AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He offers me his hand, and I gingerly take it as I drop out of the truck, my feet instantly sinking into the deep snow. “Thanks,” I say with an awkward smile as he points out the best place for me to brace my foot to help me up. There’s an older gentleman standing just at the top of the ditch, right where Pop’s truck was supposed to be parked. He reaches down and grips my arm to help pull me the rest of the way out of the ditch.
He’s also familiar, and I can’t help but wonder if this is Billy’s father, the original Old McDonald. “I, uhhh . . . I’m really sorry,” I say to him as Billy climbs out of the ditch, using the back of Pop’s truck for leverage. “I’m not the best driver, but I swear, if I knew I’d end up in a ditch, I would have picked a different space.”
The old man grins, his gaze shifting over the truck before looking at the road like some kind of investigator. “You should really have chains on your truck,” he says in an accusatory tone.
His son moves in beside me, offering me a polite smile before glaring at his father. “Knock it off, Pops. It’s not her fault. She hit black ice,” he says before shifting his gaze back to mine. “But he’s right. You really should have chains on your tires. You were lucky today, but if you were on the highway, it could have been fatal.”
My face scrunches. “I know, I’ve been meaning to do it, but I haven’t had a minute to figure it out. I only just got back into town.”
“Ahh, you’re . . . wait. Why does your face seem so familiar to me?”
“Blair Wilder,” I say, really starting to notice the chill in the air as the adrenaline begins to wear off. “We were in high school together. Pretty sure you sat behind me during History all through senior year.”
Recognition flashes in his bright blue eyes. “Ahhhh yeah. That’s right. You’re Nick’s girl.”
“Yeah, something like that,” I say, not willing to get into it as his father shuffles over, getting a good look at Pop’s truck in the ditch, probably trying to figure out where the hell to go from here. “What’s the diagnosis? Is the truck a lost cause?”
“Nah, nothing a good tow can’t handle,” the old man says, patting the back of the truck like he was spanking a woman’s ass. “We’ll get her back on her feet. Might not happen today though. Do you have someone you can call?”
Shit.
My mind goes straight to Nick, but there’s no way in hell I can call him for a ride, not after I dove behind the coffee house counter this morning. My ego is far too bruised to have to face that one today. I suppose I could call Oxley, but his number is still on that little slip of paper on my kitchen counter.
Just fucking great.
I give Billy and his father a forced smile. “Yeah, I’ll figure out a way home,” I tell them, wondering how Sarah would feel about giving me Oxley’s number. “In the meantime, are there any good trees left?”
“Sure thing,” Billy’s father says, waving a hand toward the main entrance of the farm as I really start to shiver, cursing myself for not remembering my damn coat. “Follow me, darlin’.”
9
NICK
ThedrywallattheInn looks fucking perfect as I stand back, surveying my work for the day. I’ll have to come back tomorrow to sand it and put a coat of paint over it, but for now—fucking perfect. I pride myself on offering a high standard to my customers, and so far, there hasn’t been a job that I haven’t been able to ace.
I pack up my tools, walking in and out of the Inn as I load my truck with all of my shit. I’m just about done when my phone rings, and for just a moment, I consider letting it go to voicemail. After the shitty morning I had when Blair dove over the coffee house counter just to avoid me, I really can’t be fucked to deal with someone else’s emergency.
Seeing Billy McDonald’s name flash across my screen, my brows furrow. I was never close with Billy in high school and never had anything to do with him after it either. We’ve run into each other occasionally at the local Bar & Grill and had a drink together, but as far as friendship goes, that’s about it. Billy considers himself a bit of a handyman, so he’s never needed my help or input, so the fact he’s calling now is more than suspicious.
After accepting the call, I lift my phone to my ear, hoping like fuck he doesn’t have an emergency that will keep me from going straight home to crash. “Hey, Billy. What’s up?”
“Hey man. Look, I ummm . . . I know it’s none of my business and that your girl said she could figure something out, but she’s been walking up and down the farm for twenty minutes and hasn’t even looked at a damn tree. And considering the way she’s talking to herself, I’m pretty sure she’s having a psychotic break.”
My brows furrow, and I pause on the bottom step of the porch that leads to the grand entrance of Blushing’s one and only inn. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Oh . . . you don’t know?” he questions. “She said she’d call someone to help. I just figured she was talking about you.”
“The fuck is going on, Billy?”
“Blair,” he states. “She’s down at the farm. She hit a patch of black ice and her truck is buried in a ditch. She really should have chains on her tires, man.”
My eyes widen, my heart racing as I launch myself toward my truck, desperate to get to her. “Is she alright?” I rush out. “Is she hurt?”
“Nah, she’s fine. Maybe a little shaken, but she seemed more interested in picking a fucking tree. I mean, shit. This girl’s priorities are out of whack,” he laughs to himself. “As for your girl’s truck, I don’t know what you wanna do with it. I don’t think it’s damaged, but there’s no telling until we get it out of the ditch. You’ll probably need to call a tow.”
Fucking hell. This bastard seems to be putting a lot of responsibility for Blair’s truck on me. “She’s not my girl.”
“Wait. What?” Billy says. “You’re not together? I figured you two were doing the whole long-distance thing. But she’s single? Fuck. Why didn’t you start with that? Listen, don’t worry about coming out here. I’ll get it sorted out for her.”
