5. Chapter 4

I can feel myself waking up as the smell of roasting coffee beans hits me. Stopping at Thanks-A-Latte is a must if I'm going to make it through the day. I need my caffeine fix to be able to handle my adorable, albeit endlessly energetic, eight year olds. If I'm not functioning at full brain power those kids will eat me alive.

I smile as I think about all the questions I'll be asked today. I have no clue where their curiosity comes from, but it's an endless pit when you have twenty students in your class. It's like rapid fire trivia. I love teaching. It's always been one of my favorite things to do; I can't wait to see my students after a weekend away.

As usual, the coffee shop is filled with the sound of the milk frother, the bell on the door, and muffled conversations. I really can't understand most of what they say but I do hear a few people say Josh's name. I smirk and roll my eyes.

Really people? Don't we have anything else to talk about?

I mean, yeah Josh had a great game yesterday, another record breaker for him. And he also had that bad hit. I feel my forehead scrunch as I wonder how he's really doing. It took him a while to get back onto the field.

The talking abruptly stops and I look around to find everyone staring. I look behind me to see what they are staring at … but there isn't anyone else. I make eye contact with Mrs. Baker, the town librarian, and she immediately looks away.

"What's going on?" I mumble.

"Hi. What can I get—" Rachel, one of the Thanks-A-Latte employees suddenly stops when she realizes who I am.

"Hey, Rachel. Can I get a large latte with extra foam? And why is everyone looking at me?"

Her eyes widen and her mouth forms an O. "Did you not see?" She asks, shock erupting in her voice.

"See what?" Just then my text alert goes off. It's Susie. I open it up to find a link to a video, with the caption #Briosh.

"I'll get your order ready," Rachel says, and quickly walks away.

I head over to the side of the counter to wait for my order when I open up the video. Right before I hit play I see another message pop up from her. The preview says "Read this next."

What the heck is going on?

I hit play to see a video of Susie talking to Adam, and me talking to Josh. I immediately focus on Adam and Susie.

I knew I was right! They are totally into each other. A chuckle escapes as I go to Susie's next text and click on the other link.

I see that it's from Tea Time and groan. Tea Time is a fairly local, though we don't know how local, gossip column. It's been around for decades but we still don't know who is behind it. They've done a great job of keeping their identity secret. Susie lives for this stuff; I, personally, am not a fan.

I read through today's column expecting news confirming Susie and Adam when I get to the hashtag.

"#Briosh?" I say out loud, only to have the person putting my latte in front of me pipe up.

"Is it true?" Her eyes are wide and she has a huge smile on her face. At my obvious confusion she continues. "Are you and Josh a thing?"

At that I laugh out loud, then abruptly stop. "Oh. You're serious! No. Josh Owens and I are definitely not a "thing"." I punctuate "thing" with air quotes.

I grab my latte and turn toward the exit only to find all eyes still on me. They immediately look away and I groan. I purposely head to the door without looking at anyone. As soon as I hit the pavement I call Susie.

"What is happening right now?" I ask immediately after she says hello.

"Brianne and Josh sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G," she sings, laughter tingeing her voice.

"What?" I shriek.

"Did you watch the video? It looked like you and Josh were kissing yesterday."

"That's not what happened, he was teasing me about Johnson's jersey." I protest.

Susie bursts out laughing again, and I pull the phone away to look at it.

What is wrong with her today? I slide into my car and place my coffee in the cup holder. I need free hands for this.

"He was, was he?" She says as she tries to catch her breath.

"What are you not telling me?" I ask, narrowing my eyes.

"Oh I think Chamie summarized the video and the question on everyone's mind very clearly." She chuckles.

"Susie, you were there! Nothing happened."

"I didn't see anything, I was talking to Adam."

"Ha!" I yell and point my finger at no one, trying to take the focus off of whatever is going on right now. Josh and I are so not a thing. "I knew you were interested in him!"

"Oh no you don't. This is about you and Josh, not me and Adam."

"There is no me and Josh," I snap. "He's the most annoying human in my world."

After Mom and Dad died in a drunk driving accident, Aunt Marie and Uncle Rich, my dad's brother, took me in. The Owens were their next door neighbors, and best friends. I had spent many a vacation with my aunt and uncle so I knew them all well. Mom and Dad both grew up in Pleasant Hollow so we would visit often throughout the year—holidays, birthdays, and a quick weekend here and there.

Susie and Josh were my first introduction to Pleasant Hollow, and during that most difficult time of my life the Owens helped me to settle into my new home. They helped me learn how to enjoy life and laugh again, while always letting me have my sad moments. They were both kind and considerate.

Uncle Rich and Aunt Marie did everything to make sure I knew they loved me and were happy to have me with them. But in the beginning it was hard because I felt like something was wrong with me. I had just lost my mom and dad. I was sad all the time and I knew that not having parents wasn't a good thing.

Susie and Josh made jokes out of everything and came up with these silly games to make being an orphan sound cool. In the game, whoever was the orphan had a special set of superpowers that no one else did. They were amazing.

As time went on Susie and I became the best of friends and Josh became the bane of my existence. He would tease me incessantly, and pull my ponytails. I even remember him making Susie cry. He was awful, and yet there were times that he was one of the most considerate people I knew.

He can still be. Yeah he gets a ton of bad press about being a ladies' man, but I've seen the good he does with the children's hospital. That is the side of him that the press and fans don't talk about often enough.

"Sure there isn't," Susie says, bringing me back to the present, and Tea Time. "Look, I have to get to work. I'll call you later, okay hashtag Briosh?"

"Briosh? Seriously?! That's the worst hashtag ever. It sounds like bread." I have to pull the phone away from my ear as Susie cackles. She's going to make me deaf! "I mean really, if I had to be the subject of a gossip column couldn't I at least get a cool hashtag?"

"Bye, Brie." Susie giggles one last time before she hangs up.

I open up Chamie's column and read through it.

"This is insane," I mumble. I rewatch the video, determined to focus on the interaction with Josh and me. The video is a bit fuzzy, like someone was zooming in, but you can definitely make out who everyone is without question.

Once again my focus falls on Susie and Adam. Their chemistry is obvious. Then I see Josh walk over to me; my mouth falls to the floor and my stomach feels like there are dozens of butterflies flapping their wings.

My mind goes completely blank at what I'm watching. Even though I know what happened yesterday, what I'm seeing is completely contradictory to that.

It totally looks like Josh and I are kissing.

My stomach swirls and I take a deep breath. Based on what I am watching I can't deny anything said in that column. Except for the fact that I was there, and what they are saying happened didn't happen.

When it stops I hit replay and watch Josh and I closely. The teasing expression as he walks over to me, the small smile on my lips, him putting his hand over my shoulder and leaning in. I think about my body's reaction when he whispered in my ear, and realize that every emotion I felt yesterday was caught clear as day on video for everyone to see.

My heart rate picks up and my mouth goes dry as I realize that if I weren't the subject of the video, I would totally think Josh and I were a thing.

I drop my head on the steering wheel, then put my key in the ignition. This gossip is going to spread like wildfire in Pleasant Hollow and all over the state. Heck, probably the country. Josh is gossip news fodder—they love talking about him and his love life. He's click bait.

I groan.

Now I am too.

It's going to be a very long day.