Page 76 of Love Me Boldly

“Pee-you!” He pinched his nose together and scrunched up his face. “Guh-ross.”

Laughing, I started the SUV, backed out, and once the garage door was closed, we headed off to town, where I’d spent the day with Jonah, thinking about him and playing and getting ice cream and doing all the things he thought were cool to do with his mom before taking him to see Paul for a while.

And I wouldn’t spend a single second thinking of Graham. Or that he was in town, probably looking for me. Tracey had been right last night.

Until I knew what I wanted, or what I hoped for in having him around, I intended to avoid him at all costs.

TWENTY-FOUR

GRAHAM

I’d only been to Deer Creek a handful of times, and since most of the times I was there, I only went to The Grille, I hadn’t spent much time checking out the other areas.

The only two exceptions to that were a few days after Sophie’s death, and I went to the police station to get some answers to questions the family had since I was closest. The second time I’d been to Deer Creek it was to say goodbye to Sophie. That happened to be the night Tanner and I met Holly and Tracey for the first time. We’d stopped at a bar in town for a couple of drinks so I could calm down before heading back to school. It’d been a year later, then, and after living with grief and sadness for so long, the new year had given me a desire to move on.

Crazy that a few hours later I was running into a girl I was still hung up on all these years later.

But Sophie wasn’t Holly, never had been and never would have been, despite the lies Piper had once spewed.

As much as I wanted to see Holly again and prove to her I wasn’t going anywhere, I stayed away from the main area of downtown Deer Creek. My rental was a condo at the base of one of the ski slopes, giving me incredible views of the mountains in the distance. There was a small area that looked to be a local golf course, and I made a mental note to grab my clubs when I went back for my teaching gear.

Clothes, too, would be needed considering I’d only planned on being gone for a couple of days.

Just off the ski slope, there was a mini golf area, and around the corner was a small market that had local foods and wines and beers, along with tourist-type clothing with Deer Creek stamped across in bold letters. There was a small section remaining, or recently in, of winter and ski gear, including gloves and hats and hand warmer pouches.

“Mornin’.” Behind a long counter that was built like a log cabin, there was an older gentleman standing next to the cash register.

“Morning. How’s it goin’?”

“Well, I woke up, so I can’t complain. You visitin’?”

I chuckled at the lame joke he probably made every day. “Here for a few weeks. Any recommendations on things I need to see while I’m here?”

“You the hunting’ and fishin’ type?”

“I could be.” I shrugged. “Golf and hockey are more my thing.”

“Well, we got Lake Winona nearby. Not a bad place to do some shore fishin’, and they rent out boats for the day too if you wanna give that a shot. Golf courses all over the place if you don’t mind a fair bit of a drive. Best thing about town, though, is the food. We got some darn good homemade food in town.”

“I’ve been to The Grille. Definitely know that.”

“Ahh…Caroline. She’s a good egg. Runs a good ship, too. Her food is top tier, but if you want somethin’ else, check out Sorento’s Italian or Scalecki’s Pizza. He’s right around the corner. Best pizza pie you’ll ever taste. So good it’ll make you want to move.”

Again, I chuckled at his joke. The man was older, missing a tooth or two, and the ones he had were turning yellow. His gray hair was shining, right along with his beard, and the lines around his mouth and eyes said he’d lived a hard life, but maybe a happy one, too, given his mood.

“Thanks.” I grabbed the fishing and boat pamphlets. “I’ll check it all out.”

A day out on a boat wouldn’t be a bad thing by any means. Better if I could convince Holly and Jonah to join me. “What about breakfast? Outside of The Grille, any good place?”

“You’re darn right. Head back to Main, turn right on Ansel Road, and there’s a place right there. Britta’s Café. The sign just says The Café, though. Right next to Mellie’s Cakes if you got yourself a sweet tooth.”

“Thanks.” I reached forward with my hand extended. “I’m Graham. Renting a place at the ski slope, so I’m sure we’ll talk more.”

“Billy.” He shook my hand with his weathered and liver-spotted one and squeezed tight. “Enjoy your time. I’ve been around longer than most of the homes on these hills, so you need anything, don’t hesitate.”

“Thanks, Billy.”

I turned and left with a smile on my face. Small-town people. Man, they were friendly.

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