“While you do that, I’ll take a look at your cabinet. It could be an easy fix.” She waved him on back, and he lifted the opening in the counter, letting himself behind the bar. As he passed Robin, he caught a breath of her perfume or maybe her shampoo. Something floral and summery. He pushed through the swinging doors into the kitchen.
The cabinet didn’t look any better than the other day. In fact, now that the plumber had poked around, it looked worse. Both doors had been taken off their hinges, and he could see the gaping holes the screws had made coming out. There was no way they’d ever go back in properly. The floor of the cabinet was in worse shape. It looked like Mack had put a knee through the board because Sammy could see the flooring underneath.
Robin came in through the swinging door. “What’s the verdict, Doc?”
“Not good news, I’m afraid. This whole cabinet will have to be replaced. A few of these wooden floorboards too. The water seeped into them, and I’m concerned about mold. Not good for a commercial kitchen.”
Robin wrapped her arms around herself. “I’ll have to get someone in here to take a look at that, I guess. I’ve been out of town for so long, I don’t even know who to call. Any ideas for me?”
“I’ll ask around for you.” Huh. Not two hours after taking his check to the bank, and God was already presenting him with an opportunity to use it for good. Though, if he chose to pay for Robin’s repairs, he could never let her know it was him.
“I’d appreciate that. There may even be a cupcake in it for you.” She shot him a wink.
His heart flipped. What was happening? This was Robin. He shifted his feet, suddenly aware of his large size in this small space.
“Uh, thanks for boxing those up.” He reached for the box of cupcakes in her hand. Their fingers brushed as he took it from her. A spark buzzed up his arm, and it must have landed somewhere in his brain, because he heard himself say, “I’m sure they’ll taste as good as you smell.”
She stared at him. “What?”
“Never mind. I’d better get going.” He hurried past her and out into the dining room. Setting the box on the table where he’d been sitting, he picked up his coat. Why were these sleeves all tangled? He forced his arms through, then threaded his scarf around his neck before tugging on his gloves and hat.
“You look like that kid fromA Christmas Story, the one who can’t put his arms down because he’s wearing so many winter clothes.” Robin had come out of the kitchen without his noticing. A heat crept into his face that had nothing to do with the winter gear.
“It’s just above freezing out there. If I don’t bundle up, it’ll be a long, cold ride home.”
“Wait, is that your bicycle in the lot?”
“Yep, that’s my baby.”
“How do you pedal it through the snow? And more importantly,whydo you pedal it through the snow?”
He hesitated. But, yeah, he could talk about the bike. Something safe. “It’s got specially designed fat tires for riding in the winter. Most of the roads around here are either cleared or the snow is packed almost as hard as concrete. It’s easier than you might think.”
“But why?” When he hesitated a second time she spoke again. “Never mind. None of my business. Forget I asked.” She started to turn away.
Shoot.
“I started bike riding in therapy,” he blurted. She turned back to him. He lightly banged his fist against his leg. “One of the low impact ways my physical therapist had me exercise was to ride the stationary bike.” He tugged his gloves off. No need for them in a room this hot. “I got pretty good at it after a while, and when I felt better, I started riding around town. I guess I just got in the habit.” No need to mention the nightmares he’d wake up from, blankets twisted in a vise around his legs. Nightmares where he would get behind the wheel of a truck and leave several people dead in his wake.
Yeah, he wasn’t eager to get back to driving with those images in his brain. Even if they were only dreams, they felt real to him.
“So you ride even when it’s snowing?” Her skeptical look mirrored the one his mother had worn when he’d told her he was outfitting his bike for snowy conditions.
“Hey, don’t knock it until you try it.”
“I guess I’ll have to trust you on that one.”
“No, really, you should try it. Sure, you get some crazy looks around town, but on a bike, you really get a feel for a place. Deep Haven is special, and it’s easy to miss that unless you’re out in it.” He came to an abrupt stop. “Anyway…”
Her face softened. “Someday I may test out your theory.”
“I bet we can rent you a bike from Casper Christiansen over at Wild Harbor. Anyhow, I gotta go. I’ll be back tomorrow with a report on your kitchen issue.”
Sammy pushed into the cold January afternoon. The darkening sky above showed the first stars. He breathed in a deep breath, willed his heart to settle down.
After strapping his mother’s box of cupcakes into his basket, he pedaled off into the night. He hoped Seth was still in his office. The owner of Turnquist Lumber was just the person he needed to help him with a lumber problem. A few minutes later he was rewarded with the sight of Seth’s office lights blazing.
“Are you here to take me up on my smoke jumping offer?” Seth said by way of greeting.
