Page 17 of Beast of Misty Mountain

“If Sami’s offer falls through, Clara and I have a guest room. It’s not fancy, and she’ll probably try to marry you off, but it’s warm, and it’s yours if you need it.”

“Thank you,” I say, and my throat tightens again. “I… I didn’t know what I was going to do last night. I almost asked if I could sleep in the storeroom.”

“You try that, and Clara would never let me hear the end of it.”

That makes me laugh. In a flash of clarity, I realize how quickly I’ve built up a network of friends in Misty Mountain and how I’m not as alone as I thought when I packed my things up this morning.

“I’ll let you know what happens. Sami hasn’t texted back, but she also said she’d stop by tonight and drop off her spare key before the end of my shift.”

“Good. In the meantime, clean up that cut, and if you need a few minutes, take ’em. We’re fine out there. Tessa can handle things for a while.”

I smile again and nod.

I go to the bathroom and splash water on my face. I stare at my reflection for a beat—slightly red eyes, red hair in a mess on the top of my head, pale skin. Not glamorous, but at least I don’t look as bad as my heart feels. I practice smiling and laughing, partly to take my mind off Milo but also because sad servers don’t get good tips. And if I’m leaving Misty Mountain, I’ll need every dollar I can lay my hands on.

My phone buzzes in my back pocket.

Couch is yours tonight if you want it. I’ll drop the key off in an hour. If you want Finn to have a word with Beast, he’s made the offer.

My smile as I read and re-read Sami’s text is the first real, not-forced smile I’ve had all day. Relief spreads through me so fast it makes me dizzy.

Thank you! I’ll be here. You’re a lifesaver! <3

When I put my phone away and head back out to the bar, something settles in me.

I’m still bruised, but for the first time all day, I don’t feel like I’m sinking.

CHAPTER 8

MILO

You look like hell,” Jack says, not even glancing up as he unloads boxes of canned goods from his truck and onto the wooden porch of the general store.

“I’m not here for compliments,” I mutter. I grab the last box and stack it for him.

He wipes his hands on a rag, squints at me through the late morning sun, and leans against the doorframe. “What got you up and in town so early?”

“I’m looking for work,” I say, getting to the point. “Construction. I’m looking for another job like the last one—not here.”

Jack raises an eyebrow. “Something wrong with Misty Mountain?”

I shake my head. Spilling my personal life with Jack isn’t why I came down to town. “I need a change of scenery.”

“Uh-huh.” He crosses his arms, the corner of his mouth twitching. “Thought you were all settled in and playing house up there with the redhead from the bar.”

My jaw tightens. I’m not interested in talking to Jack about Marilee.

Jack lets the silence hang between us like bait. When I don’t bite, he shrugs. “So…something happen with her?”

“Nothing happened,” I snap, trying to get Jack to drop it.

“Uh-huh,” he says again, with a look on his face that makes me want to punch a wall. “That’s not what it looks like. I already saw her in town this morning, too…before The Rusty Elk was even open.”

That gets my attention, but I’m not giving him anything else. At least she’s still in town. Misty Mountain isn’t big, but it doesn’t mean anyone is easy to find if they don’t want to be found. I know as well as anyone here that if you want to get lost, Misty Mountain is as good a place as any to do so. And it doesn’t take a genius to realize she probably doesn’t want to be found.

I’m still going to find her. If I have any chance at undoing the damage I did last night, I’m sure as hell going to do everything in my power to find that chance and take it like my life depends on it.

Jack turns back to the boxes, grabbing another one off the truck and disappearing into the store without another word. He comes back out a moment later.

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