Page 34 of Shadows of You

“Aspen?”

Jim’s voice cut into my panic, and I whirled back around. “Sorry. What’d you say?”

Concern lined his face, but he didn’t give it voice. “It’s gonna take me a bit to troubleshoot this baby. It looks like you’ve got a few things going on right now.”

A heavy weight settled on my shoulders. So much for running. Not to mention the snow still covering the higher passes.

“Gotta get some new tires, too. These are bald as my pop. Don’t want you gettin’ in an accident with that precious cargo.”

My eyes burned, and my nose stung as I mentally calculated how much this might cost. How much I had in savings, which was hardly anything. And where I could make cuts.

I swallowed the building panic. “I might have to do the work in phases.”

Empathy washed over Jim’s face. “Don’t you worry. We’ll get it figured out one way or another.”

A mixture of shame and warmth washed through me. That right there was why I didn’t want to leave Cedar Ridge. There was a kindness in the people here that I’d never experienced before. Sure, not all of them were sunshine and roses. But the vast majority? They cared about the people around them.

“Thank you. Can you call when you have an estimate?”

“You know I will. Have a good day. And I wouldn’t hate it if you brought me back one of those bakery treats if you got some leftover.”

My mouth curved, the first honest tip of my lips since I’d opened that damned letter. “You got it. Any requests?”

Jim tapped his lips with a stained finger. “I’m partial to those double chocolate muffins.”

My smile widened. “Those are Cady’s favorite, too. She helped me taste test to get the recipe right.”

“Knew I liked that girl of yours.”

I laughed. “Two peas in a pod.” I glanced at my watch. “I gotta run, or I’ll have an angry cook on my hands.”

“Don’t want that. You have a good day now.”

“You, too.”

I hurried out of the repair shop and into the blistering cold. My hand slipped beneath my jacket and flannel shirt, finding the puckered skin there. The reminder that I’d made it through before and I’d do it again.

I shoved the memories down and walked toward the street. Most of the snow had melted, but it was still freezing. I picked up my pace. The Brew’s cook, Zeke, would be mad as hell if I didn’t hurry up. He opened for me so I could get Cady to school in the mornings, but he wasn’t all that fond of people—so similar to the man who’d been haunting my thoughts lately.

I shoved images of Roan out of my mind and jogged across the street. It was early enough that the sidewalks and shops were quiet. But as I reached The Brew, I saw a few cars parked out front. I recognized most of them, but there were one or two I wasn’t sure of.

The bell over the door tinkled as I walked inside, and the blast of warmth that hit me was a welcome respite from the bitter cold.

Zeke glared at me from behind the counter. “Where’s your car? It’s freezing out.”

I smiled at his cantankerous attitude. “At the shop, getting a checkup.”

He grunted. “Going back to the grill.”

A light laugh rang out to my right as a blonde a little younger than me tried to cover the sound by sipping her coffee. “I gotta say, I’m glad you’re back. He’s not the warm and fuzzy sort.”

I grinned at Elsie. “He’s a teddy bear at heart. I swear.”

She arched a brow. “If you say so.”

“How’d the shoot go?” I asked, motioning to her open laptop with a stunning shot of the mountains. Elsie was in town for an extended stay while shooting a coffee-table book.

She grinned. “Got some good ones before the storm rolled in. I think I’ll have everything I need in a few more weeks.”

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