The House That Built Me (Strawberry Inn Book #3)

Chapter 5

KELSEY

After arriving in Strawberry, I thanked my new friend and her daughter immensely and then swore off getting into cars with people I didn’t really know that well for at least a few months. I’ve been shuttled all over this side of the country at this point, usually by people who I’ve only just met. At this point, I’m surprised I haven’t ended up on a poster somewhere. Come to think of it, I might be on one if my parents thought for a moment I was missing instead of just a runaway. They probably figured the truth out though.

I’m not the first, nor will I be the last, to try and escape the compound. If I was younger, perhaps they’d worry that something happened to me, but being my age they probably realized that I ran away. I only feel slightly guilty knowing my dad was really looking forward to marrying the Prophet’s son, but that isn’t my problem at this point.

The only thing open when I arrived at Strawberry was the diner. I didn’t recognize the college-aged woman that was working when I walked in. I asked for just a coffee and perhaps a place to relax until morning and she was nice enough to give me a large corner booth. There was a newspaper for the day before left over from a previous patron and I caught up on some local news while I decompressed from the day’s events. I certainly did not expect to wind up in my old hometown today, but here I am.

At some point, I dozed off because when I woke up the sun was shining and quite a few people had found their way to the diner. I looked around for the gal who was waiting on me before, but she was nowhere to be seen. My movements caught the attention of a new worker who made her way over to my table with a friendly smile adorning her face. “Hey there, sweetheart, I’m sorry about the noise, I just can’t keep it down here.”

“Of course not. I didn’t plan on falling asleep, but I guess I should thank you for giving me a place to crash.”

“Are you doing alright, honey? You don’t look like anybody around here and we don’t get a lot of visitors this time of year.”

“I appreciate your concern, but I’ll be okay. This was an impromptu visit, so I didn’t do a great job making any plans ahead of time.”

“Ahh, to be young again. Tell you what, if you need a place to stay, the inn is right down the road. Angela is the owner and would be willing to get you a place.”

I was aware of the inn, everybody in town knew that place. It was the only place to stay in Strawberry, but it was pretty run down. It had a vibe that wasn’t exactly welcoming. Angela wasn’t a person whose name I recognized, maybe she was related to the previous owners. It was just another reminder that this small town was not exactly how it was when I left ten years ago. Even the woman talking to me now seemed unfamiliar, although if I knew her name maybe I could place it.

I wasn’t positive if I wanted people to know I was here though. My intent is only to stay for as long as it takes for me to say goodbye to my old home and find a way back to the bus station. Seattle was my destination. If too many people realized I was here, it might turn into a homecoming that I wasn’t intending. So even though it did sound tempting to walk down to the inn and stay for another day, I should probably just do what I came here for so I can get back to the bus station and continue my initial trip.

“Thank you for the advice, but I don’t think I’m going to be around here past today. If you could help me out, though, do you know of any taxi or ride-share services that could get me back to the bus depot? I need to catch a bus to Seattle after I’m done here.”

“We don’t have any of those fancy apps, but I can get you the number to the local taxi company. Sometimes the wait is long, so you might want to call them early so somebody else doesn’t get in before you.”