Page 1 of An Unexpected Everything
Chapter One
WESTON
“Every time I drive,I hear a whomping sound. I think it’s the rear axle. It has to be. I looked it up on this one website. They were very informative. They even told me about that special air I need for the tires. You know the one I told you about last time? And how I need to change my filter every month. So I think I need a whole new rear axle and thingy.” She then proceeded to make the whomping sound her car currently made, complete with hand motions.
I nodded along as Diedre continued to talk about her sedan’s apparent rear axle problems. She had multiple notes on her phone, as well as various links to random websites since she’d done her research.
And since Diedre had babysat me as a kid and I’d had a crush on her when I was eight, it hurt me to hold back the biting words such as—her car didn’t have a rear axle. And that I hadn’t charged her to put air in her tires—special air or not.
“I’ve got your notes, Diedre. Thank you for all of your hard work. Now let me go take a look. Your car is in my team’s hands. I promise.”
“Oh, Weston. You’re the sweetest. Drew told me he’d get to it when he finished his big project, but he’s been so busy.” Her eyes tightened at the sides.
I fisted my hands, doing my best not to show any other reaction.
Drew barely worked on his construction crew for some of the new builds in town, and when he wasn’t working, he was drinking. The Lake Bar wouldn’t let him run a tab anymore and that place was the only so-called seedy area of Cage Lake. I wasn’t even sure if Drew remembered the names of two of the five of his kids. The kids who either hung out withmykids or my kids watched hers when Diedre couldn’t get Drew to take care of them on his own.
I wasn’t surprised Drew hadn’t had a chance to look at the tires. And frankly, if the man touched this car, then it would most likely end up with a worse issue later. Not that I’d tell Diedre that.
I grunted in response at Drew’s name, not in the mood to speak about him, then looked down at her notes. “You popped two of your tires?” I looked up at her, confused. “Hell. How did that happen?” Visions of exactly how she could have done that slammed into me and a sweat nearly broke out on my forehead.
“Yes.” Diedre bit her lip when I looked up. “I went off the road on…well onthe bridge. I mean…after it, but I slid on the bridge itself.” Regret covered her face, and my heart kicked that familiar beat, but I ignored it.
“I’m glad you didn’t get hurt. Kids okay?”
Relief that I didn’t want to go into detail or that I didn’t react to her perceived slip up covered her features, and she nodded. “Yes. Thankfully. And then well…we should have come here right after it happened, but Drew said he’d handle it. He got a good deal on the replacement tires and took care of it himself.”
I held back a curse and nodded, having a clearer idea as to what the issue was with her car. Because Drew was a damn idiot and hadn’t put the tires on correctly. She’s lucky she hadn’t been run off the road again—this time hurting herself or someone else.
“I’ll take care of it, Dee.”
“Thank you, Weston. Just…thank you.”
I turned at the pleading in her eyes and made my way back to the shop. She was never going to leave Drew and his wasteful ways. No matter how hard people in our small town tried. After all, Cage Lake was all about that small town feel. People got into their business and tried to do what was best for others. Even if that meant constantly being in the way or taking steps that could make things worse. They ignored the ugly sides of things, though, and I was pretty sure most people forgot that key detail.
I owned the only mechanic shop in the area so people from town and a few towns over would come to me for help. Meaning this family run place always had business. My uncles had opened the place and had taught me everything I knew. Dad had been the small-town lawyer with Mom working with him, but he’d stood by my side when I’d wanted to learn how to hold a wrench and then later, when college had called my name—at least until the world changed. Caldwell’s was a staple in Cage Lake, much like many of the places that dotted the town but actually brought in tourists.
Cage Lake was a small town in the Rocky Mountains a couple hours west of Denver. It had nearly everything someone needed to stay and never leave—not that I hadn’t tried. There was one main road leading to the town and two large bridges that connected the area to other towns and the main highway that cut through the Rockies. And like most small towns, there was one main road that bisected the area. Most of the business, restaurants, and historical areas were located there. Then eachof the lanes branching off the main road led to mostly residential and forested areas. There were a few other businesses—like Doc Henry’s clinic—that popped up around them as well. Then the road curved to either lead to the lake or the resort the Cages owned. There were other houses lining the lake and the road that circled back to the main road.
In other words, it was hard to get lost and everyone knew everyone. And there was no escaping the constant need to be in everyone’s business. It’s why I’d tried to get out of the place all those years ago.
And then a single deer on that lone bridge with just enough rain on the road had changed everything.
I quickly got to work and by the time my shift ended, the rest of my crew was ready to head out or start on a couple custom pieces after hours. I wasn’t closing today so I grabbed the endless paperwork that came with being an owner, and decided to head to Rise and Cage, the main bakery in town. I was in the mood for sugar and caffeine, though a beer sounded damn good too.
However, the moment I took a step outside of my truck, I knew I’d made a mistake. If I wanted to be alone with my paperwork, running into the mayor’s wife who looked to be in the mood to gossip—which was most hours of the day—wasn’t a good choice. I was a permanent Cage Lake resident, so listening to Ms. Patty talk about her husband and his choices as mayor was par for the course. Practically rote at this point.
“Like I was saying. When those girls of yours graduate you’re going to find yourself with an empty nest. With Lance off at business school and Sydney and Sam ready to start their new lives, you’ll have so much time on your hands you won’t know what to do with yourself. Believe me. I was the same way back in the day when the boys moved to Denver and Cheyenne and decided to stay there after college. Not that it’s too far away, butI do miss being able to see my babies andtheirbabies often. But it’s not as if Mr. Mayor and I could truly leave town and move to be near them. Cage Lake is our home. You would know that, after all. This is your home and you’re never going to leave. It’s what we do as Cage Lake Lifers. It’s everything we need even with so many new transplants. Like the other Cages. I’m sure you heard about theotherCages, of course.”
I nodded along, letting Ms. Patty continue to ramble because I knew from experience that if I spoke aloud or asked a question, I’d relegate myself to another ten minutes of this. For one moment, I let myself think the terrible thought of her calling her husband Mr. Mayor. I didn’t want to know when else she used that title. Ever.
Then the rest of her question that wasn’t a question finally slid through the mud that was my thoughts and I blinked. “The other Cages are moving here?”
That’s all we needed. More drama because Daddy Cage couldn’t keep his pants zipped. I might be friends with Hudson, one of the original Cages, but I had no desire to learn about the rest of them.
Especially one of them in particular.
Ms. Patty tittered but there wasn’t any harm in it. There never was with her. She might gossip like nobody’s business, but she was also one of the first to call Drew out to his face. And she’d been at my house the day after the funeral with casseroles and cookbooks so I’d know how to feed the kids. “Oh, I don’t think so. I know a couple of them have visited, but I don’t know all of the details yet.”
