Page 34 of Cookie

“Hey, Kent, looking for something to keep you busy?” Charlie asked.

“You know it. Gonna be a long three days,” he said to Charlie, who winked at me.

“Yeah, but it’s a snow day,” Charlie said, making us all laugh because apparently even if the whole town of Grace froze, it was always good to have a snow day.

Thirty

Charlie

It had been the most perfect day ever, which was saying something because since I’d met Ryan, there had been many perfect days. And this wasn’t even a holiday, just a random day where it snowed.

“Charlie, I need help,” Ryan said from the counter. It had been busier today than he’d expected and I was more than happy to help out.

“What do you need, babe?” I asked, not caring if Reggie Von, who was currently at the counter, heard me.

“Can you go get a few more of the book nooks from the back?” He’d ordered a few of the small kits after the last snow. They reminded me of a dollhouse, but most of the ones Ryan ordered were either libraries or bookstores. They were adorable, but too much work for me.

“Sure thing, boss,” I said, making him laugh before kissing his cheek and rushing off to the storeroom. I loved being a mechanic, but I had to admit it was fun working here too. After finding the items he wanted, I also grabbed a few puzzles and carried all of them out front to the counter. “Here you go, Reggie, these should keep you busy.”

He ignored me while looking at each one and finally taking all three of them. “Do you know the difficulty level on these? Because I’m very skilled at miniatures, so I want to make sure they’re not too easy.” I rolled my eyes at his words. Reggie and I had been in the same grade all through school and he was always the kid that bragged the most about every little accomplishmentand took great delight in making other people feel less than him. He’d changed once we graduated, but the two of us liked messing with each other.

“No, they just have the picture and description. You’re supposed to be able to tell from that,” I said, repeating what Ryan had told someone else earlier. He was slightly nicer about it.

Reggie didn’t look away from the box he was examining, but Ryan met my eyes. His were wide with shock but I answered with a shrug and walked over to the woodstove and shoved a couple of logs in. A few more people hurried in and, after knocking the snow off their boots, they wandered around the store while Reggie took his time. I still found it hard to believe so many of the townspeople were out there trudging through a heavy winter storm to buy a book or something else to keep them busy. The power was still off, and the latest update said the storm was here for at least a week. Far longer than the original forecast for three days. “Hey, Reggie, want to go check out the sled hill?” I asked and waited for his answer. Ryan gave me another look that I again ignored.

“No, I stopped doing that shit years ago,” he mumbled before finally choosing two of the book nook kits and one puzzle. “That’s all I need.”

“Okay,” Ryan said, and added it all up while I put everything in a bag.

“That seems expensive,” Reggie complained while crossing his arms and trying to make a show of it.

“Well, you could always drive to Reno,” I said and started to unpack the bag.

“I didn’t say I didn’t want it,” he said before digging out the cash and handing it to Ryan. “Thank you.” He picked up his change, grabbed his bag, and gave me one last hard stare before walking out the door.

“Is there something you want to tell me about that guy?” Ryan asked.

“Sorry. We grew up together, and it’s just how things are between us. I really don’t have anything against him. This is just how we’ve always been,” I said and tried to rememberwhywe were like this. Sure, he annoyed me, but I’d known him my whole life.

“Okay, well, try to be a little nicer next time,” Ryan said. He was nice to everyone, no matter how annoying they were, and I wondered if that was just him, and how in the world he had so much patience.

“I will,” I promised before looking out the window. “I should probably go shovel that walk again. Just to be sure.” The snow still had not let up and was building up fast. The kids across the street had all returned the sled and saucers before they left as the town of Grace grew quiet and everyone did what they usually did when we got heavy snow.

“Wait just a little and I’ll help,” Ryan offered.

“It’s okay. It’s not that bad yet, but I want to stay on top of it.” I slipped my coat and gloves on, and, with a kiss, I stepped outside. The wind had kicked up and blew the snow into the tracks where a few trucks had driven by recently. Some people walked nearby, bundled up against the cold. Picking up the shovel, I cleared what snow had gathered out front since I’d cleared it earlier.

“See you later, asshole,” Reggie said as he passed me with his bag tucked under his arm.

“Same to you, Reggie,” I said as he waved over his shoulder. Then I noticed the café was still open. They usually tried to stay open no matter what the weather. Even though most in Grace were prepared for the weather, some were not very good at waiting out the storm alone and would seek out company no matter how bad the storm was. I propped the shovel back in the corner of the building and pulled my hood up as I hurried across the street.

The bell on the door jingled, breaking the silence in the small room. “Hey, Charlie, did you want to get something to eat?” Sherry, the only server working today, asked.

“Yeah, nothing too crazy, just a few things.” I gave her my order and within fifteen minutes, I was bracing for the cold as I opened the door to leave.

“Have a good day, Charlie,” Sherry said as she walked over to one of the tables carrying a coffee pot.

I hurried down the street and, after kicking the snow off my boots, walked back inside the bookstore. “Honey, I’m home,” I said, making Ryan laugh.

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