Echo Falls by Jaime McDougall Read Free Book Online Page B

could feel anonymous if she wanted. At the same time the city offered plenty of lovely little shops, cafés, bars and restaurants all ripe with opportunities to meet new people. With a short walk around the streets, you could pick up all the fresh ingredients to make a truly gourmet meal. Bakers, butchers and even pasta makers had little shops. Not to mention the more luxurious shops with fine wines, sweets, jewelry and spa products. Her shop, her photography business, would have a new place here, too, once she had truly settled.
    They wandered into bath and beauty store and she stopped, wondering what lavender soap made with all pure ingredients including goats milk would feel like.
    “Phoebe.”
    She put the soap back down on the display and looked at Elle, who suddenly had a serious look on her face. Apparently not satisfied with talking inside, Elle gently pressed Phoebe’s shoulder and urged her out onto the street.
    Once there, they stood close to the shop front and Elle lightly placed her hands on Phoebe’s arms.
    “Phoebe, I want you to know you can talk to me. We don’t know each other well, but you look like a person who is walking around with so much weight on your shoulders and it’s killing me that I can’t help you.”
    Phoebe stared at her for a few moments and then lowered her gaze, her shoulders sagging a little. When did I become so transparent?
    “You can talk to me.” Elle said.
    Rather than give into a dangerous temptation, Phoebe forced a smile and asked, “What brought this on?”
    “You look so tired.”
    She studied Elle’s face and saw nothing but genuine concern. Mother to Charlotte and a lot of other people, she guessed. Taking care of everyone and taking in the lost. Well, she’d certainly picked Phoebe out of the crowd easily enough. Phoebe did feel lost and incredibly tired. Mentally. Emotionally. Most of all, physically.
    Before Phoebe could say anything, an annoyingly high pitched voice called out.
    “Eeeeeelle!”
    More of a drawn out squeal than her actual name, both Elle and Phoebe reacted to it by tensing. Elle looked over Phoebe’s shoulder and sighed. She closed her eyes briefly, as if bracing herself. Phoebe turned and blinked when she saw the object of Elle’s wariness.
    She wore a rosy pink sundress with a matching handbag and stiletto heels. Even her nail polish matched, looking more like rosy pink claws at that length. She had her other arm, wrists encircled with gold bangles, loosely through Aidan’s arm. Laughing as if Aidan had said something clever even though he had a scowl on his face, the woman tossed back her long, wavy brunette hair.
    “Mia,” Elle said quietly.
    “She’s pretty,” Phoebe said, equally as quiet.
    “On the outside.”
    Aidan’s expression turned from a scowl to a mixture of surprise and relief when he saw them standing there. Phoebe and Elle walked over to meet them, the four of them then moving toward an alley to get out of the way of the foot traffic. Mia looked around and scrunched her nose a little, but the smile came back to her face as soon as Aidan glanced at her.
    “Elle!” Mia said again. “Funny to run into you. Where’s Charlotte?”
    “With River.”
    She nodded, her bright smile losing some of its life. “She always was good at that sort of thing.”
    Elle pursed her lips for a moment. “Child rearing?”
    Aidan cleared his throat and carefully unwound his arm from around Mia’s. “Mia, you haven’t met Phoebe Martin. Phoebe, Mia Ellis.”
    Somehow, Phoebe figured Mia wouldn’t be up for shaking hands, so she smiled as sweetly as she could and nodded. Mia did the same. The four stood there, Aidan and Phoebe looking at each other, Mia looking at Phoebe, and Elle looking at Mia.
    “Phoebe’s new in town,” Elle said cheerfully. “I was just showing her around a little before taking her to see Aidan.”
    “Oh?” Aidan and Mia asked at the same time. He sounded undeniably hopeful while suspicion edged Mia’s