Page 5 of Take Me to the Valley

Of call the people to run into last night, Calista Stapleton was at the bottom of the list of people I'd have guessed. Hell, let's be honest, she wasn't even on the list. Why hadn't Cody mentioned she was moving home when he helped me move into my cabin last weekend?

In all fairness, that was the first time we had been able to sit down together in almost a month. Will she be at the family dinner this weekend? I'm sure she will. There is no way Calista will get out of it since it’s the first time she’s been home in ages.

"The hospital is calling with an update on the woman from the crash last night,” Judy, the sheriff’s office receptionist, says. She has been here longer than I have. She is in her late forties and does whatever is needed around the office from answering calls, being anyone's secretary, and even keeping us all organized. Right after I started here, Judy was the one who took on the task to fully digitize the office.

“Thank you,” I say, but she hesitates by my desk, so I know she has a non-work-related question. Judy is also one of the towns’ gossips.

“What is it?” I ask.

“How did she look?” She asks with slightly more excitement than I think the situation warrants.

“She had blood on her forehead and was confused,” I say, making Judy frown. “I'll let you know more once you let me pick up this phone.”

“Evan! I meant Calista. I can't believe the family kept her coming back to town a secret! We would have thrown her a welcome home party!” Judy sighs.

“That might be why they kept it a secret so they could spend some time with her.”

Picking up the phone, I talk to the nurse at the hospital over in Helene. Apparently, the woman insisted that she be taken there.

The woman, Becca, who isn't a local, was just visiting and didn't know the mountain. She swears she swerved because there was a bear on the road, but there was no sign of a bear in the area. That doesn't mean there wasn't one, but it also means it could have been a shadow. That's between her and her insurance company.

Judy stays by my desk listening to my side of the conversation, which is mostly my grunting my way through the nurse talkinga mile a minute telling me about the patient. Later today, she will be released to the care of her husband since she has a mild concussion and needed a few stitches on her forehead. She also has a sprained ankle and broken arm, but otherwise was very lucky.

Once off the phone, I relay that information to Judy, and she runs off back to her desk to call her friends and spread the news, I'm sure. I pull up the report on the accident and fill in the details from my call and get ready to close it out when I see Calista's name. I pause.

When she left for college, I had the biggest crush on her. I would count down the days looking forward to when she'd come home for a visit. I was too young for her to pay any attention to me back then. After she graduated, she moved away, and I haven't seen her since. Her family has gone out to visit her, but she really hasn't been back to Whiskey River. I thought I might be over that little schoolboy crush, but I’m thinking maybe not. Because the feeling I've had for her since last night is even stronger than I remember all those years ago.

I glance at my notepad where I wrote her phone number and before I even left the scene, she had added her number to my phone. I’m sure she’d like an update, to let her know the woman is all right. After checking my email, there is still nothing on the drug case I've been working, so I grab my phone and think about calling her. At the last moment, I decide not to call. I don't know what her plans are now that she's back, or if she is working. So I send her a text,

Me:Hey, it's Evan. I just talked to the hospital and thought you'd want to know the woman from last night is doing well and will make a full recovery.

Calista:That's great! I really appreciate you letting me know. Everyone has been asking because the story has already made its way around town.

Me:I told you I could keep it quiet last night, but as soon as people started reading my report on the accident, it would be all over Whiskey River.

Calista:Small town grapevine 101. I kind of missed it, but just didn't miss being part of it. I will let you get back to work. Thank you for the update.

Me:Call anytime, now that you have my number.

Calista: Thanks again.

I check my email and there’s still nothing. I've been working on this drug case, and I'm waiting on some intel to come in from the guy watching the house right now. If he has nothing to report, that means all is quiet, which is good in that no drugs are passing hands, but bad because it slows the case down. The sooner we can close out this case, the sooner we can get the drugs off the streets of Whiskey River.

Since there is still nothing new for me, I give Cody a call.

“Hey man, what's up?” he answers. I can hear the noise from the distillery behind him. “You got a minute to talk?” I ask, knowing how crazy that place can get.

“Yeah, Colton is here, and he can hold it down for a bit,” he says as the noise muffles in the background, so I assume he stepped into his office and closed the door.

“Yeah, until some skirt walks in,” I laugh.

Colt is a town playboy and has had that reputation since high school. He's happy, responsible and upfront with the ladies, so it works for him. If it's what he enjoys, more power to him. Even if his mom drops hints about settling down, his family has been supportive. But he's the baby of the family and since his older brothers haven't settled, he has no intentions either. Cody has invested a chunk of money in the distillery, and he knows better than to let some girls get in the way of the business.

“What's up?” Cody asks, changing the subject.

“Why didn't you tell me Calista was moving back to town?” I ask him outright.

We have been friends for so long, that here is no beating around the bush when we have something to say. That is one of the best parts of our friendship.

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