"You know, they do have bike rentals..."

I turned to Jess, who looked back and forth between Tori and me.

"Bikes?" I asked.

She shrugged, "there's a bike path that leads into town – I noticed it on the trail maps yesterday." Placing her hand on Tori's shoulder, she continued, "Picture it – a quaint, leisurely ride through the woods that ends in a charming lakeside village."

Tori raised a single eyebrow. "Are you getting paid for this ad read?"

Jess tugged on her arm. "Come on! I haven't gone on a bike ride since I was a kid!"

Tori sighed, turning to look at me. "Any objections?"

Smiling, I shrugged. "Sounds fun!"

"Okay, bike ride it is."

Walking up to the guest services desk, I recognized Iris, the girl who'd checked me in.

"Hello! How can I help you?"

Tori asked, "Where would we go to see about bike rentals?"

"One moment," Iris pulled a resort map out from under the counter. "Our equipment rental center is down this path, past the pools." She marked the area with her pen, "it's located near the heads of some reasonably adventurous mountain biking trails, or we also have a more relaxed path that leads into town."

Jess spoke up, "We were thinking about trying that one."

"Perfect! I'll call down to the shop and let them know you're on your way!"

"Wait," I stopped her as she was picking up the phone receiver, "before we go, are there any must see spots in town? Like, if you had a friend who only had one day to check it out, what would you tell them to do?"

Iris quirked her mouth to the side, thinking. "Well, if you're into books-"

Jess leaned her elbows on the counter, "Go on."

Iris smiled, "There's this really cute bookshop on Main Street - Dog-Eared Books. It's massive, it's packed with all kinds of obscure titles, and one of its employees is a golden retriever whose only job is to greet customers and beg for ear scritches."

"And you said it's on Main Street?" Tori asked.

"It's right next to the town square – you can't miss it. You should also stop by Dierdre's; my roommate works there – it's part gift shop, part art gallery, and they've got all kinds of eclectic locally made stuff." Her brow furrowed, and suddenly she brightened, "Oh! You absolutely have to stop by Dulce – it's an ice cream shop that also sells homemade candy." Her eyes took on a dreamy radiance, "They have the best fudge I have ever tasted."

Tori chuckled, "And, like that, I'm sold – let's go!"

Giving Iris a quick thank you, they walked toward the door.

I was about to follow them when I turned back, "One last question – what do you think is their best type of fudge?"

After a moment's thought, she answered, "Their pistachio is to die for."

"Noted. Thank you so much for the advice!" Smiling, I gave a small wave and hurried to catch up with my friends.

Gliding to a stop, I dismounted and walked my bike up to Tori and Jess, who were busy locking theirs to the rack in the small city park.

As Tori stood and looked around us, she let out a low whistle. "Damn."

The square, lined with old, brick buildings, was the definition of "picturesque". Meticulously landscaped and cared for, it had the kind of small-town charm that would have made Norman Rockwell salivate.

Jess removed her helmet, tucking it under her arm. "This. Is. Adorable!"

Snapping the lock on my chain shut, I stood, readjusting my clothes. "So, do you want to wander around, or did you want to head somewhere specific?"

Jess made a slow pivot, eyes searching, "I was promised books - I say we stop there first." Pausing, she pointed across the way, "I see it! Let's go!"

An hour later, Jess was at the checkout with a small pile of paperbacks, and I was finishing rubbing the belly of a very good boy.

"Who's a big sweetie? Who's a sweetie pie?"

I knew that I had been reduced to grating baby talk, but as the beautiful fuzzy beast squirmed beneath my hands, I just couldn't help it.

"Lauren, do you hear yourself?" Tori stood above me, amused.

Glancing up, I answered, "I am not responsible for how I sound around puppies."

"That dog is fully grown."

I scoffed, "All dogs are puppies – always." Looking down, I tangled my fingers into his belly fur, "He's just a big puppy! Lookit him! He's such a baby!"

Tori shook her head, watching as Jess came over. "If you say so."

With one last rub, I said goodbye to the spoiled canine and followed them outside. "Didn't you ever have a dog?"

"No."

"Really?"

She shrugged, "I mean, it's kind of weird – isn't it? Owning a dog when you're one of us?"

"Maybe? A little? We always had some around as 'hunting dogs' – it helped explain all of the game meat we had in our freezers."

"I guess that makes sense. It's just that there's something about a part-time canid owning a full-time canid that doesn't sit right with me."

I smiled, "For what it's worth, the dogs never seemed to mind."

We strolled for a while, stopping in the occasional store and browsing as we chatted.

Walking past one window, my eyes wandered over the artfully chaotic interior before I noticed the name on the glass.

"Oh, hey, this is 'Dierdre's'." I turned to the girls, "Want to stop in?"

Jess nodded, "Let's do it!"

Inside, the walls were decorated with paintings and prints and wooden signs. Racks and racks of odd, vintage clothing were interspersed with displays of artisan jewelry, small batch skincare products, and locally printed stationary.

We split up, and I gravitated toward the jewelry counter, admiring a selection of wooden laser-cut earrings.

"My mate makes these."

I looked up, sighting a tall woman in her late fifties.

"Oh?"

She nodded, "After he retired from carpentry, he needed something to keep himself busy, so he took it up as a hobby. Eventually, I convinced him to let me start selling them." Looking up, she gestured to the wall behind her, "Most of the wooden signs are also his handiwork."

I picked up a pair of earrings, blue-stained circles containing a cutout of a howling wolf. "These are precious."

She grinned, "They're pretty popular – for obvious reasons."

"I'll take them." They weren't exactly my style, but Mom would love them.

"Wonderful! I can hold onto them if you want to look around some more?"

"Would you?"

"Of course!"

"Thank you..." I trailed off, realizing that I didn't know her name.

She answered my unspoken question, "Dierdre."

My eyes flickered toward the window. "As in 'Dierdre's'?"

She nodded, "The same."

"Well, you should know that your store came highly recommended."

"Oh?"

"The concierge at the Belhurst was practically singing your praises."

"Oh, that's so nice to hear! So, you girls are staying at the resort?"

"Yep," I glanced at the back of the store, where Jess was sniffing at a candle. "We're going to be there for a week, and we decided that we wanted to check out the town today."

Her mouth curved into a subtle smirk. "Well, let me know if there's anything else I can help you with!"

Meeting her gaze, I was suddenly struck by the oddest sense of familiarity.

I thanked her and walked back to Jess and Tori, but the feeling lingered. It nagged at me as we finished shopping and paid for our selections.

It wasn't until we were walking down the street that it hit me - her eyes.

I recognized her eyes.

They looked exactly like Dwayne's.

"...holy shit."