Page 37 of Snowbound

“Overheard it in the bistro. Apparently, you were down there on a double date with John and Ruth.”

“People really just say anything,” I scoff. “No, it wasn’t a date. I’m sure you’ve heard that Carly’s a girl I picked up after her car got wrecked. She’s staying around to help John and Ruth wedding plan. That’s all.”

“Staying at your house?” asks Jensen.

“So what if she is?”

Jensen shrugs. “None of my business, I suppose. Anyway, my check-engine light came on as I was driving home today. Think you could give it a look over?”

“That is my entire job,” I say without amusement.

Jensen is another guy I’ve known since school. He and I played football together, but he was the quarterback. He was the popular kid. He was the one who moved out of Mullen Falls because he needed to see more of the world.

I’m honestly surprised that he ever agreed to move back. Thinking about it, I don’t know if I ever met his wife. I think I was away when they got married, and I’m pretty sure she’s from out of town. God alone knows how she feels to be here.

We walk over to Jensen’s car, an expensive-looking model. The kind of thing I could never afford.

I pop the hood and lean in. There’s nothing too obvious going on in there. I grab my tools and start checking it over.

I head to the battery first. This thing is the culprit, more often than not, and I don’t like to waste a customer’s time messing them about when something is really an easy fix.

Even without the multimeter, it quickly becomes apparent that the battery is the issue. All the connections to it are rusted and screwed up.

I shake my head, puzzling over ways I can get this back on the road fast. “Can you leave it here overnight? It won’t be a problem to fix it, but it’s going to take me more than a minute. You’ll be pleased to know it’s not going to be expensive.”

“Are we talking a thousand-dollars not expensive or twenty dollars?”

“Probably about a hundred dollars when I’m done.”

“Oh, that’s great, Gabe. Thank you. This is why everyone thinks you’re the best. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone come out of this shop and be dissatisfied. Even that young thing you’ve got helping you out seems to do all right.”

“Phoebe’s invaluable,” I say, my hackles rising.

The more I talk to him, the more I’m surprised Jensen and I ever used to be close. In school, we were practically inseparable. But as we’ve gotten older, I guess different things have become important to us. He moves in a different sphere to me, so people like Phoebe are easy for him to look down on.

“I’m sure. I’m sure. Not much of a looker though, is she?”

“Why does that matter?” I snap, furrowing my brows.

Jensen throws up his hands as if he genuinely thinks he did nothing wrong. “Hey, a few of us from high school are meeting for drinks next Friday. You’re looking like the Gabe we all used to know and love. How about you join us?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I say, my eyes narrowing. Just how much gossip has he been listening to?

Gabe looks at me with that insincere pity that everyone has given me since I got back from the military. It drives me crazy the way people say they’re sorry for my loss or worry about how hard things must have been, but I know they don’t really care.

“You’ve had a tough couple of years. We’ve been waiting for you to come hang out with us. It’ll be good for you. We’ll make you feel just like the good old days.”

Normally, I would say no. Normally, I don’t have the patience for social gatherings or old friends who just want to show off what they’ve done lately, or who their newest wife is.

But I guess Carly must be rubbing off on me more than I thought because I find myself saying, “All right. Where? When?”

“At the inn. Where else?” Jensen smiles like he’s won. “Seven o’clock. I’ll see you there. Oh, and what did you say your new friend was called?”

“Carly.”

“Bring her along too. We’d love to meet her. See you later.” Jensen grins as he leaves, and I get a prickling feeling that I’ve been played.

Worse than that, I almost think I might be looking forward to it. It has been a long time since I spent any time with friends, and I know that if I tell Carly, I won’t have a choice. She’ll make me go.

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