"Sometimes you have to pay the bills. We don’t all have the luxury of only working one job," she said.

“I’d say you need to choose your jobs better.”

“Blunt advice from a stranger. I like it. Well, here’s your red eyes, Asher.”

I swiveled her laptop to face her again. “And here’s your chart, Jenny. I wrote a little cheat sheet on this file over here in case you want to replicate it or change any of the colors I chose.”

“You did that in the time it took to make your drinks?”

I looked up at the clock. It had been less than five minutes. “Yeah.”

I liked the smile that lit up her face. “Thanks. You just fixed half of what was bothering me tonight. That really helped me out. It was kind of you.”

“No trouble at all. Happy I walked in when I did.” I’d already paid. I had the drinks. I had no more excuse to linger, but I didn’t feel like stepping away so quickly. “You, uh, you didn’t grow up in Fernwood, did you?”

“You’re talking about my accent?”

“Yeah.” She had a cute Southern drawl. Fernwood was in the south, the Ozark Mountains to be exact, but it felt more like a big city than a country town these days. Her accent was deep south. Not Fernwood south.

She asked, “Have you ever heard of Deer Springs? It’s about twenty-five miles from here. Tiny town. That’s where I’m from.”

“Why’d you move to Fernwood?”

“I didn’t. I still live in Deer Springs. I commute.”

“That’s a long commute.”

“It’s not so bad. You get used to it. I love Deer Springs. Have you ever been there?” Her eyes lit up bright when she asked.

I shook my head no. “I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never driven through it before. It’s near that state park.” There were dozens and dozens of tiny towns like it dotting the landscape around Fernwood.

Fernwood and the bigger towns north of it offered plenty to do. I hadn’t felt the need to explore every little roadside stop around me. When I traveled, I usually opted for somewhere bigger than Fernwood rather than smaller.

She said, “I guess you grew up here in Fernwood. You look a little fancy. Sound a little fancy.”

“I’m not that, but I grew up here. I think I’d get bored in one of those small towns.”

“A guy like you would think it’s boring there.”

“A guy like me? What kind of guy is that?” I was interested in hearing what she’d say about me. What kind of impression had she picked up in these few minutes of conversation?

She looked me up and down, then said, “You’re the guy that walks into a coffee shop at seven pm and orders two red eyes with a cayenne add on. You can get anything you want in this town, almost any time, day or night. All you need is a credit card and a fancy car to get around in.” She looked out the window. “I bet that’s your car. The one on the left.”

She’d picked my car out of the lineup. Interesting. She added, “You’d spend one day in Deer Springs and want to come back here.”

“What’s so good about it, then? Why do you live there?”

“It’s where I’m from. All my roots are there. All my friends. My family. I live in the most beautiful little place on Oak Leaf Lane. It’s down this windy country road on the outskirts of town. At night I go outside onto my patio and I look up and I see a million stars. There’s a forest behind me, full of life. I see deer, quail, wild turkey, coyote. One year there was a baby deer, I mean so tiny. It must have only been a month or two old. It still had all its spots. I was walking in those woods behind my apartment, and I saw it all curled up underneath a cedar tree. Completely defenseless in the world and somehow still able to make its way. That’s how the mommas leave their babies when they need to go out and forage. They tuck them away somewhere they hope is safe enough that the world won’t hurt them and then they take this immense leap of faith, and they walk away. Seeing something like that, that’s not gonna happen here in Fernwood. That kind of thing only happens in places like Deer Springs.”

I found myself drawn to her vision of the place. It sounded like it existed in a different time. I was surprised at how… open she was. Most women I met seemed more calculated. I was tired of manipulative women. Jenny from Oak Leaf Lane seemed like an open book, and trusting too. I’d learned a lot about her in the last five minutes. She’d handed me her laptop and turned away. Who did that? She was almost too trusting. “You make it sound appealing.”

“Well, visit sometime. See for yourself. Make a day of it at Deer Springs State Park for a hike, then swing into town and see what we have to offer. Our coffee isn’t as fancy as here, but you’ll see that the Blackberry Cafe still makes a decent drink, and they have the best blackberry pie in three counties. You haven’t really lived till you’ve had a taste of their blackberry pie.”

“Blackberry pie?”

“We’re known for our blackberries. You already missed the Blackberry Festival this year, but the pie at the Blackberry Cafe is a local secret. People like you wouldn’t know about it.”

“People like me?”

“City folk. Outsiders. I’m giving away all my town’s secrets to you. It’s up to you if you decide to take me up on it. If you ever drive by you should get a slice.”

“You make it sound nice. Maybe I’ll do that sometime, Jenny. Thanks for the drinks.”

“You’re welcome, Asher, with the spicy red eyes, and thank you for the spreadsheet.” Her eyes had a certain sparkle to them that made me think she might have some interest. She was either flirting or being friendly. Or being paid to talk to me. I shouldn’t forget that as a possibility. I stuffed a few dollars in the tip jar. Time to go.

I walked out and almost walked back in to ask her out, maybe ask her to go to that festival she was talking about. There had been something there between us. A little charge. I was sure of it.

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