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“It’s easy.” She scoffs. “They probably already checked in online. Just match their ID to the name in my reservation book, grab the key off the corresponding hook on the wall, and give them the town map.”

I shake my head. “Seriously, do you ever work?”

Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.

“Oh my god. Someone is seriously desperate to check in.” I start walking toward the door to the lobby, holding my phone to my ear. “But yeah, I’m great, really. This place has been nice.”

That’s an easy enough response because it’s true. Spending time in Sterling Springs hasn’t been the nightmare I thought it would be—far from it, actually. While basically ghosting Sisi a decade ago was painful, it was easy to say goodbye to a hometown that started hating me overnight.

Saying goodbye to Sly, though? No, that was more complicated. Even now, I don’t like to think about that—easier said than done, given my newfound proximity to him. All of this, plus being on the phone with Grace, just reminds me that I still feel guilty. Part of me almost decides to unburden myself now, if it wasn’t for the motel guest with a bell fetish.

Grace chuckles, and it’s such a comforting sound that I swear I can practically feel it in my bones. “I’m glad to hear that. You’ll have to check out The Hatch. It’s this little dive bar Tommy and I did karaoke at. You would love it!”

I bark out a laugh because she knows I love a good dive bar, and The Hatch fits that bill. “Yeah. That sounds per⁠—”

I freeze when I turn the corner to the lobby and nearly drop my phone. I do a double-take because the very impatient guest is leaning against the counter, her back to me as one hand reaches toward the bell again. In her other hand is a phone, still pressed to her ear, her rainbow-streaked hair cascading over her shoulders.

“Grace?” I don’t even know why I say it as a question because I trust my eyes. She taps the bell incessantly again and holds it down for one final emphatic ding. I would know my best friend anywhere—from her colorful hair and denim overalls to her nearly six-foot-tall stature—she’s impossible to miss. It’s just one of those time-and-place sort of things because nowhere in my consciousness was I expecting to find her standing in the lobby of The Silver Peak Motel. When she turns around, her pleased grin looks like it’s doing overtime to keep her giddiness from literally erupting out of her.

She waggles her brows, which I almost can’t see through her bangs. “You know, your customer service skills are lacking.”

I fold my arms over my chest and arch a brow at her. “That’s really what you’re going to lead with?”

We stay there in this weird standoff for what feels like minutes. I debate whether I want to jump across the desk and hug her, be mad at her for showing up unannounced, or just sit around and be goofy with her because she’s been the closest thing I have had to family for the last decade.

“Okay. There’s another commercial break, and you’re taking too long.” Our heads lift as Sisi emerges from her apartment to the lobby where Grace and I are. The second she sees Grace, her face lights up. “Oh, good, you’re here!”

Unlike me, she wastes no time walking around the desk and wrapping Grace up in a bear hug. Their hug ends, and with that tension finally broken, I wrap Grace in a hug of my own. Grace is much taller than Sisi and me, and spends a lot of time in her husband’s fancy home gym. While her hug might be healing my soul, it’s physically bone-crushing.

“How was the drive?” Sisi asks.

Grace finally lets me go, and I suck in a breath. “Wait… You knew she was coming?”

Sisi nods. “Yeah. We wanted to surprise you.”

“Well, I think you succeeded. Consider me sufficiently surprised.” I smile at the two of them half-heartedly, still trying to absorb Grace’s unexpected arrival. It’s not an intrusion by any means. I knew I’d see her in a couple of weeks at the music festival. I was just enjoying the little bit of privacy here in Sterling Springs while I try to make the most of this temporary stopover and patch up some parts of my past.

In true best friend fashion, Grace picks up on my internal spiraling and probably weird vibes. “Did HHR come back on?”

“Oh, shoot! Good catch,” Sisi says, turning back toward her apartment. “I’ll keep the door open. Just let yourselves back in.”

“Do you want to tell me why you were being weird in there? It’s nice out here by the pool, but we could be inside watching reality TV with Sisi. You know, where the food is?”

“Hey. I did bring us wine.” I scoff. “I was very unprepared for your arrival.”

“Um, duh. You’re welcome? And while the wine is nice, that doesn’t excuse your whole aura right now.” She waves a hand at me before taking a drink of the aforementioned wine and leaning forward. “Come on, tell me what’s really going on? Please don’t tell me you’re already bored with this place and ready to be on the move again. When I was here earlier this year, I kept thinking about how much you’d love this place. It’s just wild that the universe put you on a path to come to this town. I kept thinking about it, and I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to come explore with you, even if I knew Sutton’s family would make sure you were in good hands.”

I feel Grace’s words—heavy in my chest—because that was what I was expecting. She wears her sincerity on her sleeve, and I can tell by her expression that she genuinely wants me to love Sterling Springs. I guess now is probably the best time to bite the bullet and reveal my villain origin story.

“You’re right… I mean, sort of.” I let out a nervous laugh and look around the empty patio. Normally, I’d find the fresh desert air calming, but from here I can see the glow of the neon lights of Riley’s Diner across the street and The Hatch in the distance. It just reminds me of the anxiety that this place used to give me and still does to a degree. “I did love this place, and then I hated it, and now, I just… I don’t know anymore.”

She tilts her head and gives me a curious look. “You did, and now you don’t? That’s a lot of emotions for a place you’ve only been for two weeks, even for you.”

“That’s what I wanted to tell you… What I’ve been meaning to tell you since I’ve been stuck here… I just haven’t found the right way.”

“Okay. Now you’re starting to scare me. Josie, are you alright?”

I grab my glass of wine, partly because I need a drink for this conversation and equally because I need to do something with my anxious hands. After a healthy sip and one last steadying breath, I look my best friend right in the eyes and rip the Band-Aid off. “This isn’t the first time I’ve been here. This is where I grew up. Grace, Sterling Springs is where I’m from. It’s the town I left a decade ago and had planned to never return.”