Page 30 of Lucky in Love
“Obviously not your size, but it’s dry.”
“Thanks.” Without warning, she stripped off the wet T-shirt, revealing a hot pink sports bra and a trim waist. He tried to look away but couldn’t. Just stood there staring like a teenage boy who’d never seen a bra before.
She slipped into the hoodie and moaned. “That feels so much better.” And when she noticed him gawking, “Ya good?”
“Yeah.” He blinked.
“Ah, crap,” she said, looking over his shoulder.
“What?” He turned to where she pointed. Water was leaking through the roof right into the sink. “Hey, at least it’s dripping somewhere convenient.”
“I was worried this might happen. It’s why I wasn’t renting this cabin. I’ll call to have it fixed first thing tomorrow.”
He glanced out the window. “The rain’s letting up. Why don’t I just take you to the doctor now?”
She removed the icepack, gently touched her red, angry ankle, and sighed heavily. “I’d appreciate it. Thank you.” Accepting his help seemed to pain her as much or more than her injury.
While he drove, she called Faith to see if she could pick her up if they went to the New Hampton clinic. Apparently, if Faith took a road named Windy Hill Drive, she could get there without using the main road in Green Valley Falls.
Brody helped Alex into the clinic and verified Faith was on her way before he left her. “Thanks again, Brody. I owe you two now.”
Back in town, he stopped at the coffee shop, where a spunky barista took his order.
He found a seat and got out his laptop. His review of Whispering Pines wasn’t due for another two weeks, but he would often enter daily notes to make the final draft easier. He checked the ten-day forecast and killed time checking email while he finished his coffee.
On the way out, he noticed a store called The Outdoor Outpost. If he remembered right, Tess worked there. Looked like a good place to get a raincoat. And maybe some better boots if hewas going to do any real hiking. His tennis shoes were okay for the jaunt to the falls, but he’d seen some other, harder hikes at the park he wanted to try.
“Hey, Brody,” Tess greeted when he entered. “Heard you rescued Alex this morning.”
“Rescue’s probably too generous a term,” he said.
“Carrying her out of the woods on your back sounds pretty superhero-y to me.”
He chuckled at the image. “Word sure spreads fast around here.”
“No denying that. What brings you by?”
She helped him find what he needed, and he was in and out in no time. By then, he was getting hungry, so he walked to the diner.
“Brody!” Edna greeted.
Walking into a place and having people know his name felt weird. Weird, yet comforting. After being anonymous and temporary most places he went, he decided he kinda liked it and leaned in.
“Hey, Edna. What’s good today?”
She settled him in a booth and fixed him up with the special—meatloaf and mashed potatoes.
The diner bustled with familiarity. Everyone seemed to know everyone else, and the place was filled with conversation, laughter, and a sense of joviality.
Halfway through his meal, the atmosphere changed on a dime. Brody looked around to see multiple people staring at their phones, the mood instantly somber. Faces fell, shoulders drooped, and the laughter gave way to hushed, serious whispers.
“What happened?” Brody asked Edna when she came to refill his water.
“Oh, honey.” Tears welled. “Just got word there was a fatal crash on Windy Hill Drive—that’s the back way in from New Hampton.”
Before he could ask for details, a man in a red baseball hat raised his voice. “It’s on the news now, y’all.” He held his phone up as if reading from an article. “It was a two-car collision. Two dead. One is Sean Dexter, The Grocer.” A collective gasp rang out, but the man hushed the crowd and continued to read. “They’re waiting to release the other name pending next of kin notification, but they say she’s a woman from Green Valley Falls.”
There was a moment of silence before everyone jumped into action, texting or dialing frantically, presumably to ensure their female loved ones were okay. A couple of others, including Brody, were on their feet. He threw down a twenty and raced out the door.
