Page 28 of Guilty Minds
“Weird-ass town.” She rolls her eyes and reverses the car, causing me to double over with laughter—seeing how Freya’s adjusting to life in our small town is a whole comedy show.
"So, how is the search going?" I ask, referring to the PTSD center she's planning to open.
“Jonah promised to show me a few places today and said he has a very good feeling about one of them.” Ah, Jonah. My gut feeling suggests I should thank him for sending Justin to my rescue, if that was him like I suspect. Hopefully, he’ll permanently move here—we can certainly use more good people.
“That’s amazing!”
“I know.” She yawns. “It’s exhausting. I never knew it would be like this. So many preparations.”
“You’re doing a good thing, Frey. I’m proud of you.” And I totally mean that. Freya is one of few people who doesn’t just sit on their butt complaining about the world without doing anything about it—instead, she’s truly trying to change it for the better. Also, having millions helps.
Her cheeks turn a cute pink shade, and she smiles sheepishly. “Keeps me busy.”
“And that, too. Though you could always go back to being a nurse. I know you really loved being one,” I suggest, heavily implying that she shouldn't let her creep of an ex destroy her love of helping people. She put a lot of work into her nursing career before he completely derailed it.
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that. Once we open the center, I’ll see if my heart will call for it.” She sounds almost shy.
“I think that’s a great idea.” I fully support everyone following their dreams and their hearts. Even though I don’t follow mine—I can’t—I can still be happy for others pursuing their individual paths.
“What the hell?” Her eyes bulge.
“What happened?” I ask, suddenly scared—at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the diner was flooded by a tsunami.
“Isn’t that your car?” She points at something, and I follow her finger.
It is, in fact, my Jeep. My old boy is parked in front of the diner in broad daylight. I pinch my hand just to see if I’m dreaming. “That’s… I mean, yeah, but…what?”
She looks confused. “You didn’t tell me you got it back!”
“I didn’t know I did.” I meet her questioning eyes.
“Huh?” Her forehead wrinkles. “I’m lost.”
“Me too, man." I blink rapidly to see if the car will disappear. “Yesterday, I was told I had to pay two grand to get it back, and now it’s sitting right here.” I point at my old boy for good measure.
“You didn’t pay it yourself?” Her voice is full of wonder.
“I don’t have two grand, so no.”
She turns to me with a wide smile. “I guess you got a fairy godmother.”
I guess I do.
ChapterEight
KAYLA
It’s been three weeks since I got my old boy back.
Alex is back in town and has announced his undying love for Freya. Thank God he pulled his head out of his ass. I didn’t want to have to kick him in the nuts. Hopefully, those nuts will be put to good use later. I must admit, the trip did him good, as he returned a seemingly brand-new person.
The diner is getting back on track after reopening a couple of weeks ago. The mornings are always busy, thanks to Marina’s famous crepes laced into almost every dish we have. If it were up to me, I’d be eating them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but then I’d have another problem on my ass (quite literally) because they’re not the healthiest meal.
Freya sits at the bar, but I don't even have time to chat with her for more than a minute while I pour her coffee. We have an extra busy day today, and since the reopening, we have so many patrons that we need to hire another waitress and a cook. Plus, Donna, the owner of the local coffee shop, has gotten sick with the flu and temporarily closed up her coffee shop, not trusting anyone with her brews. We small-town folk are no different than the big ones—we, too, need coffee to function and thrive.
Freya sees me getting overwhelmed and starts picking up her food to go. I dash around people and tables, arriving in front of her to refill her coffee at least one more time.
“Can I have a to-go cup? I think one less customer will make your life easier.” She makes an apologetic face, looking around.
