Page 18 of Call It Love

“Intentional or not, he’s vulnerable when it comes to you. Even if he can’t see it, I can.”

This conversation didn’t feel much different from the sensation of my tires spinning out of control last night.

“Chase said my car is ready?”

She stared at me, her eyes never wavering. “It’s over there. Keys are in the ignition. I had to replace a wheel that was bent to hell. There are a few scratches on the front fender, but nothing worth replacing, and no damage to the engine.

“I appreciate it. What do I owe you?”

“Nothing.”

“But there has to be a towing charge, at least.”

“Chase already took care of everything.”

My mouth dropped at those words. No wonder she was worried about my intentions. “Then I’ll settle up with him.”

“That’s between you and him.”

I nodded and turned toward my car.

“Anna?”

I slowed my steps and glanced over my shoulder at the shrewd eyes of the woman I once called a close friend.

“I don’t understand why you’re here,” she said, more softly, “but Iamsorry if you’ve been hurt.”

It was a peace offering I hadn’texpected.

“Thank you.”

“I’m sorry, we don’t have anything available but check back sometime. You never know if something will come up,” the woman, whose name tag identified her as Beth, said. At least her voice was a little more sympathetic than some of the shop owners I’d approached.

I’d spent much of yesterday and this morning walking up and down the streets of downtown Sterling Mill, stopping in at each shop, asking the same question and receiving the same answer—no job available. One by one, I’d been turned away, sometimes with a sympathetic smile, other times with barely concealed glee. For the latter group, I knew it was a case ofhow the mighty have fallen. But I’d hoped for more from the town I’d once called home, a place that took pride in rallying around its own. Apparently, that loyalty had limits.

Once again, Mason was proving to be my downfall. I knew he wasn’t liked, but I hadn’t expected the depth of their ill feelings to be directed at me. If only they realized they only knew the surface of who he really was. That there was something much darker to him than they could ever imagine.

Frustrated, I turned down Main Street to head back to The Dogtrot. So far, that was the only thing to go right. When I’d shown up after getting my car back, I could see the young girl behind the desk was going to turn me away because of Jack. But fate smiled upon me, and Emalee walked in at the moment. She offered me the first genuine smile I’d seen in days. Dismissing the employee to go run an errand for her, she said that she had a room, but onlyfor three nights before her charming bed-and-breakfast was fully booked. By then, I knew I’d either have a new plan or I’d be on the road again. To where remained to be seen.

She said she was happy to let Jack stay in one of the kennels they had in a large shed in their backyard. She assured me she was already working on making it part of an add-on to their business, especially since her husband was the town vet, and Jack would be a good way to test it out. She said Jack could even play with their dog Milo for some exercise if they got along. Deep down, I had a feeling she was making up the story as she went along, but my pride could wait as long as Jack was in a safe place. He wasn’t thrilled with the arrangement, but I took him for long walks in the evening to make it up to him.

I had one more night to figure out what our next step would be. Lost in thought, a voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Well, well. Look what the storm blew in—Annamal, back home to her humble beginnings. Guess the city couldn’t stand you either.”

My skin prickled as if every one of her words were bugs that flew from her mouth and landed on me. I hadn’t heard it in years, but there was no forgetting Trinity’s sneer or the nickname she’d saddled me with in high school, as if growing up off-grid made me some kind of wild animal.

Despite wanting to ignore her, I knew how she operated. She’d feed on any discomfort I showed. Pasting on a polite smile, I turned cool eyes on her. “Trinity.”

Standing beside another girl I didn’t recognize, Trinity’s calculating eyes raked over me. “Heard you’re looking for work. Guess your gravy train derailed when your husband died.” She tilted her head. “Odd, though. Usually, a widow gets her husband’s money. Guess yours didn’t leave youanything if you’re looking for a job. Maybe he didn’t think you were worth it.”

Her words delivered the slap she intended, closer to the truth than she’d ever know. But I tried not to give her an ounce of satisfaction. Shrugging, I said, “Unlike some people, the rest of us like to earn our way no matter what’s in the bank account.”

Unless she had changed drastically, Trinity had always been a spoiled girl who thought the world should fall at her feet.

She would have been a perfect match for Mason.

Her eyes flared briefly before she masked it with a scoff. “You have a lot of nerve…” Then suddenly, she shifted, and her scowl was replaced with a blinding smile. “Chase. How are you?” Her voice was warm and sweet. “I was just telling Sophie how much fun we had the last time we were at Ferg’s.”

---