Page 7 of Christmas Wishes

“Hey, Riggs! I’ve been meaning to call you for weeks. Do you have time to swing by and look at a circuit that keeps turning off?”

I bit back a sigh. “Sure thing.” Nico would’ve made it happen. I’d warned her last year that she’d need some more substantial work on her wiring if she wanted to keep running all those decorations and electronics.

Her wrinkled smile took me back to middle school. “Good man. Thank you.” A car honked behind her. “Oops. Better go. See you soon!”

I waved her off and rolled up my window. Might need a double coffee. At this rate, I wouldn’t see my houseguest at all. I could imagine the review now.Unwelcoming host. Impossible to get a hold of, but the electricity works great. Grumpy cat keeps hissing from dark corners but won’t come out.

At least working my ass off gives me a great excuse not to visit my parents for Christmas. I didn’t want Doris to be alone, and I sure as hell didn’t want to put up with my family’s judgment of my life in Juniper Ridge.

I found a spot in front of the thrift store and parked. When I neared the door of Jitterbug, I got a whiff of roasted coffee beans, luring me inside like a siren song.

A vaguely familiar middle-aged guy stopped me before my hand connected with the door handle. “Riggs, right? I’ve been meaning to call you. I’ve got a weird flickering going on. The wife is worried about a tree fire.” He rolled his eyes, but his wife was wise to suggest a check.

I ground my molars together at the caffeine block. Being a grumpy dick wouldn’t keep Nico’s business going. “No problem. Here’s my card. Cell’s on the back. Text me, and we’ll set something up.”

He clapped me on the shoulder. “Appreciate it, man. Enjoy your coffee.”

Fingers crossed, I could enjoy my quick cup in peace. I needed a few minutes to myself.

I entered the café, and the warmth almost burned my cheeks compared to the freezing air outside.

“Hey, Riggs. The usual?”

I smiled at Lucy. It was impossible not to be happy, or at least less of a dick, around her. She was one of the few people who could pull a genuine smile from me, but as my primary coffee purveyor, it was a wise move to maintain a good relationship.

“Yeah, thanks.” My attention wandered to the dangerous pastry case and lingered. Just a peek at the latest holiday concoction. They introduced new treats regularly, but my attention wandered to my go-to.

“Maple-pecan scone?” she asked.

I nodded. Every day, I told myself I’d try something new, and every day, I went with the same thing. My ex-fiancé had accused me of being boring and predictable. He hadn’t been wrong, but I didn’t get why it was a bad thing. I thought I was consistent and reliable.

I leaned against the counter and glanced around the shop while Lucy made my coffee. The place was about half full. Not bad for late afternoon. As the only sit-down coffee shop in town, it tended to have steady customers.

I recognized everyone either by name or face except for one guy. Probably stopping in after a day on the slopes. Juniper Ridge wasn’t a tourist destination on its own, but we tended to get spillover tourists who couldn’t get decently priced lodging in Flagstaff and wanted to spend time at Arizona Snowbowl.

The guy’s face might not be familiar, but his coat sure as hell was. No way two people had a coat like that in this area. It had to be Nico’s old-ass ski coat. I’d been trying to convince him to upgrade that ugly thing for years. It looked like it belonged in a seventies porn set in a ski lodge with shag carpeting.

I couldn’t stop staring, and the guy noticed. I absently clocked his flirty smile and forced myself to look away, but my head turned back in his direction again.

Last month, Doris suggested I go through Nico’s things and donate stuff. We’d compromised on going through his clothes because I didn’t have the heart to get rid of anything else in his house. I’d have to sew a few pairs of his jeans together to fit me, so the clothes were the easiest to part with.

I was perfectly happy sleeping in a guest room and keeping Nico’s home as he’d left it. I’d always felt comfortable in his place, so why would I want to change it and fill it with my shitty furniture and posters that could barely be classified as art?

How did someone likely passing through town end up with that coat? I had a hard time believing it was his style, though I might be wrong. It looked like he had a sweatshirt underneath with the wordsSnow Bunnyon it. Interesting.

“Earth to Riggs.”

I gave my head a shake and turned back to Lucy.

“He’s cute, huh?” She winked at me.

“No, I wasn’t—”

“Uh-huh. Sure, you weren’t.” She sent me a teasing smile before turning to run my debit card.

It wasn’t worth arguing. I’d be onto my next job in a few minutes.

I thanked Lucy, then moved over to the edge of the counter to doctor my large Shot in the Dark with cream and sugar. As I dumped a sugar packet in there, I sensed someone approaching and got a faint whiff of Nico’s cologne. It smelled like leather. I squeezed my eyes closed and fought the wave of grief rolling over me. I thought I’d gotten better at that.

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