Page 22 of Cherished Lands
"Ah, speak of the devil!" Marcus's eyes crinkled as Iapproached. "I was just telling your parents about running into Jim from Grand Rapids Supply last week. He mentioned your exciting new cidery venture with the Evertons."
The champagne turned to acid in my stomach. Dad's shoulders stiffened, but his face remained impassive.
"The Evertons are good people." Marcus nodded, oblivious to the tension crackling around him. "Salt of the earth type. Hard workers. You picked some solid business partners there, Tessa."
I forced my lips into what I hoped was a gracious smile. "They're certainly dedicated to their craft."
"Well, I should go say hello to the Johnsons." Marcus touched my arm. "Keep me posted on how the cidery develops."
The moment he disappeared into the crowd, Dad's hand clamped around my elbow. "Explain. Now."
I lifted my chin and met his thunderous gaze. "You heard what you needed to hear."
His face turned beet red, and his fingers dug deeper into my flesh. "Don't you dare be flippant with me, you spoiled little?—"
My mom placed a hand on my father's arm. A couple walked by and offered brief hellos before continuing on.
"Do not bother coming home tonight. Or to work on Monday."
And that was that. Dad had issued his order.
The drivefrom Ashford to Sable Point normally took twenty minutes. Tonight, it had taken forty-five. The snow was coming down in fat, fluffy flakes. Because of the late hour and the factthis route was only frequented by Sable Point residents and the odd tourist who needed something from a big-box store, the plows hadn't cleared the roads yet. What little traffic there was moved at a crawl.
By the time I made it to downtown Sable Point, I had spent so much time white-knuckling the steering wheel that I hadn't bothered to think of where to go. If I hadn't been in such a rage when I left the club, I would have just grabbed a hotel room in Ashford. But I wanted to get home.
Except I didn't have one.
It was after ten. I could have crashed at Sarah and Andy's for the night, but I didn't want to show up so late and risk waking the baby.
So I kept driving. When faced with a decision to go straight toward Vintage Point or turn left toward town, I hesitated.Wrong move.
My car began to slide across the snow-covered road.
"Nononono!" I turned into the skid like I'd been taught, but I ended up in the ditch along the road anyway. "Shit."
I banged my head a few times on the steering wheel. "Could this night get any frickin' worse?"
I pulled my phone out of my purse, wondering who to call to get me out of this mess. Before I had the chance to make a decision, a big maroon truck pulled up alongside the ditch, and the driver climbed out. I tensed in my seat and eyed the personal alarm dangling from my car keys. Sable Point was a safe town, but you could never be too careful.
A breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding whooshed out of me when a familiar face popped up next to my passenger side window. I gave an embarrassed little wave and rolled it down.
"Hey there, Tessa," Jay Everton said. "Ya look a little stuck."
"What gave you that idea?" I immediately regretted giving this kind man any attitude, but he just laughed.
"Sorry," I said. "It's been a night."
"Looks that way." He looked left and then right before tapping the hood of the car twice. "Come on, climb out. I'll give ya a ride."
I tried to open the driver's side door, but it only budged an inch or two, too wedged into the ditch to open any further. "Son of a bitch!"
"Through this way, then."
"Yeah, I guess." I collected my things from the car—phone, purse, keys, coat—and handed them to Jay. He stashed them in his truck then came back to my SUV and opened the passenger door, offering me a hand as I clambered over the center console and through the door.
"Thank you," I said once my boots were firmly planted on the ground.
"Of course. Can't have my business partner turning into a popsicle on the side of the road."
