Page 13 of Mystery in the Mountains

He nodded but said nothing.

“Asher . . . I . . .”

He held up a hand. “I have to go.” Then he turned and made his way to his truck.

“Asher . . . Please. Can we just talk?”

He quickly got in and started his truck. His tires gave a satisfying squeal as he pulled out on the black top. He needed to get out of here.

Chapter

Six

SUNNY

Sunny watched Asher’s truck making its way down the road, wishing she knew how to fix this. Everything was such a mess between the house and Asher that a big part of her wished she’d never come back.

She thought about going back into the bar, but that would only be putting off what she needed to do, so she headed to the diner to grab some food before heading home.

Something about pulling up to Ruby’s Diner made her feel a little better. This was the one place she still felt like she belonged. Her aunt Betty was the only person who made her feel wanted in this whole town.

The bell rang over her head as she entered the diner.

“Sunny,” said Betty. “Grab a seat at the counter. I’ll be right with you.” She took the food to the only full table.

Sunny was happy that it was slow. She didn’t feel like being around too many people.

She sat at the counter and pulled up a menu. While she was pretty sure she was just going to get a cheeseburger and fries, part of her wanted a salad or something fresh. But as much as she loved this diner, they weren’t known for their health food.

Betty came and slid her a cherry Coke. “What can I do you ya, Sunshine?”

She sighed. “Just give me a cheeseburger. Then I’m going to go home and try to get a little more work done on the house.”

Betty put in the order but then turned back to her. “How is the house?”

“Well . . . I have my bedroom, the bathroom, and the barely livable kitchen . . . After that, it’s questionable.”

Betty nodded. “I was afraid of that. I tried to keep an eye on the property, but there’s only so much I could do.”

“No,” Sunny said before taking a sip of her Coke. “It’s okay. I need to deal with this mess. It’s one I made, so it’s only right that I should be the one to clean it up.”

“Are you okay?”

She let out another long sigh. “I saw Asher at the Corner Tap.”

Betty squeezed her hand. “How did it go?”

“I mean . . . as good as can be expected.”

Her voice shook as she fought the tears in her eyes.

“Oh, sweet pea, give him some time.”

Sunny nodded and swallowed down the lump in her throat. “I know . . . I just wish it was a little easier. I knew leaving without saying goodbye was wrong . . . but the longer I stayed away the harder it was to come home.”

“Are you thinking about leaving again?”

Sunny chewed her lip as she mulled over that question. “No. I’m here. As much as it’s going to suck to fix the mess I made. I know this is where I belong. I love the Hollow. This is home. I’m ready to put in the work to make it feel like one again.”

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