Page 20 of Chasing Shelter

It had taken me a little while to get used to the innate friendliness of Sparrow Falls’ citizens. In New York, no one stopped to say hello on the street unless you knew the person—and maybe not even then.

But I found I liked the warmth of it. Nothing about it read false like you might think. Instead, it left you with the feeling that you were never completely alone as you moved through the streets.

I passed a few tourist shops, boutiques, and galleries before hitting my destination. The Mix Up. The bell jingled and the bustling noise hit me as I opened the door. The place was packed. While the citizens of Sparrow Falls were nice, they also weren’t fools. They knew good coffee and treats when they tasted them.

“Hey, Ellie,” a flustered but familiar voice greeted me.

Thea’s brown hair had a little more blond now, and it flew around her in a wild tangle as she balanced a tray and unloaded plates.

“Morning. You guys are busy,” I said, watching in awe as she spun to another table and deposited three plates while hardly looking.

“Try slammed. The college kid we hired was a no-show for the third time in two weeks, and someone special ordered three dozen scones at the last minute.”

Thea managed the Mix Up for her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Sutton, while she and Cope were up in Seattle for his hockey season with the Seattle Sparks. But between this gig and her job at the local nursery, Bloom & Berry, I knew she had to be feeling the pressure.

“Can I help?” I asked.

Thea stilled, her green gaze cutting to me. “Seriously?”

I shrugged. “I don’t have any plans until three. Put me to work.”

“You want the register or dropping off orders?” Thea asked, not delaying.

I glanced at the long line of patrons waiting to place orders. “Why don’t I deliver food? As long as I can take two plates at a time instead of your dozen.”

Thea laughed. “Shep’s always wondering how I don’t end up covered in bakery goods every day. But the only time I spilled anything was when he snuck up on me.” She sent a look toward a table housing her boyfriend to punctuate the point.

I grinned. “Such a troublemaker.”

“I keep trying to tell people, but no one believes me,” Thea muttered.

I’d been here for less than a month and already knew that Shepard Colson was the town’s golden boy. The kind of guy who would help anyone who crossed his path, and just the sort of man Thea deserved after everything she’d been through.

“Tell me what to do,” I said, stepping behind the counter.

“Wash your hands over there and grab an apron. Numbers on the tables will match the order tickets.”

“Seems simple enough. Let’s see ifIcan do this without spilling on myself or one of the customers.”

“May the force be with you,” Thea called as she turned to the waiting patrons.

I quickly stored my bag and sweater, then washed up and donned my apron. Crossing to the kitchen, I poked my head in to find an older man at the griddle. “Got any orders for me?”

Walter turned, grinning at me in his white chef’s apron. “How’d you get roped into this circus?”

“I heard you pay in coffee.”

He chuckled and gestured toward a station with two plates and a ticket. “I’ll get you a cup while you deliver these.”

“You’re an angel.”

“Tell Lolli that, would you? Never hurts to hear another woman has me in her sights.”

A laugh bubbled out of me as I crossed to the waiting food. “It’s hard to pin that one down, huh?”

Lolli Colson, or Supergran as Keely liked to call her, was the best grandmother and great-grandmother a kid could luck into having. She was brash, hilarious, and not afraid of the good kind of trouble. And just a month after meeting her, I was a little in love, too.

Walter let out a dreamy sigh. “She’s a wild woman, but that’s why I love her.”

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