Page 2 of Love Is Brewing

“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” she said. “A little snow never hurt anyone.”

“You say that now, but wait until you’re out there cleaning your car off,” her mother said. “I hate you don’t have a garage for safety reasons at your apartment.”

Here they went again.

“Mom,” she said. “I understand your concerns, but it’s not like there are a lot of places available for rent. This complex is newer, it’s modern, it’s close to the office, and has a lot of amenities.”

Like a gym, pool, tennis courts, and even an events room.

“Because Phoebe needs those things,” Matt said. “So she can socialize because she’s going to go nuts living here. I’ll place money on it. Two months tops she’s wanting to move back to Charlotte.”

“Oh, ye of little faith,” she said. “I’m going to prove you wrong just on principle alone.”

And she would.

No one should ever doubt her once she put her mind to something.

She was going to be just fine in this small town making it on her own. One way or another!

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UNSOLICITED ADVICE

Three Months Later

“What the hell is that?”Phoebe said when she looked out the kitchen window of her apartment. She squinted some more through the darkness. It was barely five in the morning and she was hoping to get into the office by seven. “Is that snow?”

She snatched her phone off the counter, pulled up the forecast that she rarely bothered to look at when she lived in Charlotte, and saw that it had snowed about four inches last night.

Four inches!!

Her research said two was the average for theentiremonth of January. How was this possible?

She moved to the front of her apartment and looked at her black Mercedes, which was now covered in a white fluffy mess.

More scrolling on her phone told her it’d be in the mid-fifties later today so it should melt by then.

But she had too much to do. And three interviews on top of it.

The only staff she had was a secretary and a paralegal. She needed another paralegal. That was what she’d be interviewing for today.

Deep breath. She had this. She told everyone she did.

Snow was only water, just prettier. She’d driven in plenty enough rain in her life.

She went back to the kitchen, made herself an espresso in the fancy machine her brother gifted her. It was supposed to be a joke, but damn, it was going to come in handy today.

When she was done with breakfast, she returned to her room to search her closet for what to wear in this wet catastrophe.

Once she put on a calf-length navy dress and brown knee-high boots, she decided to tackle her car.

It was only a five-minute drive or so to her office, but she needed time to clean everything off.

No one would be there at seven, but she wanted to get a head start on the day.

Bundled up in her tan long jacket and gloves, she went outside and realized that plows hadn’t touched the parking lot and there was no sign of life from anyone.

She opened her car door, the snow falling on her seat.

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