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Chapter 4

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The Eclectic Elk

“Iknow Rex, another day with you by my side bud. How’d you ever get so lucky?” I look over to the passenger seat of my truck, looking right at Rex, no reaction as usual. He’s in his usual spot by my side, his brown eyes staring ahead out the windshield at the snowy treelined road into town. “Jeez dude. Tough crowd.” Still nothing. He just keeps looking straight ahead, watching as another plow truck drives past in the opposite direction. Maybe if I said ball or outside he’d do something, I mean he is a cattle dog after all.

All jokes aside, Rex is a great buddy and rides along with me most work days. Let’s be real. He’s with me almost any time I’m driving. Finally he looks at me before lying down in the seat, tucking his head between his paws. “You know I’m kidding bud. But it is another busy day.”

Ain’t that the truth. I’m barely keeping up with my schedule for the day and still haven’t had lunch. I need to stop into the Eclectic Elk, grab something to eat, and get back to work at acouple properties later tonight. I already know I’m going to be crunched for time the next two weeks with my friends in town, so staying ahead of schedule would be ideal.

After finding a parking spot on the street outside the Eclectic Elk, I head into the old shop to make a delivery.

“Morning handsome!” I’m greeted with the familiar, excited voice of Giselle, the owner of the shop, before the door even closes behind me, jingling the little shop bells.

“Hey Giselle. Does Colt know you still call me that? If you’re not careful someone might get the wrong idea,” I say, winking at her before leaning in to give her a hug. Giselle and her husband, Colt, were my parent’s best friends until my parents left town and moved to Salt Lake City almost a decade ago. Even now though, she goes into full mom mode when I stop in and still treats me like her own son.

“Yes. I do know,” Colt calls out from the back room of the shop. “And hi Chap. Hope you had a nice Christmas.”

I love stopping in here, as bittersweet as it is. Giselle and Colt are like family, some of the last I have in town after most of my actual family moved away. Even growing up I was friends with their son, Owen, until he moved away too. So while I love seeing them, it’s still a reminder of how few of my friends and family are left in town. Honestly though, most places in town are like that now.

“Yep, it was a nice day. Collin was in town so I spent it with him and my grandparents,” I say, loud enough for Colt in the back to hear. “Anyways, I’m here to drop off some more knives.”

I feel unusually happy by how she excitedly opens the box, pulling the half dozen leather bundles out and laying them each on the counter. One by one she unrolls the bundles, revealing the knives in each of them.

“You came just at the right time. The Christmas rush and holiday shoppers were wiping out your case. I’m sure these won’tlast very long either.” She pulls one of the longer chef’s knives out from its bundle. Seeing the way she stares at the blade in front of her, mouth open, always brings a little warmth to my heart.

“You’re too nice, Giselle. I’m glad business is doing great. I’m happy to keep making them and selling them here.” I look back at the knives in front of her on the counter, thinking of the work that went into each one, what I was thinking about when I made them, a little piece of me left behind for their new owners.

“It’s funny. You just missed your friends, the Perry kids. They were here less than an hour ago. They had some cute little blonde with them. The three of them couldn’t stop looking at your knives and talking about them. Especially the Perry girl,” she says matter of factly. I note how my body tenses and my breathing nearly stops at the mention ofher.Knowing that she was just here, looking at my knives.Thank god Giselle is still looking down at the knives on the counter. Otherwise she’d notice the shade of red I turn at the mention of Collin’s sister.

It’s normally so easy for me to stay calm. My pulse is practically a flat line. But whenever I’m around her, it takes every ounce of my being to put on a steady face and act like I’m not a complete mess. For years, every time I’m around her my heart races and my mind is frantically trying to make sure I’m hiding how I feel about her from Collin. It takes everything out of me to make sure I don’t look like I’m coming apart at the seams.

I snap myself back into reality, pretending not to be a hot mess inside. “Oh cool. Yeah, they’re in town for a couple weeks. I’m sure you’ll see them around. Anyways, I need to get going. I’ll see you guys later.”

I wave and turn quickly towards the door. Hurrying down the old wooden boardwalk to my truck, I can’t help but think it’s going to be a long couple of weeks if even hearing her mentioned gets to me like that. We’re supposed to be hanging out, nearlyevery day. I hop into my truck, laying my head against the steering wheel groaning. I need to get my shit together.

Taking a second to clear my head, I look over at Rex curled up in the passenger seat. It’s that moment my stomach chooses to grumble loudly, getting Rex to tilt his head at me curiously. “Yikes. Let’s go get lunch, bud.”

On my way back home, I stop into Cowgirl coffee to grab a sandwich and an afternoon pick me up. I’m glad to see another familiar face behind the counter. Looking around though, I notice it looks like she’s the only one working out front.

“Hey Kelsey. How’s it going today? Looking a little shorthanded back there.”

She looks a little flustered, replying hastily while making a drink for another customer. “Yeah. We need to hire another barista. Stephen left for Boise.”

Damnit. Stephen and I weren’t close, but we were friendly. He grew up here and went to high school the same time as Grace and Clay. Every time I talk to someone, it feels like someone I know has moved away. There just aren’t many born and raised locals left here anymore. By the time us locals graduate from high school, most of us have to leave because rent is sky high, the jobs are mostly service industry, and no one can afford to buy a place. So now most of the people I knew from high school, which I barely graduated from to begin with, are long gone.

“That sucks. I know it’s getting hard to keep people around,” I say, trying not to sound let down.

Kelsey slides my usual drink across the counter along with a premade sandwich. “Is what it is I guess. I’ll see you around Chap.”

I grab my order with an appreciative smile and leave with a wave, then head back to my truck. I need to get home to grab supplies for a couple properties that guests are checking into tonight before my plow run.

I eat my sandwich on the drive towards my cabin. Driving along, my mind keeps coming back to that feeling I got at the Eclectic Elk this morning though. The way I nearly panicked just thinking about seeing her. Nope. I definitely don’t like that.

Fuck. I really do need to get my shit together.

Chapter 5

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