1. Tara

Chapter 1

Tara

A fter spending the summer with my family in California, I'm relieved to be back home in Calgary. I'm six weeks away from publishing my first polyamorous novella for Halloween, and need to finish edits without distractions. The sooner I'm done with this story, the better; I'm just not feeling it. There's more smut than plot, which is a deviation from my backlist. Admittedly, I'm writing the ‘why choose' because my readers have been begging me to for years—it's a popular genre right now. It's not my favorite book I've written, but it'll have to do.

I'd like to take all of the credit for the book premise, but when my girlfriend, Greta, cheated on me with my own brother—then suggested a threesome—a friend suggested I turn it into a book. All fictional, of course. Names changed to protect the guilty. I went down the rabbit hole of reading poly books for inspiration. It was that, or make it a revenge cheating book. In my brother and Greta's defense, she didn't know he was my brother when they hooked up, and he didn't know Greta and I were dating. We were on a break. Yes, just like Ross and Rachel in "Friends," except my story is a bit messier.

As soon as this monstrosity of a book is done, I need to dive back into my sapphic novellas. So, in the name of research, I'm traveling to Coal's Lake this weekend for the grand opening of a new bookstore—The Dead End. It claims to be haunted and carries a variety of sapphic books, including some by my favourite authors. A quick overnight trip should do the trick; it's a write off, after all.

Pulling up to the quaint hotel where I reserved a room for the night, I find a close parking spot near the lobby entrance. I grab my overnight bag from the trunk, sling it over my shoulder, and walk briskly to the door to avoid the light rain. According to the weather report, it's supposed to let up later tonight, and tomorrow will be a delightful 20°C—not sweater weather, but it beats the heat of California.

I'm greeted by a tall drink of water of a man at the reception desk. "Welcome to Jamie's Lodge. Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes"—I glance at his name tag—"Axl. It should be under Tara Allen." I make a mental note to write his name down for a future book.

"Allen, Allen, All-en … Ah, here we go. One night?

"Yep." I offer a warm smile.

"Great. All I'll need is your ID and a credit card to keep on file for incidentals. It will do a soft pull for fifty dollars, but will refund your card within three business days for anything not used. "

I hand him both and he types away at the computer. "All right, I think we're all set." He passes them back to me with a keycard. "If you're new here, we're more of a Christmas town, but a lot of the stores decorate for the fall and Halloween." Pulling out a map, he circles a few places in town. "Best coffee is The Reindeer Cafe, and The Dead End is having their grand opening tomorrow."

"That's why I'm here!" I lower my voice to a secretive whisper. "I heard it's haunted."

"Ah, so if you're into that? You'll love the pub next door to the bookstore, The Boos. I know what you're thinking, cheesy name, right? It totally is. But my girlfriend's best friend owns it, so don't tell anyone I said that. Rumour has it, the pub is haunted, too."

For the first time in weeks, I'm giddy with the possibilities. I don't believe in ghosts, or any other paranormal entities, but it's fun to pretend; especially with Halloween right around the corner.

Axl gives me a list of restaurants in town and check-out information. I elect for a late check-out to get a little writing done before I need to leave for Calgary tomorrow. Dropping off my bag in the room, I change into a cute black dress and apply a coat of dark cherry lip stain. With a quick swipe of mascara, I'm looking human again. Who knows, maybe I'll find a fun friend for the night? I slip on my emerald green plastic-rim glasses, and tie up my mousy brown hair that's in desperate need of a touch up, then I'm out the door.

Based on the map Axl gave me, once I'm down to the main street in town, everything is within walking distance. Thankfully he's correct and it's a quick drive to the pub he suggested, with ample parking out front.

The Boos as cheesy as he described—the font on the sign is reminiscent of Goosebumps books I read as a kid. As I walk inside, I'm in awe—it is a book lover's dream with an entire wall dedicated to horror and mystery titles. My fingers brush the spines as I walk past, and the bartender greets me, pulling my attention from the books.

"Hi there! Table, booth, or bar."

I take a quick survey of the bar, and nearly every table and booth is filled with two to four patrons, all reading books. It's eerily quiet, only a few people in the crowded space talking to each other in hushed tones. There are three empty barstools, so I decide to take my chances, slipping onto one of them and ordering a vodka soda with lemon.

"I'll have it right up. Feel free to borrow from the bookshelf. All of the books are donated for your enjoyment while you're here."

Unable to help my beaming smile, I hurry off the stool and peruse the shelves. As I settle on a cosy murder mystery, a gorgeous woman walks in with bright green eyes and honey blonde hair braided over her shoulder. The air leaves my lungs and I can't tear my eyes away. She doesn't give me a second glance, walking past me to the bartender who kisses her on the cheek. Disappointment settles in my gut—the cute ones are always taken.

"Anna and James are coming today for the opening," she squeals in an adorable English accent. I take a seat at the bar with my book, eavesdropping just to listen to her talk. I couldn't care less what about; that accent is to die for .

"That's amazing! I thought they were coming for Christmas."

The smile on her face lights up the entire room. "I know! Anna just sent me a text that they landed in Calgary and will pop by late tonight or in the morning. Their anniversary is on Christmas, so James has something big planned for her. Maybe I'll go back home for the holidays to see my mum. I miss all of them so much." She looks to her right, and our gazes meet. My cheeks flush as I quickly look away; I shouldn't have been listening in. Whispering to her friend, I'm able to still make out, "Who is that beautiful woman at the bar? She's not from around here."

I don't dare glance over to see who else is sitting to either side of me, and instead busy myself with reading my book. The bartender sets my vodka soda in front of me, and as I'm about to pay, the blonde snatches up the bill from the other side of the bar.

My brows pinch. "Oh, I'm sorry, is there something wrong?"

"Yes, there absolutely is."

My mouth opens and closes a few times, at a loss for words. The bartender takes the bill from her, laughing, "Jen, you need to behave. Stop scaring my patrons. Don't you have work to do? Do I need to call Beth to drag you out of here?"

Jen chuckles, "Beth is likely bent over or gagging on Axl's cock; she won't take the call." I nearly spit out my drink. "I'm not scaring anyone, right?" she asks me with a light lick of her lips. "Your drink is on me. You should pop by next door when you're done." She scribbles her name and phone number onto the bill and sets it in front of me. " Just in case you would rather grab a drink with me instead."

"Next door? As in the bookstore?"

She doesn't reply. As quickly as Jen came in, she's out the door, leaving the bartender laughing. "Don't mind her. Yes, she owns the bookstore next door that's having its grand opening tomorrow. She's a bit on edge about it… but she never gives out her number. I can't remember the last time she was impulsive."