Page 68 of Your Last First Kiss
“Not a clue,” I yell back.
He climbs into the cab and gives me a quick lesson on plowing. “Start with the parking lot,” he says, gesturing to the empty space outside the TAC. “You can’t hit anything here, and you’ll get the hang of it before we make the rounds. The radar says we have two days to get this shit clear before the next storm.”
“Jesus. Is it always like this out here?” Not that I’m complaining. Keep snowing, motherfucker. I’m finally warm.
“No. We haven’t had storms like this since the late nineties. It’s like Mother Nature is in cahoots with Ashton, isn’t it?”
My gaze automatically flies across the field to Penny’s house, not that I can see it over the mountain of snow we plowed to the edge of the property. Kai went back a few minutes ago to stay with the kids so Penny could run to the grocery store. She refused to take money from me, and it pissed me off.
But I’m really beginning to love small-town life because Miller said I could call Hazel at the general store, and prepay over the phone.
Where the hell else can you do that?
I know Penny will be pissed, and I must be a sick bastard because I’m excited to see her reaction.
“Romeo, you good?” Miller teases.
Snapping my face forward, I grunt. “Yeah. I’ll clear this. Then what?”
“Then we make the rounds just like yesterday. Remy said two more families are without heat, so we’ll make sure they’re all set. He’s inside getting the cots ready in case we have to open for shelter.”
“You mean you take people into the TAC when stuff like this happens?”
“Yeah.” He shrugs. “It’s what we do and part of the reason the TAC is so important.”
Unease sits in my chest like a lead weight because I know not everyone would run the TAC as Remy does, and that would be devastating for this community.
But I could. I could make this place what it was always meant to be.
Miller hops out of the truck and jogs to the side of the lot. He nods and gives me a wave, so I slowly step on the gas and lower the plow. It’s rough going the first few passes, but when I make my fifth turn, Miller is nowhere in sight, so I assume I’ve got the hang of it.
Clearing the parking lot doesn’t take as long as I expected, but it’s still half an hour before I put the truck in park and climb out.
How the hell can I be sweating after driving a truck?
The sound of…something, something that I shouldn’t be hearing, has me spinning in place.
Landon is running at full speed toward me in his pajamas. No coat. No hat. And by the way he’s sliding down the mountain of snow, no shoes either. A fear I’ve never known reaches into my chest and rips it wide open. I take off at a dead run and meet him at the edge of the property.
“Landon, what are you doing? What’s wrong?” I try to look over him, but I can’t see a damned thing. The snow is piled too high on this side of the property.
“My dad, Kai,” he gasps. “Lia. The car.” The kid is out of breath, and tears have frozen like tire marks on his cheeks.
Ripping off my jacket, I lay it on the ground, move him on top of it, then place my hands on his shoulders, and wait until his eyes focus on me. His words are a jumbled mess of syllables I can’t make out, mixed with sobs and choked sounds that turn my stomach.
“Something’s wrong? At your house?” Thankfully, he nods in confirmation. I give him a squeeze and attempt a smile. “Miller is inside. In the office. Do you know where that is?”
“Y—Yes,” he cries.
“Good.” I turn around and squat. He hops on my back like it’s natural. No, he hops on my back like I’ll protect him, and it makes me dizzy. His feet are so frozen from running through the icy snow it looks like razor blades have cut him open, and I bite back a curse. I stand with him on my back and run as fast as I can to drop him at the front door of the TAC. I hate leaving him alone, but my gut tells me to get back to Penny’s house.
“Go find him. Tell him what’s happening. I’m going to your house to check on Lia. Okay?”
“Kai. Dad.” His entire body trembles.
“Landon? Go. Okay? Everything will be okay. I promise.”
He doesn’t respond, but he turns and runs into the TAC. I run across the abandoned lot. It’s faster to go the way Landon came than to drive the truck back down the road. I scale the pile of snow, and when I get to the top, I don’t feel like the king of the mountain. I feel like the lord of impending doom because I find Eddy with his hands on Kai in front of Penny’s house.
