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DREW
My fingers drummed on the handle of the tiny cart as I waited in line at Jack’s Drugs. Pulling down on the bill of my battered Stormin’ Shamrocks hat, I ignored Priscilla Hall squinting at me from the discount candy bin. Everyone knew it was me, but donning the old high school ball cap was still a thin armor. Protection against looks like the one Priscilla gave me.
After we’d gotten discharge instructions from Dr. Ashwood, I’d dropped Sadie off at my house and told her to get comfortable and I’d take care of picking up the prescription he’d called in for her.
That was one advantage to small-town life: Dr. Ashwood told the ancient pharmacist I’d be picking up the prescription on her behalf, and there were no questions asked when I showed up with her insurance card.
On the flip side, everyone would hear from Priscilla about the assortment of items in my cart. I might have gone a little overboard. After reading the paperwork they printed out for Sadie, I’d loaded my cart up with enough stuff to start my own mini-pharmacy. Besides her prescription, I had one bottle of every version of over-the-counter pain relievers available (after I double-checked with Jack that they didn’t interact with her prescription), hot packs, cold packs, ginger tea, chocolate bars and an aromatherapy eye mask.
The high-school-age cashier’s eyebrows scrunched together when I got to the front of the line and deposited my haul on the counter. I stared back at her with the dead-behind-the-eyes look I’d perfected over the last five years. She had the good sense not to attempt any small talk. Bagging my stuff in a hurry, she handed it off with the receipt.
I was halfway to the exit when Priscilla called out behind me. “Need some last-minute provisions, Andrew?”
The mayor’s assistant always had a way of addressing you like a scolding elementary school teacher. Even if you were a grown-ass man.
I turned to look at her. “What’s it to you, Priscilla?”
“Haven’t seen you out shopping in quite some time is all. Thought you did the pickup orders at Becker’s.”
Good god, this town was full of busybodies.
“This wouldn’t have anything to do with your new houseguest, would it?”
Not gonna engage.Turning back around, I headed to the door. “Maybe I don’t shop in person because I don’t want half the town all up in my business every time I leave the house. Ever think of that?” I shot the words over my shoulder.
“What business? This is the most interesting thing you’ve done in a long time,” she yelled before the automatic doors snapped shut.
Climbing into my truck, I clenched and unclenched my fists. I should move out of Kelly Bay once and for all. Leave this town and all its meddling citizens behind.
But I shoved the thought down for the millionth time. The idea of living anywhere else made me want to climb out of my skin.
The devil you know, and all that.
On the short drive back to my house, I reminded myself this was only temporary. I’d help Sadie out of the nasty situation she was in thanks to Brody’s interference, she’d be on her way, and I could get back to the status quo.
It didn’t matter how much seeing her in that hospital bed, looking exhausted and in pain, messed me up inside. Or how the idea of her staying with Paul made my stomach cramp up.
I didn’t know the woman, and I was in no position to be having feelings about her. She was passing through. My only responsibility was to fix the predicament Brody had gotten her into.
Speaking of Brody, I’d ripped him a new one via our text chain while I’d waited for her prescription to be filled. If it weren’t for his idiotic plan, she never would’ve been staying in that toxic motel room. I told him he needed to figure out getting her a refund ASAP but hadn’t heard back from him yet.
After pulling into my driveway, I dug my phone out.
Brody: Lydia says I’m already over my “whoopsie” budget for the month, so I’m not going to be able to come up with the money to refund her for a couple of weeks
Of course Brody had a whoopsie budget.
Brody: Unless you want me to ask the Widows’ Fund for the donation back
Because that was what I needed. More excuses for people in this town to gossip about me.
Brody had made that donation in my name. Everyone knew about the settlement I ended up with after the accident. Even though I maintained an austere lifestyle, it wasn’t the kind of thing people forgot about.
Asking for the donation back would be an Ebenezer-Scrooge-level move.
Drew: Don’t.
Drew: I’ll figure it out.
