Page 72 of Down & Dirty

“Well, well, well. Connie, will you look at this,” Margie Finkle said from her perch behind the register. Her hair had gone gray, but was pulled back into the same French twist she’d always worn. The long chrome-edged counter stretched out beside her, and a few familiar faces turned our way. The waitress that was pouring a fresh cup of coffee stopped mid-pour to glance at me, her mouth popping open before she snapped it shut and offered a warm smile.

“Cory Ellis, is that really you?”

I leaned down to whisper in Sky’s ear, “Now you know why I don’t come into town much.” With a sigh, I smiled back at the women, now both behind the register, gawking freely. “Hello, ladies.”

“He’s such a gentleman now. All grown up,” Margie said to Connie, as if I couldn’t hear them.

Connie bobbed her head, her tight black curls trimmed up to her shoulders bouncing dramatically. “And look at how strong. My goodness. What did Jake put in their cereal growing up?”

“Can we sit anywhere?” I asked, my face getting hot. Sky was laughing beside me, and I realized that was only encouraging them.

“Oh honey, you can do whatever you like. With a face like that, who could ever tell you no?” Margie fanned herself theatrically.

“Let’s go,” I said, nudging Sky ahead of me toward an open booth. The two women stood watching us, whispering between themselves as we took our seats, and I felt the rest of the eyes on us gradually return to their meals.

“Hometown hero,” Sky sighed, shaking her head at me with a rueful grin. “Must be so hard to come home to all this fanfare and applause.”

Glancing away from her, I looked around the room, wondering what that would feel like. Because that wasn’t how it was for me. I knew that right after all these people got done talking about how I looked, or how I’d been racing, they’d bring up the only other thing they remembered about me. My mother. And why she was gone. That’s what was said in the whispers no one meant for me to hear.

“I guess if you like that sort of thing,” I said, trying to hold onto the humor of the moment. But Sky saw me slip. Her expression fell, scrutinizing eyes scanning my face before she picked up her menu, dropping her gaze to it. “Are you going to get one too?”

“I was planning on it.”

“Good. I’ll get the cookies and cream. If you get the red velvet one, I can try both.”

She eyed me mischievously over the edge of her menu and I held her gaze. I’d never cared for milkshakes before now, but the flare of amusement on her face had my chest tightening.

“You got it, boss.” I got a shy smile from her in place of the eye roll I was used to with that particular nickname, and I liked the change up.

There was a bite to the air when we left, so Sky was all too happy to ditch her thin jacket for her new winter coat before we walked the rest of the way to the liquor store. She nestled her gloved hand in mine, and snuggled into my side like even bundled up she still needed extra warmth. I was happy to give it.

She was enamored with Holden Cove, pointing out the things she wished her town had had growing up. The water bowls for the dogs on the sidewalk. The flower pots hanging from the light posts, now filled with pine limbs, giant ornaments, and twinkly lights. The banner hanging over main street advertising the Winter Carnival and 5k run for charity.

“How did you not love this stuff growing up?” she asked me, her cheeks rosy from the chill.

“I don’t know. I’m not sure any kid really cares about the cute factor of their town. I just lived here.”

She shook her head at me, giving me a smiley scowl. “Unbelievable. I’d never have left if this was my home.”

Thankfully, we were at the store, so I avoided having to respond to that. I hadn’t just left Holden Cove, I’d run from it. It wasn’t the town’s fault though. Just like I didn’t blame people for their morbid curiosity about my family. I probably would have been just like them, if it hadn’t been my life torn apart.

After we grabbed a few bottles of wine, we got back on the road. The milkshake in my stomach churning the closer we got. We wound through sleepy side streets until the houses thinned and woods closed in on all sides. And then we were there.

I blew out a breath, trying to calm my racing heart. “Welcome to the Ellis family compound,” I said in my best announcer voice.

Sky’s face lit up, her eyes going wide as she craned to look out the windows.

“That’s the office and supply shed for the construction business.”

“Ellis and Son,” she whispered, her lips curled into a grin that I wanted to kiss clean off. She found all this interesting. It was the reaction I expected, but it still did something to me to see it on her face.

“Yeah. Jacob had to take the ‘s’ off when he realized Mack was the only one willing to go into the family business with him.”

She jostled my hand, clasped to hers in my lap. “You said you know how to work a backhoe.”

“Know how to and want to are very different.” We carried on past the bigger equipment garage, the gravel lot beside it filled by a trio of excavators. “Inside there are the dump trucks and topkick.”

“What’s a topkick?”

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