Page 5 of Finding Ash
“He told you to come back here andhelp,” Ash finger quoted the word help, “me. Right?”
“No. I was looking for you and he told me where to find you.” Was this some sort of sibling thing?
“You were?”
“Well yeah. I had fun hanging out earlier and was gonna ask when you got off. Then I saw that you were busy, and I wanted to help out.”
“Oh.”
“Is that a good oh or a bad oh?”
“Good. Um. Really good. I’d um, like to hang out again too.”
Okay, so we were both awkward. Good to know.
We returned to loading the dishwasher with the new batch of dishes Kit brought in and handwashed the items that couldn’t go in there. It was, well, nice. As far as chores went.
“Where did you move to Foggy from?” Ash asked, breaking the silence first.
“Sacramento. My mom and sister are still there, but they want to visit this summer.”
“Are you guys close?”
“Yeah, we are. It’s always been the three of us since my dad died. Our mom’s great, but my sister Kara is a handful, and she’s only eight. Gotta say I love that about her. She’s feisty as hell and takes no crap from anyone.” I have onlybeen here a couple of weeks, but I miss them both terribly. “This is the longest we’ve been apart.”
“It’s hard. This was my first time away from home too, but I had to follow my heart. Seeing how happy Kit was being far away from the commune gave me the push I needed to find my place in life.”
Commune. That was interesting. I mean, I’d heard bits and pieces through the small-town rumor mill but never bought into any of it until verified.
“Maybe you can meet them when they are here.” Was that too much too soon? Mom was gonna be over the moon when she heard I had made a friend. Who knows, maybe Ash would become something more. I’d never been interested enough in anyone to pursue them as I had Ash today. I kinda surprised myself with that, but I was having a great time just being around him.
“That would be nice. I think our parents are planning to visit again this summer too. Honestly, if they hadn’t come from generations born and raised there, they’d probably have left it too. The big city isn’t for me or our parents, for that matter, but Foggy kinda feels just right. Ya know?”
“Yeah,” I smiled at Ash. “I know.”
Foggy was a one size fits all kind of town for me.
Chapter Three
McClain
“Had I been rash in making such a life-altering decision on the fly, Sammy?” I berated myself as I made the drive to my new home of Foggy Basin, speaking to my dead husband as though he were in the passenger seat beside me.
Sight unseen, I’d bought the storefront and overhead apartment.
Leased, McClain. Deep breath, you’ve got this.
My beloved Sammy, always my number one cheerleader and the first person to call me out on my bullshit. The voice of reason in the darkest of times. God, how I missed him.
How in the hell was I supposed to go on without him? There were days when I could barely manage to walk and chew gum at the same time. Not that I chewed gum often, though I had sampled a couple of pieces while perfecting my bubble gum ice cream recipe. The key had been to fold in the colorful balls just before freezing. But still, Sammy was always there keeping me out of harm’s way or from making bad decisions.
It’s your turn, McClain. You gave up your dream to take care of me.
“Because I love you.”
I never doubted that for a second. Now it’s time to find your happiness.
Gone a year, and yet I still hear his voice clear as day.
