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CHAPTER1
Nora
“You’re late.”Tammy set down her book and peered at me over her wire-rim glasses, annoyed. I didn’t exactly blame her, considering I’d kept her fifteen minutes past closing.
“I know. Sorry. Thanks for waiting.” I gently closed the coffee shop door behind me, walking across the battered wooden floors to the dog bed in the corner. “And how’s Mags today?” The gold whippet stood and bounced on the bed when I approached. “I’m glad you’re happy to see me,” I cooed, pulling a dog treat from my pocket. She ate the meat stick in a single bite, prancing around me excitedly. “I wish I could walk you, Mags, but I’m late.”
I stood, rounding the counter to wash my hands in the prep sink.
“You better scoot, Nora, before Gary loses his mind.”
I suppressed a groan. “I’m too late for that. The Chamber of Commerce meeting starts at eight. I'm late if I’m not there half an hour early.”
The clock over the counter read 7:50, which left plenty of time to walk to City Hall by eight— if I didn’t have two boxes of coffee and three dozen pastries weighing me down.
“I could help you carry these over.”
I waved away Tammy’s offer. At seventy, she could barely walk around the block, let alone lug a bunch of pastries up the City Hall stairs. I didn’t quite understand why the woman had adopted a high-energy puppy, but I took advantage of her decision. Mags and I frequently took walks together, quenching my urge to have a dog of my own.
Like my landlord would ever allow that.
“I can get this on my own,” I lied. “No problem.”
I hefted the two coffee boxes with my bad wrist in a hurry, only to bite back a yelp of pain. I set the boxes down, picking them up again with my other hand. Tammy eyed my wrist curiously as I held out my hand, letting her place the handle over my palm.
I lifted it carefully, training my face not to crumple. “Sorry again, Tammy. Thanks for waiting!”
Tammy followed me to the door, propping it open so I could slip out onto Main Street.
After an unseasonably warm August, September had begun with a cold snap that left the ground covered in frost and me scrambling to dig my winter clothes out of storage. My fingers still ached, despite the gloves, probably swollen and turning slightly more blue with each step I took. I set my sights on City Hall, pushing through the pain in my wrist and the tension in my chest that had been building since my doctor’s appointment that afternoon.
Later. I’d worry about that later.
I slipped through the back door of City Hall, navigating the two hundred-year-old building to the council chambers.
“You’re late,” Gary hissed when I arrived. He stood by the door with his arms crossed in contempt, clearly waiting for me. “You’re supposed to be here at 7:30. Nothing was set up. Nothing.”
I surveyed the room. A group of local business owners had pulled down the chairs and set up a table at the back of the room for the coffee. The place looked fine to me.
“Sorry,” I apologized. “My appointment ran late.”
He glared, wrenching the boxes of coffee out of my hand. “I allowed you to schedule that appointment because you assured me you’d be done in time for this meeting.”
“I know, but—”
“No buts, no excuses. I could have your job filled tomorrow.”
My throat clenched as I choked down a sob. I nodded, biting my tongue. Thankfully, Mr. Barton, my best friend’s dad and a local plumber, wandered over at the perfect time. He shot me an apologetic smile as he distracted Gary with a smile and a handshake.
I glanced at the exit, relieved that Cal hadn’t wandered in. Both of my brothers harbored an overprotective streak a mile wide, and Gary hadn’t exactly made a good first impression. He’d bossed me around at the first meeting, talking down to me as if I were a petulant child. Obviously, Cal was infuriated, and I didn’t need this to add fuel to the fire.
Regardless, he had a point: I was lucky to have the job. The tiny mountain community of Franklin Notch had no actual source of commerce. The town’s largest employer was a custom cabinetry shop, and half the town commuted at least thirty minutes away.
I could do that, but I only had a high school diploma, so my job prospects were limited. Besides, the gas money would eat into the extra dollar an hour I might make, and I couldn’t stand driving in the snow.
“You okay, Nora?” Lexi Williams, a local tattoo artist, wrapped her arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze.
“Fine,” I said, plastering a smile on my face and wiping out any thoughts of rage quitting out of my mind—as if I could afford that.
