Chapter 1.4 ~ Luxe

Henley clutched the cocktail napkin in her left hand and drove with her right. She found Mountain Road very easily and pulled up to a peach and white building, very much unlike the spas and salons of Bridgeport, to which she was accustomed.

She parked her Shelby and wandered past the parked cars and the fountain toward the entrance of the salon. 

 Henley pushed the glass doors open and entered in to a small lobby with a desk and a computer...but no one was there.

"Uh...hello?" she called out, but no one answered her. She saw movement through another set of glass doors and noticed a pair of bare feet and heard the hum of a machine. She walked through and found herself staring at the back of a slim woman with short, dark hair and tattoos covering her entire right arm. She was hunched over the shoulder of a muscled man who was apparently her canvas. He was only wearing a pair of shorts and seemed very relaxed for a man who was being jabbed at with a needle.

Henley hesitated while glancing around the room, taking in the deep red walls, the artwork and the various awards given to one Suki Kenzo. She didn't want to interrupt a woman with a needle full of ink.

"Alright then darling, I think you're about done", the woman said with a somewhat faint but posh-sounding British accent.

The woman, who Henley assumed was Suki, finished the last of her work and stood up to let the man dress, while she waited quietly by the door.

"Excuse me," Henley began. "I am here about a position in the salon?

As the woman stood up, Henley noticed that she was quite stunning. She seemed to be Asian and had full lips, a bright smile and beautifully exotic eyes. 

The woman stood up smiling and Henley backed in to the room to allow the man in the chair to put his street clothes back on. She did her best to keep her eyes on the smiling woman in front of her.

"Hello there!" said the woman, holding out a manicured hand in greeting. "Suki Kenzo."

"Um, hi!" replied Henley, taken aback by both the woman's beauty as well her friendly greeting. She shook her hand warmly but then suddenly was at a loss for words. She hadn't realized just how much she had been searching for a friendly face up until that moment and the kindness in Suki's eyes was a welcome relief after her first day in Hidden Springs.

"I'm Henley Grey" she blurted out as she released Suki's hand. "I've just moved here from Bridgeport and I'm hoping to find a job in the fashion industry." Well, she thought, right to the point I guess.

"Goodbye, love!" exclaimed Suki to the muscly man as he made his way to the door. The nameless man grunted in reply.

"A man of few words, that one," laughed Suki, once he was out of earshot.

Henley giggled and was grateful to Suki for being the first person to allow her to feel a sense of normalcy. 

"So you're looking for a position in fashion, are you?" Suki said. It seemed less of a question and more of a statement. The woman took in Henley's appearance, but it felt more like a curious appraisal than judgment. Suki continued, "Well my dear, your timing is spot on. Hannah has just announced that she's going on a leave of absence. Pregnant, you see."

"Hannah?" Henley asked.

"Right!" replied Suki. "Hannah is...or was, rather, our best stylist here. We have others of course but Hannah managed Luxe as well. Have you any managerial experience?"

Henley flew immediately in to her speech about all of her experience in Bridgeport and how she had built her business from the ground-up. She knew she had reached a rare point of desperation when she realized she had clasped her hands in front of her and Suki's face was poised in a concentrated frown.

She hurriedly dug in to her purse and handed Suki her portfolio as well as a list of all of her personal references and testimonials from former clients. 

"Of course I have a website, right there," Henley said pointing at one of the sheets of paper she had thrust in to Suki's hands. " 

Henley stopped talking immediately and waited breathlessly for Suki to speak.

"Well, it does sound as if you have a lot of experience under your belt, love, and you're the first person to enquire who seems to know what it means to start out as a grunt in this industry..." Suki trailed off as she glanced at Henley's portfolio.  "Let me have a quick look at your website. Just take a seat anywhere."

But Henley couldn't sit. She positively quivered with anticipation. She knotted her fingers together, noticing that her palms were horribly sweaty. She tried to wipe them surreptitiously on the back of her leggings while hoping that she hadn't royally fucked up the interview. 

She replayed it over and over again in her head as she paced the room, time seeming to tick but not tock. Henley wished that she could press reverse and redo the entire conversation. She would have remembered to breathe, and maybe act a little more casual about the whole thing, as if she didn't really need the job that badly.

Except that she did. And the longer she waited, the more it seemed that she wanted it too. The place wasn't as modern as the salons back in Bridgeport but it had a certain charm. And although she'd initially been concerned about the tattoo parlour, she felt a really good energy from Suki. Plus, the woman was the absolute definition of cool.

Suki breezed in at that moment, eyes all a-twinkle, as if to underline Henley's musings.

"A very impressive resumé and website Henley!" she exclaimed. "Much better than I was hoping for, to be honest. The thing is, darling, you'd have to realize that putting the management of the business must come before your own career."

"So,' Suki continued, "you would of course get a separate salary for the admin duties and then whatever client base you built up when you're not 'administrating' " she said using air quotes "is your second income flow." She paused. "Would you like the job then?"

"Ohmygodthankyousomuch!" Henley's reply came out in a jumble of gratitude strung together with more hand clasping. Sweet Jesus, I have no self control, she thought. But at that moment she didn't care.

Suki watched her wryly, hand on hip.

"Would you like to see the rest of the offices?"

Of course Henley would. 

Suki showed Henley the kitchen which was curtained off  "so we can go for a nosh in peace and quiet", Suki said with the utmost sincerity. Henley grinned inwardly at the use of the word nosh. She loved British slang and wondered if Suki also went to the loo but before she gave in to a random laughing fit, she shoved a cookie in her mouth and nodded sagely as Suki explained the importance of the washing up protocols.

"Here is your office, as administrator."

Henley looked around in disbelief. This was her very own office! She tried to contain her childish delight by staring hard at the vintage fashion shots that lined the room.

"Obviously if you get your work done early then you have the rest of your day for clients so really, it's all about your ability to manage your time."

Henley's mind was moving in a million directions at once. Was this office soley hers or would she be sharing it? Could she re-docorate it if she wanted to? And who was the owner of Luxe? Who would she ultimately be reporting to?

She reigned in all her thoughts and focused on the most important question. "So may I ask who owns Luxe?"

Suki laughed, smacked her own forehead as she rolled her eyes. "Oops! Good question. That would be me", she said without a hint of arrogance. 

Henley's momentary surprise was replaced with even more questions which she forced herself to squirrel away until a later date.

"So on to your salon suite then?" asked Suki. 

Henley smiled.

Her salon was lovely. A gentle breeze blew in through one of the windows, bringing with it the sweet smell of lilacs. Late afternoon sunlight filtered in through the curtains giving the room a lovely glow and Henley also noted the lamp with a flash head reflector for her photography which was crucial for a good portfolio shot.

"Suki...erm...Ms. Kenzo --" Henley faltered. What should she call her?

Suki interrupted. "Please! You be Henley and I'll be Suki," she said firmly.

"Okay. Suki." Henley smiled. "Thank you so much. I very much appreciate this position and I'm really excited to get started. When would you like me here for my first day?"

"Take a few days and get settled and then give me a ring," Suki replied, with a knowing smile on her face. "Where are you staying?"

"Actually, I haven't even seen my place yet. Everything should be moved in shortly. It's supposedly a little converted building behind Oxford Avenue."

"Oh Brill!" exclaimed Suki. "It's possible you have the flat next to mine!"

Henley and Suki laughed and chatted for a while longer about fashion (Suki thought Mom-jeans were "naff", which Henley learned was a bad thing), tattoos (Henley loved them but was mortally afraid of a needle touching her skin) and Hidden Springs (Suki promised to fill her in on all the gossip soon enough).

Suki had to go then, since she had someone waiting for her in the chair. She kissed both Henley's cheeks and then sashayed off to meet her next client.

Henley was standing and breathing in the scent of lilacs when she felt someone behind her.

A beautiful woman with perfectly coiffed blonde tresses stood in Henley's new salon. She was dressed from head to toe in Alice + Olivia which Henley knew partly because it was her job to know and partly because she owned the exact same romper in a different colour. She was about to comment on this fact when the blonde opened her mouth.

"Who are you? And where is Hannah?" looking at Henley as if she had been expecting the answer to her question for hours.

"Hannah quit. Well, actually, she's technically on leave because she's pregnant." 

The woman, whose name Henely still did not know, made a face as if her world might come crumbling down around her.

"Luckily," Henley began, "I've just been hired as a senior stylist here at Luxe so I am sure that I can help you with whatever you need. In fact, I've just arrived from Bridgeport and I have quite a lot of experi-"

Blondie cut her off.

"Ah, no." She said shaking her head at Henley, her mournful look gone in an instant. "I'm sure you think you know absolutely everything about fashion because you're from Bridgeport  but I'm simply not interested. But thank you, dear." She said it with the same capricious, scathing tone used by Ms. Burberry earlier that afternoon.

What the hell is wrong with the women in this town?! she though furiously. Except for Suki, everyone had been either weird or incredibly rude towards her all day. She was having no more of it.

"I'll have you know," Henley began, "that you are free to patronize this salon but you will please refrain from patronizing me. Further, if you have no interest in my services, you're free to do business with another stylist. In fact," Henley said feeling the weight of all of her emotions explode outwardly, "please also feel free to take the Eau de Entitlement with you when you leave."

For a moment the woman looked shocked. Or at least that's what Henley first thought. She quickly realized that the woman was simply experiencing a moment of disbelief that anyone would speak to her with anything less than reverence and worship.

She suddenly snapped back to attention and gave Henley a look that, despite her earlier bravado, made her wither with discomfort and uncertainty. 

"Are you aware" she said punctuating each word slowly and crisply "that I am very good friends with the owner of this establishment?" She paused for effect.

In that moment of brief silence, Henley, who had only five minutes before been basking in the warm glow of sunlight and accomplishment, felt her stomach tighten and then drop. Suki is friends with this woman? Holy freaking shit. I've only had this job for five minutes and now I've thrown it away because of this blonde monster. And then again, Suki is good friends with her?! What did that say about her ability to read people?

Henley awkwardly scratched her head, while her mind raced, trying to find a way to fix things.

The woman stood there for another moment with a cruel look of satisfaction on her face while Henley twisted in on herself wishing she had simply smiled and ignored her. After all, she was used to the occasional client being dismissive or even outright rude. And she wasn't much of a fighter. In fact, Henley usually avoided confrontation if she could.  And yet something about the blonde had suddenly triggered her hackles to go up and feel incredibly defensive.

The woman-with-no-name turned swiftly and marched out on her thin, tanned legs, blonde hair swinging perfectly in time to the beat of her walk.

Henley groaned out loud when she had gone and decided to cut and run before she spoke to Suki and she was humiliated again. 

She made one stop on her way out. The office I almost had, she thought woefully. She glanced around and for the first time seriously considered if the move to Hidden Springs had been the right choice. After all, she'd had a growing business, a nice apartment and a small group of great friends. 

Maybe she'd really ended up here simply because she had wanted to avoid Arch.... Arch and his new girlfriend parading around the city as if he and Henley had never existed. She'd left because she couldn't deal with it anymore. They traveled in the same circles and were constantly bumping in to one another at parties, bars and events. It got to the point that her best friend Kayleigh was constantly on Arch-watch and Henley lived in a constant state of paranoia, thinking that Arch was around every corner. It wasn't healthy. 

With the support of Kayleigh and her therapist, she'd made the decision to move, but now she wondered if it hadn't just been one huge, colossal fucking mistake.

She scooted out the front door, trying to make a break for it. As soon as she walked outside, she saw Suki standing in the courtyard and she cursed under her breath. Well, might as well get it over with and call it a day.

She could tell right away that Suki looked as if something was not quite right. She sensed the tension in the air and wonder what the beastly blonde had said about her. Before she could get a word out, Suki turned towards her. They both started speaking at the same time.

"Look I don't know what that woman told you but --"

"Henley, I am so sorry about Juno, she --"

They both stopped mid sentence and laughed. 

"You first" said Henley.

"Look, I know that you've just met Juno. And I am sorry about her. I've known her since I was a child and you should know that we're not really friends, we're more like 'friends'" Suki said throwing up air quotes again while rolling her eyes. "I do hope she didn't frighten you away from Luxe."

"Yes," Henley responded carefully. "I did indeed meet a somewhat terrifying blonde woman who...how can I say this without being...well, she verbally accosted me and I guess I let her have it." Henley said this last bit with her head pointed at her toes.

As she glanced up at Suki from under her lashes, worriedly twisting her hands together, she was surprised to find that incredibly, Suki looked just as upset as Henley felt.

"Look, we should really get together and grab a glass of wine some time soon, yes?" Suki asked suddenly sounding drained. "It seems like we'll be neighbours and I think a drink and a bit of a chat will help to explain a few things. And I do apologize for Juno's behaviour. I'll speak with her before you start work, I promise."

 "So I still have the job then!?" Henley gasped with pleasure, clutching Suki's arms even harder this time. 

Suki laughed. "Of course you do, love! You're perfect for the job.

Suki leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially in her ear, even though the two women seemed to be very much alone outside the salon.

"Hidden Springs is a lovely place to live, but you have to understand how it operates and part of that understanding includes Juno," Suki said breathily. "Come by tomorrow so that we can arm you with all the information you'll need."

For just a second, Henley wondered if she'd somehow managed to wander in to the middle of a melodramatic mystery series. Even Suki was acting a tad odd now but since she was Henley's only friend so far, she decided to just agree to Suki's offer and relish in the fact that she had a job. In a weird town to be sure, but still, it was a job in fashion.

Henley watched as Suki drove away. Shit, she thought, even her car is cool.

It was dark and Henley checked her phone and realized that her new townhouse had been ready for almost an hour. She raced to her car and started off towards her new home.

Chapter 1.3 ~ Burberry Bites

Henley was determined to find a job. Sure, she had a healthy savings account, but with rent being what it was in Hidden Springs, she didn't want to live beyond her means. Plus, a large portion of her job was about keeping up appearances and she would have to make sure that she looked the part if she wanted to make a name for herself in a town filled with women who would drop what amounted to Henley's entire life savings on the newest handbag.

Henley drifted in to the first shop she found on Oxford Avenue. She noted the sign above the door. Saint Claire, it announced in fancy script. As Henley passed the cash register at the front and moved toward the back of the shop, she observed that it was filled with the latest designer wear. She dreamily browsed through the racks, feeling the silky fabrics, admiring the newest shades of the season.

"May I help you?" The nasal voice cut through her reverie and she turned around to see who had spoken.

Henley made her way to the sales desk where a woman, draped head-to-toe in Burberry, and a man behind the cash register, were both giving her the once over. She could feel their eyes taking her in as she moved toward them.

"Yes, hello!" Henley began brightly.

"May I help you?" the woman repeated, not sounding terribly helpful.

"Yes, hello!" Henley realized that now she was repeating herself too. Somewhat flustered, she stuck her hand out at Ms. Burberry and tried again. "My name is Henley Grey," she said with her most winning smile.

Ms. Burberry held out a limp hand as if she was expecting Henley to bend over and kiss one of the giant stones that decorated her fingers. Henley grasped the hand awkwardly and tried to recover from this introduction which was going very badly indeed.

"Erm, well I just moved here from Bridgeport and I am looking for work in the fashion industry. I have en excellent portfolio which-"

Ms. Burberry, who had failed to introduce herself entirely interrupted her pitch. "I'm quite sure that your portfolio is simply...fascinating," she said, sounding wholly insincere. "However this is Hidden Springs, not Bridgeport. We have certain standards here on The Avenue, my dear." The way that she said the word dear was one fraction away from being utterly scathing. And with that she turned, nose first, and busied herself behind the counter.

Henley was mortified. She made her way past the jewellery display, the scarves, the beautiful pink silk couch and ended up back in front of the rack of clothes. She tried to compose herself before leaving the store. She bit her tongue in an effort not to cry. 

Her face hot with embarrassment, she mindlessly rifled through the clothing as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. Sure, she was new here, but she'd managed to create the beginnings of a career in Bridgeport. The woman hadn't even given her a chance! Part of her wanted to confront the woman, but the part of her that was apparently in control of her actions at the moment swept her out the door of the shop in a hurry.

She passed a Boulangerie and inhaled the sweet smell of pastries wafting out the front door. She ignored the lure of croissants. A Pain au Chocolat was not going to cut it this time - she needed something stronger right about now. She glanced about until she noticed a bar on the second floor of the building across the way. 

Perfect, she thought. I just need a few moments to re-group.

It was a dark, strange little place. It had a look about it as if it couldn't decide if it wanted to be a pub, a sports bar or cater to a higher end clientele. At that point, however, Henley didn't give a hoot. 

"I'll have a vodka and soda with lime please. Tall glass."

The bartender wordlessly went about making her drink, all the while glancing down at Henley from under his lashes. Henley ignored the looks he seemed to be giving her and instead decided to see if she could find out anything about how to crack through what she was was beginning to sense was the very tough veneer of Hidden Springs.

"Can you tell me" she said between sips of her drink "do you know of any jobs in the fashion industry here in town? Like...anything at all?" She knew she sounded a bit desperate, but after her encounter with the snobbish Ms. Burberry, she was feeling off-kilter.

At first she thought he wasn't going to answer since he simply stood there looking at her. Finally he said "Have you tried Luxe?"

"Luxe?" asked Henley hopefully. "What's that?"

"Yeah", he replied. "It's one of the salons here in town. It's also a tattoo parlour...and where I sent my Jenny after she had our first son. It's not as expensive as the spa and Jenny felt real good about herself after she got that make-over."

A salon and a tattoo parlour in one? Henley was dubious at best but she didn't want to appear rude since the bartender had been so kind after she had experienced a day of very strange and rude behaviour from all of the Hidden Springs residents she'd met thus far. 

"That sounds great!" she said in her most optimistic voice. "Where would I find Luxe?"

The bartender, whose name turned out to be Mike, told her that he could find Luxe on Mountain Road, at the bottom of the escarpment. After drawing her a map on a cocktail napkin, Henley threw back the remainder of her vodka and soda, thanked Mike profusely and made her way to Luxe.

Chapter 1.2 ~ New Day

Henley woke with the realization that she had slept well in to the morning. Instead of carefully dressing, she threw on her clothes from the day before and went about packing up all her things. As she made up the bed, she noticed with amusement that it was the only thing not made of wood.

After hurriedly applying some make up, Henley made sure to place the key back beneath the mossy rock. She grabbed her purse and called Miranda, the realtor who had done most of the grunt work in finding Henley a place to live on short notice. After making the decision to move to Hidden Springs, she'd wasted no time making arrangements to find a temporary place to live that would be big enough for the furniture she had in storage, but small enough to afford. 

Hidden Springs was a small town, but it was a place where the wealthy flocked for its stunning views and where celebrities often kept second (or third) homes. Henley had not been sure what she could afford but Miranda had assured her that there were several renovated town homes in the city centre that would probably suit her needs and her budget. All Henley had to do was pack her things in to a truck and send them to Hidden Springs and Miranda would do the rest.

Of course it had cost a small ransom to have everything done for her, but in her vulnerable state, she had instantly agreed to it. She wasn't sure she could do it on her own.

As Henley entered in to the town proper, she felt a mixture of nervous anticipation and excitement. She tapped her fingers restlessly against the steering wheel while waiting for the light to change. Her town house would not be ready until later in the evening so Henley decided that she would have a look around the shopping district. 

A brief glance in the rearview mirror made her pause as she realized that she looked a mess and probably could have used a shower back at the cabin. Henley silently cursed herself for rushing through her first day. Wasn't part of the point of this adventure to slow down and learn to relax a bit? she chided herself. She pulled in behind a bookstore, parked behind a garbage bin and surreptitiously changed in the roadster.  

She threw on a grey cashmere sweater over a pair of leggings and tugged on her best brown leather Madlen boots. After raking a brush through her hair, she felt a bit more like herself.

Henley cruised around until she found parking on the street, something that was almost always impossible in Bridgeport, she mused. As she was feeding the parking meter some coins, her stomach growled ferociously and she suddenly remembered that she hadn't eaten in almost 24 hours. Glancing up the lane way  she saw what looked to be an adorable pink and blue café, and with her stomach urging her on, she trotted up the cobblestone path to the door.

"Hi!" she said enthusiastically to the woman at the counter. The woman didn't respond in kind. 

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Henley and said "And who are you?" 

She wasn't sure quite what to say at first. Was the woman's rudeness because Henley was new? Her innate friendly nature took over and she marched up to the counter and gamely offered her hand to the woman. "I'm Henley Grey. And you are?"

The woman had narrow, brown eyes that seemed too small for her face and her lips curled up in a bit of a sneer.

"I'm Heather." It seemed like that was all Henley was going to get.

"Well Heather, I'm starving." She picked up a menu and scanned it quickly. "Could I get a grilled cheese sandwich please?"

Heather's eyes narrowed even more, until Henley was unsure if Heather could even see her at all.

"Upstairs," Heather said, gesturing vaguely toward the staircase at the rear of the shop.

She didn't know what Heather meant by that, but the squinty brown eyes were beginning to make Henley distinctly uncomfortable and so she made her way up the steps as quickly as she could.

Upstairs there was a bar with a few tables scattered about and there was even a little balcony  too. Henley loved everything about the place...except, perhaps, for the staff. After about five minutes, a young man in a crisp, white chef's uniform brought her a grilled cheese sandwich. He was polite but said nothing. Henley was so intent on eating that she only caught the strange look he gave her out of her peripheral vision as he made his way back down the stairs. Was she being paranoid or were the people in this café a little left of centre?

The smell of the grilled cheese distracted her though and she wolfed it down, all the while trying to decide what to do with her day. She wanted to look around, of course, but she also needed to start searching for a job. Henley pushed away her empty plate and dug her nails in to the wood of the bar at the thought of employment.  If she couldn't find a good job, then all her efforts to create a new life would be in vain.

Henley decided to look through one of the pamphlets that Miranda had sent her. She settled on the balcony to enjoy the crisp air and sunshine as she dug the pamphlet - well, really it was more of a book, it was so big - out of her purse.

She flipped casually through 'A History of Hidden Springs', which noted that the temperature here was considered one of the more temperate climates in the country. The weather never changed overly much. Summers were warm but not broiling and winters were simply cool, without frost or snow. Henley knew all this already. She skipped to the back to see if there were any departments stores or shops that might be looking for a new employee.

Henley loved fashion. She loved hair, and make up and dresses and boots and bags. She knew that fashion often seemed a bit superficial to others outside the industry, but she loved helping people look their best. The look of surprise or newly-felt confidence on a person's face when she gave them a make over was one of life's delights!

With thoughts of Prada dancing in her head, Henley headed over to the nearest shopping district to suss out the possibilities. 

After working as a fashion consultant in Bridgeport for several years, she had started to make a name for herself. She saved half her earnings while the other half went towards, well, clothing. And shoes. And make-up. Henley wasn't a superficial person but she understood the industry well and shrewdly invested in her appearance. It paid off.

By the time Henley left Bridgeport, she had saved enough to pay a year's worth of rent. But of course, Henley had no intention of lounging around with the rest of the population of Hidden Springs. No ma'am. She would simply re-create her Bridgeport success here.

Chapter 1.1 ~ A Fresh Start

It was early evening as Henley Grey drove her 1967 Shelby Cobra through the hills toward her new life. The car was the only reminder of the years she had spent in Bridgeport. And really, since it had been a gift from her father before he'd passed away, it was more so a reminder of him than it was of her old life. 

Her old life. Henley clenched both her jaw and the leather-bound steering wheel tightly as she navigated the twists and turns that lead to the small but very wealthy community of Hidden Springs. 

Her old life. She was doing her best not to think about it since everything had ended in such a shambles but it was difficult to manage since the drive thus far had taken her almost 14 hours. It was an awfully long time with only the radio and one unbroken line of highway stretched out before her and it had given her far too much time to re-hash the past. 

Although she tried to push the thoughts away, they insisted on worming their way back in. Every song on the radio was about falling in love or losing that love or, worst of all, about unrequited love.  Henley scowled as she finally turned the wretched knob to the 'off' position. The sound of the tires on the road and the rush of the wind through the trees was far more soothing than thoughts of Archibald Warrington Asquith the Third. It was a mouthful that she hoped she would never have to speak again. Of course, Henley had simply called him Arch and for years their names were always spoken together in a singsong manner, intertwined, almost as if they were one person. Maybe that was the problem, Henley mused as she shifted down the gears slightly.

They had met two years after college and were instantly inseparable. Henley was sure she had met The One (oh, how she despised that term now!) and after years of men parading in and out of her life like ants at a picnic, she'd been ecstatic to finally find a man who wanted the same thing she did - a real commitment. Gone were the frightened little boys who couldn't pull up their own bootstraps and get down in the muck of a relationship. Arch had arrived and with him he brought laughter, fun and a real sense of joy...or so Henley first thought.

With a bit of a jolt, Henley realized that she had entered the outskirts of Hidden Springs. Here there was a mixture of tiny cottages that dotted the lush, forested landscape and large, modern homes protruding over the escarpment. She downshifted again as she came up behind a limo that seemed to be moving as if in slow motion. She sighed inwardly and realized that she was used to the fast-paced world of Bridgeport, where everyone was in a hurry and where few would approve of this limo driver who seemed as if he was leading a funeral procession. 

'Stop it!' Henley reprimanded herself crossly. She was admittedly struggling to move forward in her life but after the past year and the painful memories of Bridgeport and Arch's final words to her-- No. She wouldn't think about that right now. She was almost at the little cabin she'd rented for the night and this was her fresh start. Why ruin it with thoughts of Arch and her former life? She was in Hidden Springs now and it was time to try and let go of the past.

Henley checked her GPS just in time and made a swift left turn on to a dirt road that curved snakily around a pretty little park and some funny looking cottages before ending abruptly in front of a smooth, glassy lake. She leaned back in her seat for a moment and stared out at the lake while trying her best not to think about how much she needed a bathroom. God, she thought, I have a bladder the size of a peach pit! She wriggled out of the car, trying to remember under which rock the old lady had told her she would find the key to the cabin.

Henley laughed out loud as she lifted up the low-hanging leaves of the hostas and checked under every rock, nook and crevice she saw. When Mrs. Shaumburg had phoned to tell her that the cabin key would be left under a rock, Henley had paused for a moment in silence waiting for the rest of the joke. But none was forthcoming. Apparently, the people of Hidden Springs were far more trusting than the citizens of Bridgeport. 

Henley finally located the key under a mossy rock next to the old, wooden porch, silently cursing herself for not looking there first. She paused at the front door, closed her eyes and took in a deep, cleansing breath. I am letting go of you Arch. You are in my rearview mirror, she thought with as much emotional effort as she could muster. With that affirmation out of the way, Henley ran back to the car, grunting as she gathered the few things that she had managed to fit in to her little roadster. As much as she wanted to be as carefree as Mrs. Shaumburg, she was still settling in and there was no chance in hell that she was leaving her vintage Fendi in the car overnight.

"Holy shit", Henley muttered as she placed her bags and boxes near the front door and wiped at the dust that invaded her nostrils. The cabin was small, very spartan and decorated with old wooden furniture.  Truth be told, it was seventeen different types of wood piled atop of more wood and the words 'quaint' and 'charming' might have been slightly overused by the elderly, and quite possibly blind, Mrs. Shaumburg. Henley decided to shrug it off. After all, she was only here for a night and by tomorrow night, all of her furniture should have been delivered to the townhome she would be renting until she got her bearings. And a job. 

Henley pushed that thought away as well. The idea of starting over felt good, but as soon as she imagined the reality of having to start over all alone, the heaviness of anxiety and defeat weighed down upon her, smothering her, until she was left literally gasping for air.  Those thoughts made her question her decision to leave Bridgeport.

A sudden knock from the front porch startled Henley and she bumped her forehead on the edge of the door as she went to open it. She'd had always been known more for her charisma than her grace but she seemed to lose all her words as she opened the door and came face to face with a police officer who was standing in the fading light of the day. Now what? she wondered tiredly.

"Erm... hello there..." Henley managed to get out before the officer asked her for some photo ID. 

"ID?" Henley asked somewhat tersely. "Whatever for? I am renting this cabin!"

"Miss", he began in a very business-like tone, "we got a call from a neighbour that someone was breaking into this residence and so I would like to see some identification please."

Henley gave the officer her best stare down. She was tired, she was hungry, she still had to pee and her patience was as thin as the bartenders from Banzai Lounge. But it was a small town and she really didn't want her first interaction with someone from her new home to be unpleasant. After checking out her ID and asking her a few questions, the officer called Mrs. Shaumburg to confirm that there was indeed a Henley Grey staying at her cabin.

"I'm very sorry Miss Grey," the officer said after hanging up with Mrs. Shaumburg. "It would seem that Mrs. S forgot to notify the neighbours about your arrival. She's getting up there in years, I'm sure you understand..." he trailed off. Henley gave her best understanding smile, but the hours in the car, her hunger and the still very present need to pee suddenly seemed like too much. All she wanted to was to use a toilet, eat something (anything!) and then drag her ass in to whatever passed for a bed in this odd little cabin. But the officer had other ideas.

He introduced himself as Sebastian Vanderburg. Apparently one of the many 'burgs' in Hidden Springs, thought Henley as she half-listened to him chat about himself. He seemed nice enough, if a bit arrogant. Henley had the impression that Sebastian was used to getting what he wanted and he simply reeked of a sense of entitlement. He also made sure to slip in the fact that his family was one of "the founding families"of the town. Henley felt certain that this was meant to impress her, but unless Sebastian was hiding a toilet and a hamburger somewhere on his massive belt, he was out of luck. Now, crossing her legs together uncomfortably as she resisted the urge to wet herself, Henley smiled appeasingly at the officer.

"Officer Vanderburg-" she began.

"Please, call me Sebastian" he interrupted, giving her a little wink.

"Erm...Officer Sebastian" Henley continued ignoring the suggestive wink. "I would simply love to hear more about your great-great grandparents another time...it's just that I've been in the car all day and I think I need to.." Henley paused, trying to be circumspect, "um, unpack and get some sleep."

Officer Sebastian finally seemed to take the hint, as if the twisty legs and the pained expressions hadn't been enough. Henley awkwardly walked him to the door, praying that he would just go.

The sky outside was lavender and pink as the sun met the lake, but she barely noticed as she waved a quick goodbye before dashing back inside, ripping her clothes off and laying claim to the toilet. After about five minutes of staring at an old sink and a well worn brownish bath mat, her bladder was finally satisfied. She went to the sink to check her forehead for bruises before realizing that for some obscure reason, there was no mirror. Great.

Henley hoped that this day was not an omen of things to come. A fresh start meant a clean slate and a clean slate meant no obstacles, right? she thought as she massaged her head. Or was she just being naive? After brushing her teeth and washing the grime of the road off her face, she realized that she was just too tired to eat and was not sure that whatever Mrs. S had left in the fridge was something she wanted to contend with anyhow.

Henley hung her robe and a dress up on some bent nails that stuck awkwardly out of the bedroom wall and lay gingerly on the old red quilt, hoping that she would not be disturbing some type of critter, hiding away in the sheets. She let her mind wander sleepily as she thought about what lay ahead. Of course, as always, this lead to what she had left behind and the memories she had valiantly pushed down all day came rushing in like waves. 

Arch slowing drifting away from her... how she had worked so hard to try and understand where and why he had disconnected... how her heart, so full of love and hope, tried to cajole him back to their bed where they had once spent their nights making love and planning for their future... how she discovered that his family had closed ranks and that his mother did not approve of her... and how her dreams of marriage evaporated slowly but surely until they were just wisps of an idea and her relationship to Arch was only a memory. They lived together like ghosts for months, barely speaking, the sting of rejection pulsating against Henley's strong cloak of denial.

Finally, understanding and a horrible epiphany came from nowhere but it hit her like a racing llama. Arch didn't love her. Not enough, not really. His family always came first and they always would. Arch spoke a great game but when Henley looked back upon his actions, they'd really only had one good year. The rest had been the slow burn of their connection fizzling as Arch's mother's whispers and comments about Henley had finally done their job. Arch was too much of a coward to actually end things so Henley did that too.

Henley struggled not to cry but one tear managed to force its way out and she brushed it away forcefully, angrily. No! She would not keep thinking about stupid Archer and his vindictive mother. She was in Hidden Springs now and she was ready to create a new life for herself and realize the dreams she had forgotten in the pursuit of love; the fruitless attempt to maintain faith in someone who had none for her.

Henley finally turned out the overhead light and closed her eyes. Tomorrow is the start of my new life, she thought as she drifted off in to a restless, fitful sleep.