Page 25 of Done

Two nights had passed and I hadn’t heard back from Easton. Not that I was hoping to, but I kind of expected him to text me at the very least. Maybe say thank you for answering his stupid questions.

According to Ms. Ellison, he hadn’t called her either, but she mentioned she saw his truck at the fire station on Thursday afternoon so he was clearly alive. I didn’t tell her, but I also saw his truck parked outside the station as I took Max to and from school. It shouldn’t have bothered me, but it did.

My invitation to Wal-Mart must have really hit the mark.

“Are you ready to go do some shopping?”

Max nodded with as much excitement as he could muster for a Friday evening trip. He liked being out and about, but he hated the wordshoppingand wasn’t particularly fond of busy places like supercenters. But he was always good about riding patiently in the cart while I overthought everything I would and wouldn’t need.

After I got him buckled into his car seat, I looked up the road and waited five seconds, just on the off chance Easton really did show up. Then I blew out a breath and berated myself for caring.Ms. Ellison had been so sure that Easton would want to spend a Friday night in Wal-Mart with a single mom, that she had me delusional enough to think five seconds too long about it.

With my seatbelt buckled and Disney tunes on the radio, I headed toward the highway that led to the next town over. It was in the opposite direction of Atlanta, and although it wasn’t my first time going that way, I found the single lane highway a bit daunting.

Just as I breached the end of the town limits for Harmony Haven, I passed Fiddler’s, the old pub that everyone seemed to go to on Fridays. There were a ton of cars parked outside, and for just a moment, I had a little regret that I’d never go and see what all the fuss was about.

Then I saw a big red truck with the black rims and chrome outline. It was just like Easton’s, or more likely itwasEaston’s. The pub was exactly where he belonged on a Friday night. He was good looking and single with no responsibilities. What guy wouldn’t want to be there having fun?

It had been exactly what I predicted and I laughed at myself for letting Ms. Ellison’s words make me think Easton would choose anythingelse.

Chapter Fifteen

EASTON

I hadone drink with my brother at Fiddler’s on Wednesday night. Then Thursday, Grams and Gramps called and needed help with some things around the house. Somehow, between those two places and my own home, I lost Jesse’s binder. I didn’t remember taking it out of my truck, but it wasn’t there.

It was nowhere.

I had spent my entire Friday tracing my steps back through the last few days, and although I didn’t think it’d be there, I was finally checking at Fiddler’s.

“You didn’t have a binder, Easton. It’s like you said, you had one beer and left.”

“Miles was with me?”

“You were safe and sound,” Blue assured me, seeing the panic in my eyes. She was the regular bartender at Fiddler’s and knew everyone and everything that happened inside those four walls. “Miles was with ya. You two left and I said see ya later. You even drove yourself home.”

Just as I remembered, yet, I couldn’t think of what I haddonewith the binder. Or if I had done anything at all.

“You were distracted, and Miles was laughing at you the whole time. It seemed innocent enough,” Blue shrugged, placing a napkin in front of me. There was a slight hesitation on her face, and her eyes looked sad and distant.

“Hey,” I leaned in closer so I could talk lower. “Everything okay around here?”

“It’s nothing I’m not used to,” Blue sighed. “Jeff is barely around and it's like I’m running this place alone for minimum tips and a whole lotta headaches.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Psh,” Blue smirked and a little light came back into her eyes. “You can’t even find your binder. I think I’ll be okay on my own.”

“Ha. Ha.”

Blue laughed and then waved a hand around before taking another deep sigh. “I’ll be okay around here. I can handle it. You know I’m not one to be messed with. I’m just getting tired, that’s all.”

With that, she was called down the bar, and I never got to reiterate that I had her back. Blue and I weren’t exactly close, but I had been down to Fiddler’s enough to know she graduated in the next town over, was a nice girl, and had a tough exterior. But I didn’t know anything about what lay beneath the surface.

Instead of lingering at the bar, I decided to head to the station and check my room. It was the one place I hadn’t checked because I hadn’t been there, but I was getting desperate.

“Don’t you have better things to do on a Friday night?” Captain Reed called out from behind his desk as I ran down the hallway past his office.

“Just need to pick something up!” I hollered back, without stopping to chit chat.

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