Granny Grace wiped her brow and stepped toward her front door. “I’m making a meat loaf later if you want some. Just knock if you get hungry.”

She’d brought up a meat loaf the night I’d moved in—crispy onions on top, a tangy sauce drizzled over the entire thing, and a heaping pile of mashed potatoes to go with it. I especially appreciated Granny Grace’s love for cooking because I hated to cook. Loathed it. Unfortunate because of how much I loved eating. It wasn’t just about the food though. I loved the togetherness food brought. The family gatherings. The friendships. To have one of my favorite people living right downstairs who loved to cook and share was a little like a dream come true.

“I’ll definitely come by,” I told her.

Finally off my porch, I hit the sidewalk and ran square into the middle of what could only be described as a gaggle of women. One stepped forward. She was tiny and perky and blonde.

“Are you Lane?”

And her voice sounded exactly like her do-gooder, flyer-sharing mother. I’d been outed. “Yeah.”

“Oh my word. You are just as beautiful as Mom said you were. Are those curls natural? Seriously. So gorgeous.”

My hair was pulled back into a ponytail for my run, so I don’t know how gorgeous it actually was, but I wasn’t going to reject a compliment. “Thanks. Yeah, it’s natural.”

“I’m so glad we caught you.” She glanced at her watch. “If we hurry, we’ll make it before the game starts.”

My eyebrows went up. “Game?”

Another girl stepped forward. “Trust us on this one. It’s tradition. Every time a new girl moves in.”

I took a step backward. “Right, but I didn’t move in. I didn’t really want to join up with the singles this time around.”

Perky Blonde rolled her eyes. “But you’re still one of us. I’m Chloe, that’s Emily, Steph, and Melanie. I promise we’re harmless. We can even be fun sometimes. Just come. I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

“I was about to head out for a run.”

“And you still can.” She put her tiny hands on her tiny hips. “After the game. We drove all the way over here from Raleigh to pick you up. You have to come.”

I sighed. She was little, but she was fierce. “Do we have to go back to Raleigh? I don’t know that I have that kind of time.” It wasn’t like the capital city was far. Maybe half an hour, but still. This was my last Saturday before work started. Time was precious.

She smiled. “Nope. Only over to Carrboro. It’s less than ten minutes from here.”