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“About you fixing his mistakes? Yup. Fin’s not practical, although he likes to think he is.” Piper looked up at him.
“Not that. I meant about him helping if I needed it.”
“Of course he did. That’s the deal in small towns, we usually don’t say what we don’t mean.”
“Yeah, I’d forgotten that happens.”
“You really going to look at his shelves?”
“I guess so.” Dylan looked confused, and Piper had to look away so he didn’t see her smile. The man was coming undone. He’d lived life his way in New York, but here people tended to have a hand in whatever you did and how you progressed. Dylan was no exception, seeing as he was a local.
Basil Automotive was situated off the main street. Outside were two old gasoline pumps that Bas had picked up somewhere, and people said he loved almost as much as his three kids.
“I’m just talking to him, Piper. We’re not accusing anyone of anything, or getting into it with him.”
“Sure, it’s just a ‘hey you’ visit. Got it.”
“What?”
“Hey you, what’s up. How’s it hanging? That kind of thing.”
“Trainers.” Dylan shook his head. “You’re all crazy.”
“Oh, now I object,” Piper said, poking him in the side. He stepped away. “Ticklish?”
“No.” His eyes told her he was lying.
She was enjoying just being with him. One friend spending time with another. Okay, there was no denying the chemistry between them, they both felt that, but for now that was on hold… possibly indefinitely.
“Hey, Bas.”
A big grizzly bear of a man with no hair, Bas was everyone’s go-to man. He ran a plow in winter and hired out chains to those in need, and two years ago played the lead in the winter pageant. He had a wonderful voice.
“Zander about?” Piper said, pushing Grace up to the door of the garage.
“Sure. Hey, I heard about Ava and your folks, Dylan, hope they’re improving?”
“Yes, they’re doing better, thanks,” Dylan lied.
“Aww, look at that sweet little girl. I swear she’s grown already since I saw her two days ago, Piper.” Bas bent to smile at Grace, and she garbled something back. “I’ll go get Zander.”
“We’d be grateful,” Piper said.
They stood to one side when Bas left, where no one could overhear them, and waited.
“Grace is going to be spoilt by everyone in this town,” Dylan said.
“Yesterday, Miss Marla and Miss Sarah came by with two dozen knitted dolls that Mandy once played with.”
“There you go then.”
Zander shuffled out the door a few minutes later dressed in his greasy overalls.
Piper studied him, tried to see if he was capable of helping his girlfriend get high.
“Hi.” He smiled, then bent to greet Grace.
She didn’t think he was bad, just rude, and maybe awkward socially, but then she’d been wrong about people before.
