Page 12 of Montana Heat

I hung up, excited to have something to do to fill my time today, but it soon faded to sadness.

I loved coffee dates, but I wanted the ones with my friends back in Denver. Zoe and Leah and I would call one another at the craziest hours when we needed girl time. I’d always tend to be the last one to arrive at the coffeehouse, but they knew what pick-me-up to order to make me happy when I showed up.

“Chin up,” I reminded myself as I slid out of bed to get ready. “It’s only temporary.”

Susanna wore a bright sweater of reds and purples that meshed well with the brown puffer vest over it. On top of her head, she wore a thick brown beanie, hiding most of her auburn locks. It was a look I could never pull off. I was built for classic styles, not quirky.

“You’re too cute,” I said once she arrived and we set out for town.

“This?” Susanna pointed at the hat, tracing her finger over the swirled lines that gave it so much more detail. “It’s nothing.”

I raised a brow. “Nothing? Did you make it?”

“Sure did.” Susanna beamed. “I’ve loved knitting for as long as I can remember. One day, I’ll open my own shop.”

“To sell knitted goods?”

“To sell yarn. For crafters to get supplies and make their own treasures. Maybe I can help teach them too.”

I nodded. Turning a hobby into a job would be a challenge. “I wish I had a hobby like that.”

“Not crafty?” Susanna guessed.

I shook my head. I’d always wanted to be. It would be so cool to have a unique thing, like making my own kombucha or creating those little crochet animals. Even cross-stitch needlework with naughty sayings. Something funky.

“But I did these myself.” I held up my hands, showing Susanna my manicure I’d spent hours on while watchingKitchen Nightmares.

“Wow, girl. Those are so pretty! I would’ve sworn you had them done.”

“Thanks.” I smiled, admiring the reflection of them in the sunlight as we walked. “I haven’t had much time to be creative, though. Since…”

I couldn’t tell her about the stalker. I didn’t even know the woman.

“Work?” She filled in for me when I faded off. I nodded. “Yesterday, you said you’re a Realtor?”

I nodded in reply as we walked down the sidewalk. I tried to keep an eye on everyone around us without making it seem that way. I couldn’t let my guard down. “I specialize in commercial real estate.”

“I don’t think you’ll find a lot of that in these parts,” Susanna mused.

“Yeah. I also teach some ‘how-to’ seminars, like how to branch out starting your own business, gain a customer base, dos and don’ts of commercial real estate and management. Things like that.”

“That’s impressive! What are you doing here in Garnet Bend?”

I should’ve been better prepared for that question. “I just needed a little break. Wanted to get away from everything.”

Fortunately, Susanna didn’t press further. She pointed out different shops and her favorite parts of town as we went.

As we got closer to the other end of the street, I could smell the delicious aromas of baked goods and coffee. Once we reached the door to Deja Brew and Susanna pushed inside, my mouth started watering from all the wonderful smells. A bright, bubbly woman with highlighted hair waved from behind the counter and motioned for us to sit.

“Is she a relative of yours?” I whispered to Susanna.

The two women were dressed so similarly, I couldn’t help but ask.

Susanna turned her head to see where I was indicating and couldn’t hold in a giggle. “Lena? Nah. She’s the owner of Deja Brew. She’s really sweet and totally cool, though.”

“Hey, Sus!” Another woman with a friendly smile walked over to greet us at the table. “Escape from Jensen’s horrible coffee again?”

“Girl, you know it! Jensen’s coffee machine needs to be retired, but he won’t part with it until it completely stops working,” she replied with a huge grin. “Kenzie, this is Evelyn Everett. Evelyn, this is Kenzie Hurst.”

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