3. Ayla

Chapter 3

Ayla

Kat: What are you still doing at the office? IT’S SATURDAY! Go home! Go on a date! Do something other than think about teeth!

T here was a reason why Kat was my best friend. We were similar in so many ways. If the situation were reversed and she was at her office, I would’ve texted the same thing.

I stepped out the front door of Carington Dental and locked it behind me before texting back.

Me: I’m walking out the door! Going by Magnolia Mart to grab my weekend treats!

Kat: Good! Eat some for me! Jonah and I are on a health kick right now. Can’t eat sweets this week.

Jonah was her boyfriend and a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. They’ve been together for a couple of years. I kept waiting for him to pop the question, but he hadn’t done so yet. I had no doubt he would soon. However, Kat loved her sweets. She had chocolates hidden in every nook and cranny in her home. Jonah had yet to find any of them.

Me: Don’t worry. I’ll eat plenty for you!

Her reply was instant. It was a picture of her scowling at me with the words I HATE YOU written underneath .

Grinning, I slid my phone into my purse and hopped in my car. The Magnolia Mart was just on the other side of Magnolia Park, but the weather was scorching hot and I didn’t want to be a sweaty mess going into the store.

One thing I loved about living in a small town was that everything was close by. I walked everywhere most of the time in the fall and winter but not in the middle of summer.

It was a Saturday morning, and all the stores were bustling, probably because it was the Fourth of July weekend. Everyone was excited about the town festivities. When it came to festivals and parties, Magnolia Grove didn’t disappoint. Our fireworks were some of the best in the state. However, my favorite time of the year was Christmas. Nothing could beat our little town of lights.

When I pulled up to Magnolia Mart, it just so happened that my landscaper was pulling out of a spot right in front. His name was Wade Jenkins. He was a nice guy and definitely not like my obnoxiously loud neighbor. He grew up in Magnolia Grove, like ninety-nine percent of the people walking the streets. Wade was also one of my patients, and when he started his landscaping business, I knew without a doubt I wanted him to do my yard. That’s what we did in Magnolia Grove. We liked to help our own.

As Wade was pulling out, he noticed me and stuck his head out the window. “Hey!” he shouted, grinning wide. “I was just on my way to your house!”

I figured he was since it was the first Saturday of the month. That was my designated day on his schedule.

I stuck my head out of my window so I could holler back. “Good. Make my yard pretty! ”

He waved. “I always do!”

He had his equipment on the trailer, so I made sure to give him plenty of room to get out. Once he was gone, I took his spot in front of the store. As always, I couldn’t go into the grocery store without seeing someone I knew. Gavin Taylor, owner of the local hardware store, was putting a ton of beer in his cart, probably for the Fourth of July celebrations. And over in the refrigerated section buying eggs was Emma Sullivan, one of the sweetest girls I knew. She had three jobs, one being at the Jitterbug Coffee Shop, which I visited almost every morning before work. Emma was the best at making sugar cookie lattes.

Overall, it was very rare to see people I didn’t know in the store. If there were strangers, they were mostly just people passing through to get somewhere else.

I walked over to the candy aisle and picked up a bag of snack-size Butterfingers before moving on to the bread section where the Little Debbie cakes were. I had to get a box of Fudge Rounds. They were my favorite treats as a kid, and it still hadn’t changed.

“I swear, Ayla, I keep thinking you’re going to buy something new, but you never do,” a voice called out behind me. It was Dolly Hanes, the owner of the Magnolia Mart. I turned around to see her shaking her head and smiling at me. She had such an effortless beauty about her with long, wavy brown hair and a tall, curvy body that I wished I had.

I grinned back at her and held the treats tighter in my arms. “Never,” I replied. “You know I can’t live without these things.”

Dolly giggled. “It’s still funny to see our town dentist buying sweets.”

“Hey,” I said, shrugging. “As long as you brush your teeth well, you can eat whatever you want.”

She nodded. “I try my best. Guess I’ll see if I have any cavities when I come to your office next week for my cleaning.”

Granted, I had my fair share of cavities growing up. My dad used to get on to me all the time about brushing and flossing my teeth. When I was younger, I never gave much thought to following in his footsteps, but I started to find dentistry interesting as I got older. And now, I owned Carington Dental.

Dolly’s cell phone started to ring so she said her goodbyes and disappeared to the back of the store.

I strolled up and down the aisles for a few more minutes and grabbed some things I needed before checking out at the register. The second I stepped out the door, Linda Barlowe was right there, about to come in.

“Hey,” I said, greeting her with a smile.

Linda lived down the street from me and reminded me so much of Betty White from The Golden Girls , both in personality and looks. Linda was a rounder version of Betty White, though.

When Linda’s husband died, I went to her house every day for a few months and just talked to her. There were days we’d watch a couple of episodes of The Golden Girls . Linda was like a grandmother to me; she had known my family even before I was born. I didn’t have any more living grandparents, so it was nice having someone like her in my life. The people on our street gave her the title “Neighborhood Watch.” She was watching out for everyone all the time and making sure there were no strangers lurking around our street.

Linda patted my cheek. “Well, hello to you too, sweetheart.” She glanced down at my bag where the box of Fudge Rounds stuck out. “Now, honey, why are you going to buy that stuff when you know I can make a killer chocolate cake?” Her lips pursed when she lifted her eyes back to my face. “Didn’t you love that Butterfinger cheesecake I made you for your birthday last year?”

I tilted my head back and laughed. “Of course, I did. But I can’t have you making desserts for me every week. I already know I’m going to be chowing down on your red velvet cake at the Fourth of July festival.” I lifted my bag of candy bars. “These are perfect for when I want just a small chocolate snack. If you make me a chocolate cake, I won’t be able to stop myself from eating a huge piece. I’ll be ten thousand pounds before you know it.”

Linda flourished her arms out wide, showing off her rotund figure. “There is nothing wrong with a little bit of cushion, darling. My George loved it.”

There was no doubt about that. Everyone in town knew how much George loved her. “Yes, he did,” I agreed.

Her eyes misted over, but she shook her head and laughed. “Okay, enough of the sad talk.” She placed a hand on my arm. “I was actually looking for you. I knew you’d be somewhere in town.”

“What’s going on?” I asked her.

She squeezed my arm and let go. “Well, I was hoping you’d come over for dinner tonight. It’s been a while since I’ve cooked for you.”

Linda’s cooking was phenomenal. There was no way I could say no to a dinner.

“I will be there,” I said without hesitation .

Her caramel-brown eyes lit up. “Perfect. I’m making fried chicken; I know you love it.” She pointed a finger at my bag of candy bars. “And leave those at home. I’ll have something good for you.”

My mouth watered at the thought of her fried chicken.

“I can’t wait,” I told her. “Five o’clock, like usual?”

She nodded. “On the dot.”

“Great. I’ll see you then.”

She disappeared into the store, and I got in my car to head home. I was excited for the evening. Eating Linda’s food would be epic, not to mention, the conversations. Talking to her was always entertaining.

It was going to be a good night.