Page 74 of Falling for Love

And that was when I remembered I grabbed my son’s dog-eared winter cap because mine was still in the washing machine.

I sighed, waving a hand toward my truck. “Locked my keys inside all for a latte to treat myself for running errands.”

Millie tilted her head, inspecting the situation like a seasoned detective. “Again?”

I shot her a sheepish look. “You’ve got a good memory.”

“It’s not hard to remember when it’s happened twice in the past year,” she said with a chuckle, setting her tote bag down. “Lucky for you, I have experience in these predicaments.”

“You do?”

Thankfully, the last time it happened was when I was at the community center, and the sheriff helped me out. Millie happened to be going inside the building for the book club meeting. I shivered at the thought of getting wrangled to one of those matchmaking events.

There was no way I’d fall for it being merely a book club with those kinds of hookup rates. The Sunshine Breakfast Club, mainly led by the woman in front of me, was nothing more than a way to ensnare unsuspecting singles.

But I suspected.

And I would not fall for their trappings.

“Oh, honey, I’ve been locking myself out of cars since before you were born. I even had to climb into the window of my own house once with nothing but a step ladder and determination. If I could do that, I can handle a simple truck lock.”

“Let’s hope you don’t need a ladder for this one,” I said, laughing despite myself. My truck was big, and Millie was not.

She pulled a travel-size toolkit out of her tote because, of course, she had one.

“Always be prepared,” she said, winking as she selected a slim tool. “Now, let’s see what we’re working with here.”

I watched as Millie approached the truck with the confidence of a seasoned locksmith. She slipped the tool into the space between the window and the doorframe, fiddling with a focus that made me wonder if she’d missed her calling as a secret agent.

Or maybe that was why she loved the book club.

“You know,” she said conversationally, “this reminds me of the time Violet got locked out of her car during the Winter Festival. She had a pie cooling in the backseat, and I swear half the town showed up to help. Took three people, two coat hangers, and a lot of creative swearing, but we got her back in.”

“That sounds about right for Buttercup Lake,” I said, shaking my head. “What is it about small towns that makes everyone think they’re qualified to break into vehicles?”

“Well, we’ve got time, determination, and a healthy disregard for looking ridiculous,” Millie said with a grin. “Speaking of which, do you happen to have a coat hanger? My befangled tool isn’t working.”

I snorted. “Not on me. I could check the backseat, though, if I could get in.”

Millie gave me a mock glare. “A comedian, I see. Don’t worry, I’ve got a backup plan.”

As Millie fiddled with the lock for the third time, she let out a frustrated huff and stepped back, hands on her hips. The sun glinted off the frost-covered trucks in the parking lot, and my breath clouded in the crisp air as I tried not to laugh.

“You’re awfully smug for someone stranded in the middle of town,” Millie muttered, narrowing her eyes at me.

“I’m not smug,” I said, biting back a grin. “I’m just… impressed by your tenacity.”

Millie wagged the slim metal tool at me like a warning. “Don’t make me use this on you.”

I held up my hands in mock surrender. “I’d never dare.”

She sighed, muttering something about modern locks being too smart for their own good, and then straightened, pulling out her phone.

“Well, looks like we need to bring in the big guns.”

I frowned. “Who’s the big guns?”

Millie shot me a sly smile as she dialed a number. “Oh, just someone who owes me a favor. Don’t worry, he’s an expert at fixing things. The guy is ridiculously handy. Good with animals and kids, too.”

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