lost time.
“Favorite ice cream flavor on the count of three,” Kennedy said as we sat in the woods one Sunday morning, eating granola bars and watching the birds fly by. “One, two, three!”
“Blue moon!” I shouted.
“Cherry chip!” she exclaimed. She pointed my way and gasped. “Oh my gosh! Who likes blue moon? What flavor is that anyway? Honestly, blue moon? What does that even mean?”
“It means it’s a delicious ice cream that tastes like heaven. It’s as if Froot Loops had a love child with cotton candy.”
She laughed, and it sounded beautiful. “That sounds disgusting.”
“You’re wrong. If you tried it, you’d be just as in love with it as I am.”
“That sounds like a challenge, and I decided a long time ago that I’d never pass up ice cream challenges.”
I rose to my feet and held my hand out to her. “Come on, then. The ice cream shop in town has the best blue moon in the world. Sure, it’s the only blue moon I’ve ever had, but I’m certain it’s the best.”
She took my hand, and away we went. The night was perfect, so instead of driving into town, we chose to walk. The whole way there, Kennedy went on and on about anything and everything, and I listened to every syllable that left her mouth. When we got in line for the ice cream, I heard people around us whispering, but I didn’t think too much about it.
I couldn’t have cared less what the smallminded thought about the idea of Kennedy hanging out with me. They no longer got to define me. Only I did.
“Hi, we’ll take two cones with two scoops each of blue moon,” Kennedy said as we approached the front counter. She reached into her purse to pay, and when I went to pull out my credit card, she shoved it away. “Not this time, Moon. It’s on me.”
She paid for our ice cream, and we went back to our walk. On our way, we were stopped by the twins from Stephen King’s The Shining. They were wearing matching outfits. Matching fucking outfits. Honestly, what kind of grown women were out here matching their fucking outfits?
“Oh my, hi there, Kennedy,” Kate said in her singsong fake voice. She glanced over at me. “Jax.”
“Kate. Louise,” I mumbled, not the least bit interested in the conversation that was about to take place.
“Out for a little sweet treat?” Louise questioned, eyeing the cones in our hands. “That looks delicious. I might have to get me a scoop once I’m off this keto diet. Doesn’t that look delicious, Kate?”
“It looks like a carb attack if you ask me,” her sister replied. Then she turned to Kennedy. “Now, I don’t mean to pry, but there have been a lot of rumors going around town about the two of you.”
“Oh?” Kennedy asked, raising an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
“Why, yes it is. You’re the talk of Havenbarrow. Just like celebrities, it seems.” She giggled. Why is she giggling? “Now, I don’t want to get into your business. If anything, Louise and I pride ourselves on staying out of other people’s affairs, but is it true?”
“Is what true?” Kennedy asked.
Louise nudged her. “You know—that you two are in a relationship? Or is it just a fling? Maybe like sex buddies. Friends with benefits? I know he’s doing your lawn work, so perhaps you two have grown closer during that time. I’m not prying, but I am curious if the two of you are—”
“Woof!”
My eyes widened as I turned to Kennedy, who was looking at the twins with wide eyes. And she…barked. Fuck me sideways, Kennedy Lost was barking at the twins, and it officially became the highlight of my life.
The look of fear on both Kate’s and Louise’s faces would be forever glued in my head.
Kennedy kept barking at them as they began to back up slowly, completely confused by her actions.
So I did the only thing I could think to do.
I barked at them, too.
They scurried away like the roaches they were, and I was sure the news of said barking would be revealed at the next town meeting. For some reason, that pleased me.
“I could’ve really used you in this town years