I squeezed the scarf in my hands.
“Did you hear about a party? A house party. Anyone go to one last night?”
Maggie shook her head. “I’m hardly the partying type. Though we have the odd poker night at Viv’s…”
Rowan appeared at her shoulder.
“Hey, mate, you doing alright?”
My head swam.
“I’ve had the weirdest night. I was kept up by—”
I looked up at the quiet house next door. I shook my head and pinched the bridge of my nose.
“Sorry, I’m fine.” I nodded toward 1a. “I think this is my neighbour’s. I can drop it off.”
I stumbled out my door and took the four steps to her door and went to push the scarf through the letter box. I stopped. Thought better of it. This was my only concrete proof. Proof of what, I didn’t know yet, but I didn’t want to let it go so easily. I tied it onto the door handle instead.
“Hey, do you happen to know who lives here?” I asked.
“I thought it was empty, like yours,” said Maggie, watching me carefully. “Have you been eating alright?” Her voice was suddenly soft. “You should come by the café. Get a macaroni pie. I saw you didn’t get a chance to eat the last one.”
I am a capable woman. I can chop wood and work a boiler and move house all by myself.
“I’m perfectly alright,” I said, tucking my escaping hair back behind my ears.
Rowan gave me one of his assessing looks again.
“Well, if you’re perfectly alright then you can give me a hand. Remember we were chatting about maybe getting your help on some things at the shop?”
I straightened up. Oh yeah! That job! I fought back the anxiety and forced a smile.
“Um, sure! Yeah. What do you need?”
“You can drive, right?”
I blinked. A driver? I’d hoped he’d wanted help with a website, some emails, maybe a little social media work, not a lift.
“Uh, my windshield—”
“I don’t need your car. I just need someone who can sit with me while I drive the van.” He knocked a thumb back toward the truck behind him with its ‘L’ in the windscreen.
“Oh, I thought you…”
He frowned, then sighed and slapped his forehead.
“The email thing! God, yeah. Sorry. Should have thought about that. I am totally going to ask you about all that, but right now I just need a co-driver as I go up the hillside. I got a tree delivery, but the root bulbs are going to dry out if I don’t put them in the ground soon. And Fergus’s too busy with the store to come with.” He grinned. “I was going to make Maggie chum me up in return for driving her over.”
“I said I’d be happy taking the bus,” she huffed.
Rowan gave her elbow an affectionate squeeze.
“And miss out on your sparkling company? Never.” He turned back to me. “I’d let you have a go driving the truck.”
I looked up and down the driveway littered with papery elm seeds.
“I’m not sure— I mean, is that legal? I’m not on your insurance.”
