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“The worried-mother look. That truck is clearly priceless to you. Don’t worry, I’ll treat her right.” The fact he picked up on that and was genuinely reassuring me had me instantly liking the man.
“It was my dad’s. When he died, he left it to me,” I explained. “I just lost my sister, I can’t lose this too, ya know?” My voice wavered for a second before I locked my grief back in the box I was keeping it in.
“I know that feeling,” he said, giving me a small smile. “My dream job was to be a tattoo artist. Art is my thing, but my uncle raised me, taught me everything he knew. I couldn’t let the place go to someone else when he died. It just didn’t feel right. So I sell tattoo concepts on the side and fix cars.”
“Did you design your own?” I asked, glancing at the intricate line work. They were amazing.
“I did.” He grinned. “My friend Miller owns a tattoo shop, so he tattoos me in exchange for giving him some concepts here and there.”
“That’s awesome,” I said. “Maybe I’ll have to stick around Dixon long enough to get me a Dave original tattoo.”
His eyes lit up at that. “Say the word, I’ll design anything you want. It’s been a long time since I did a custom one.”
“I’ll think on it,” I promised, relaxing as we drove down the road. It was barely ten minutes down an almost empty stretch of land when I saw the sign for Dixon. The town was fairly small, quaint. Idyllic homes lined the roads. Main street was full of adorable shop fronts and small businesses. It stretched onto the next road, a grocery store, diner, a small motel, and Dave’s Garage. There were a few more businesses beyond that, but I couldn’t make out the signs from here.
“And here we are,” Dave announced in case I didn’t catch the big sign painted on his building. He hit a button before pulling into the lot. “I’ll have a look later today and figure out a plan. Leave me your number and I’ll call you when I know more.”
“Sounds good. Is it okay if I check into the motel before coming to grab my stuff out of the truck?”
“Sure,” he agreed. “I’m not going anywhere.” He gave me that friendly smile before walking inside the attached office and beckoning for me to follow. I gave him my phone number and wrote down my name before heading back outside.
First things first, a place to sleep. Squaring my shoulders, I walked across the street toward the motel. The last one didn’t go so well. But so far I hadn’t scented a single hint of wolf, so I hoped that would stay true, though once I was settled, I might need to venture in the woods a bit and make sure I am truly safe. The last motel left me paranoid.
It was cute at least, despite being small. The landscaping was clean and pretty, the building itself kept up with. And with the windows clear and shining, I sent a thanks up to the gods that I’d found a place to stay where I wouldn’t be afraid to walk across the carpet.
The bells over the front door dinged as I pushed it open and an older man walked out. Between his sweater and glasses, he reminded me of Mr. Rogers.
“Well hello there,” he greeted with a dimpled smile. “It’s been a bit since we’ve had a guest. How long are you staying?”
“That depends.” I laughed humorlessly. “Dave’s taking care of my truck right now, he won’t have answers until tomorrow so at least a night.”
“Well, it’s not like these are selling like hot cakes, just come see me tomorrow and let me know,” he reassured before going over the details. “Here’s your key card. And the diner is open from five in the morning until ten at night, after that the bar is open until three if you need anything. Our grocery stores close early, but the gas station is twenty-four hours.”
“Perfect. Thank you so much…” I trailed off, realizing I didn’t have a name.
“Clay,” he supplied. “You’ll likely see my husband, Harrison, around here at some point. He’ll be the eccentric one in Hawaiian shirts and crazy hair.” He said it so fondly I couldn’t help but be a bit jealous they’d found that kind of love.
“I’ll make sure to say hello if I see him,” I promised as I went outside, relieved to see my room was only three doors down from the office this time. And no woods in sight. Score.
I scanned the card and unlocked the door, pushing it open and breathing a sigh of relief at the scent of bleach and clean linen. The floors were hardwood, the bed looked heavenly soft, and everything looked fairly new. They’d put their heart and soul into this place and it showed. Not wanting to lug stuff over in the dark, I dropped my bag before heading over to see Dave.
There wasn’t a car on the road as I cut across , and I took my time crossing, taking in the buildings around me. The bar was on the opposite side of Dave’s, and it looked busy already. A drink after the week I’d had sounded perfect.
“Hey there, get checked in okay?” Dave called out. He now had his hair in a man bun and had on his dirty mechanic overalls on. The truck’s hood was open now and he was already digging around.
“I did, it’s the best motel I’ve seen,” I admitted. “I’m just here to grab my stuff and I’ll be out of your hair.”
He stepped back and dropped his tools. “Let me clean up and I’ll help.”
“Thanks.” I grinned. This town definitely had the small-town charm you hear about, or at least so far. Hopefully my luck stuck around.
Dave worked next to me, grabbing nearly everything I owned in one trip. We lugged it across the street, huffing by the time I opened the door and we dropped them inside.
“You moving?” he asked absently as he put down the last of his load.
“Sort of,” was all I offered and he nodded knowingly.
“Well if you need anything, you know where to find me. My apartment is over the garage so I’ll be around here regardless,” he said with a quick wave before heading back. I closed the door and sat down, taking a moment to just fucking breathe.
