by Nan Sampson
The sky was leaden and heavy in the hour before dawn, but at least the snow had stopped. The sky lightened slowly, and the thought of just burrowing back under the covers was almost irresistible.
Until she remembered Josh and the horrible conversation she’d overheard.
She climbed carefully out of bed, only to find that Charlie was already awake, and that the presence she’d felt in bed next to her had only been his pillow. Realizing she was wearing nothing but her cami and underwear, and feeling suddenly exposed and vulnerable, she quickly pulled on the robe at the end of the bed. Charlie was already dressed and sitting in the reading chair by the now cold fire, reading a Dorothy L. Sayers novel.
It felt weird, she thought, looking at him. She wasn’t sure what she thought about what had happened between them. And she no longer knew what to say to him. Realizing she sounded like an idiot, she tried to smile as he looked up at her. “So how is Lord Peter Wimsey this morning?”
“Hopelessly in love with Harriett Vane, poor old sot. Sleep well?”
Was that supposed to mean something? God, she was no good at this. Maybe last night had been a mistake. “I suppose I should be asking you. How’s your head? Have you been awake long?”
“Head’s fine. Your magickal powers must have cured me.” He shrugged. “I’ve been up for a couple of hours.”
Ellie shook her head. “I don’t know how you function on the amount of sleep you get. I’d be impossible to live with.”
“You mean it could get worse?”
She would have thrown a pillow at him, but she was afraid of knocking some expensive knicky-knack off the mantel. “Keep it up, McCallum. See what happens.” There, being snarky felt better. Or at least, more normal.
She headed into the bathroom and washed her face with the expensive French milled soap, then brushed her teeth with the complimentary toothbrush and paste Arabella had provided for them.
When she straightened, Charlie was standing behind her. He slipped his arms around her waist, smiling at her in the mirror. She fought the urge to push him away. His embrace felt nice, warm, comforting, even at the same time that it felt odd and anxiety-producing, and that grin, she thought, was an idiotic grin yet she couldn’t help smiling back.
“So do I get to keep my merit badge?” he murmured in her ear.
“Your merit badge?”
“I swore on Scout’s honor last night that you’d enjoy the ride.”
“Ah, I see. My, but the Boy Scouts have changed.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Oh, trust me. If I’d found something to complain about, you’d have heard it.”
She loved the way his eyes lit up when he laughed. “Well, I can’t argue with that.”
Tapping the toothbrush on the edge of the white ceramic pedestal sink, she plunked it in the holder, and reached for a hair brush. “Which brings me to a couple of rules.”
“There are rules?” He rolled his eyes, then stepped back as she began to brush her hair. “I should have known. Okay, what are these rules?”
“If we’re really going to do this, there have to be rules. First, no PDAs.”
“No personal data assistants?”
“No, you idiot. No public displays of affection.”
“Good Lord. We’re back in high school.”
“In case you hadn’t noticed, this town has a gossip network that makes the internet look slow.”
“Ellie, everyone in town thinks we’ve been sleeping together since the end of November. What difference does it make if they see us snogging in a corner of the library?”
“Right now they just think we’re sleeping together. You start chewing on my ear lobe and they’ll know it.”
“And that’s…” He opened his mouth then shut it and licked his lips. The corners of his mouth tugged upward in a stifled grin. “Okay. No groping in the stacks. But a clarification, please - does that include holding hands?”
“I… I don’t know.” Did it? Had anyone she’d ever dated wanted to hold her hand? She didn’t think so. Her parents had held hands but they’d been soul mates. Why did that make her more nauseous?
“What about the occasional hug?”
“No. No hugging. Hugging… hugging leads to other things.”
This time he couldn’t hide the grin. “Only if we are, as you so eloquently put it last night, hormone-drunk teen-agers.”
“My point exactly. You see how much self-restraint we exercised last night.”
“So we are hormone-drunk teen-agers?”
She met his gaze in the mirror, trying keep a straight face, and ultimately failed. “Charlie, you bring out the absolute worst in me, you know that, don’t you?”
“I try. I really try.”
She pulled away and went to finish putting on yesterday’s clothes, which were now nice and dry. Were they really going to do this? Was she really going to do this? Her stomach had butterflies and she wasn’t sure she wasn’t going to throw up, and yet… It felt right. Gods and Goddesses, she prayed, please don’t let me be making a huge mistake.
“So, changing the subject completely, what was all that ruckus last night?”
“Ruckus?”
“You know, the arguing, the breaking of glass against the wall, the slamming of doors?”
“So you heard all that?”
“I heard voices and crashes. I didn’t hear what was being said. I didn’t have my ear plastered to the wall.”
She stared at him. “You saw that? I thought you were asleep.”
“Dozing.”
She finished tying her Earth shoes and stood up. “It was Link and Josh. They were having an argument.”
“Well, I gathered that. What was the gist?”
Ellie found herself looking around, as though there might be someone listening. “I’d rather talk about it later. After we’re out of here.”
He quirked an eyebrow at her. “How very clandestine.”
Gathering up her coat and other outdoor gear, she said, “Are you ready to brave the frozen tundra?”
“What I’m ready for is some breakfast – and before you start, don’t tell me you don’t have time. There’s going to be no one pounding on the shop door this morning – and if they are then they’re a damn fool.”
It went against her instincts. People depended on her to be open when the sign said she would be. “What do I tell Harvey Briggs when he stops in for his morning cup?”
“I’ll tell Harvey myself that you were snowed in just like everyone else. Knowing Harvey, he’ll want to come help shovel you out.” He put “Gaudy Night” back into the book shelf and grabbed his own jacket. “Come on. Harvey will somehow survive, and you need to eat.”
She grimaced. “You sound like Per.”
He grinned that boyish grin at her. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
They exited the room, and Charlie pulled the door shut behind them. Ellie took a couple of steps towards the stairs, juggling her outerwear and in the process dropped her mittens. She bent down to pick them up. When she straightened, she found Charlie laughing and patently admiring the view. She gave him a sour look.
He remained undaunted. “Too exhausted even to carry your clothes? Maybe I earned two merit badges last night.”
Ellie tried to get mad, but found she couldn’t. She took another step, still looking over her shoulder – and ran headlong into Margaret Roesch as she came out of her own room.
“Well, good morning, Ms. Gooden!” The Odious Margaret was smiling uncharacteristically. “And to you Mr. McCallum. It is McCallum, isn’t it?”
The wattage on Charlie’s smiled dimmed to merely polite. “Yes.”
“Isn’t it a lovely day? I just love a good snowstorm.”
Ellie looked through the window at the end of the hall, at the lowering sky. Not a peep of sun shone and the temperature, based on the amount of frost on the edges of the window, looked to be in the single digits. “Don’t know that I’d go so far as
to say lovely.”
“Did you get trapped here last night by the snow?”
There was little point in denying it, much to Ellie’s chagrin. “Yes.”
The woman’s eyes flitted back and forth between the two of them, and a nasty little smiled turned up the corners of her red-painted mouth. “How romantic. No wonder you looked so tired.”
She was so angry – and embarrassed – that she wanted to spit. But before she could get out, ‘And what’s your excuse?’, Charlie stepped up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.
“Please, Ms. Roesch, after you. Would you care to join us for breakfast?”
“Any other time, I would love to. I always say, it’s good to get to know the people of a community before you make a commitment to move. But I’m afraid my schedule simply doesn’t permit it today.” The Odious Margaret put a hand on the newel post at the top of the stairs and swanned down them. At the bottom, she tapped her expensive ladies Rolex. “Time waits for no man, and especially not for we movers and shakers in real estate.”
Ellie couldn’t keep her mouth shut. “That’s ‘us’. ‘Us’ movers and shakers.”
Margaret stared blankly at her for a moment. “Oh, are you in real estate too, Ms. Gooden? I thought all you did was manage that little shop?”
Ellie felt her face go hot and red. Charlie clutched at her hand and squeezed it hard. “Well, enjoy your day, Ms. Roesch. Come on, Ellie, let’s go. We’ve got a full day too.”
He pulled her forcibly along behind him through the lobby and into the small dining room and led her to a table even as the front door jangled and slammed shut behind the woman.
The dining room at the Birches was a study in Victorian elegance. In the mornings, Bella provided guests with an enormous buffet table, draped in red linen, with an assortment of baked goods, fresh fruit and other cold breakfast options, or they could order a hot breakfast, the menu of which changed daily based mostly on whatever Bella wanted to cook that day. At the moment, probably because it was so early, the dining room was empty of other guests. Ellie didn’t bother lowering her voice. “Aagh! That woman is a viper.” She clenched her fists and mimicked Roesch’s voice. “‘I thought all you did was manage that little shop.’ Great Goddess I’d like to haul off and punch her in the nose.”
Charlie unrolled his silverware and calmly put his napkin on his lap. “She’s not worth your trouble. Just let it go.”
She steamed for a moment, then tried to put on a smile as Chloe, Arabella’s college-aged granddaughter, hurried over with a carafe of coffee.
“Good morning! Did you guys sleep okay? Aunt Bella was worried that that drain pipe on the corner of the house there would bang all night and keep you up.”
Charlie gave her his most ingratiating grin and Ellie watched as the girl just melted. “If there was any banging, we sure didn’t hear it. Tell your aunt we slept like logs.”
“Oh good!” She poured Charlie a cup of coffee, never taking her doe brown eyes from his baby blues. “Can I get you some orange juice? We’ve got homemade waffles for breakfast, along with regular or soy links.” She stood there for a moment, smiling inanely at Charlie, the carafe of coffee hovering in midair over his cup.
Ellie scowled. “That sounds great. Could I get some orange juice too?”
Chloe started, then gave Ellie an apologetic look. “Of course. Right away, Ms. Gooden.”
The girl poured Ellie some coffee then high-tailed it through the swinging doors into the kitchen.
“Does this happen everywhere you go?”
Charlie looked genuinely confused. “Does what happen?”
“This swooning girl thing.”
“What, you mean Chloe? She wasn’t swooning.”
“Oh, no. Not at all. She was just drooling in your coffee.”
“Ellie, you’re nuts. Or paranoid. Or maybe both.” He grinned at her. “Or maybe you’re just jealous. Hey, I kinda like that last one.”
Ellie rolled her eyes. “Good gad. Let’s just eat and get the hell out of here. I need to get back to normal now.”
But at least in that regard, the day was destined to disappoint.
The roads were slowly being plowed, but it was so cold that the slush that had been underneath was now ice, making the job more difficult. They caught a ride into town with Seth, after arranging to have Tom Granger pay a visit to the dead Nissan in the ditch later in the day.
Ellie opened the shop only two hours later than normal, but foot traffic was non-existent. Even her regulars had the sense to stay home. As Ellie went about her morning routine getting the machines up and running – for a wonder, the pipes hadn’t frozen the night before – she filled Charlie in on what she’d overheard the night before.
“What a creep. It makes you wonder what he’s got on Sierra to make her comply. Or is she in love with Josh, do you think?”
Ellie shrugged. “Maybe. She sure doted on him last evening.”
“But surely she knows about Link and Josh.”
“Maybe she thinks she can change him. Some women are like that.”
“You’re going to try to fix this, aren’t you?” Charlie’s blue eyes twinkled. “You can’t resist.”
“If you mean, I can’t stand idly by while some bastard forces a good friend to do something completely against his nature or his wishes, then yes. I’m going to try to help him.”
“Okay, then, Nancy Drew, you’re going to need the help of a good private investigator. One who knows how to do background checks on people. One who can find out where the bodies are buried.”
She gave him a flat look. “Where on earth would I find someone like that in this small, backwater town, hmm?”
“Is your laptop here or at home?”
“Here. I usually only take it home on the weekends.”
He hopped off the stool at the counter and headed down the back hall. “I’ll be in your office if you need me.”
She was relieved when she heard the door to her office close. Last night had been amazing. And terrifying. She wasn’t sure which emotion was strongest. Had Charlie been anyone else, she would have gotten on the phone and called her closest friend, Kate McCallum. But Kate was Charlie’s sister-in-law and absolutely devoted to Charlie. Kate would be thrilled that she and Charlie were together.
Her next instinct was to talk to Per. But she was reticent to do that as well. Per was fairly enamored of Charlie too. Maybe she’d talk to him at lunch.
It was then she remembered that she’d completely forgotten to call him the night before. She grabbed the phone, punched the numbers feeling angry and guilty.
“Per?”
“Good morning, Ellie. Did you sleep well?”
There was something in his voice that led her to believe he was smiling. Did he somehow know? “Per, I’m so sorry, I completely forgot to call.”
He chuckled. “Completely understandable, given what happened.”
“What do you mean, what happened?”
“Did you bump your head too? You know, the accident. Having to ride back to the inn on your favorite beast of burden?”
She let out a breath. “Ah, yes. Of course. Really, I’m so sorry.”
“Quite all right. I knew Seth would take care of you, so I didn’t even worry. I also snow-shoed over to your place last evening and brought Erik home with me, so no need to worry about that either.”
Erik. Dear Goddess, she hadn’t given him a thought. What was the matter with her? Did a good romp in the hay completely short circuit her sense of responsibility? If so, she might as well put an end to whatever it was she and Charlie had right now.
“Thank you! You are a doll, Per. How are you set for food? I don’t know if Jon-Peter is even open today – he wasn’t open when we passed his shop this morning. Main Street is a ghost town.”
“I think I still have leftovers from yesterday – not to mention a larder full of other stuff plus a stash of that cardboard kibble you feed Erik, so I don’t think we’re likely to
starve.” He gave a laugh. “You know, I’m not an invalid. I have a truck – I could climb into it and go to the store if I needed to.”
“I know. But I’d miss our lunch talks then.”
“Then come anyway. I’ll expect you at the usual time, and you can fill me in on what happened last night.”
Again her heart skipped a beat as she thought for a moment that he was referring to what had happened between her and Charlie, but of course he meant the accident. “I’ll give you chapter and verse.”
“Good. See you then.”
She hung up, then made herself a cup of tea. Thoughts of Josh, and that jerk Lincoln Fairweather spun round and round in her head, but other than beating Link to a bloody pulp and threatening to rip off certain parts of his anatomy, she had no solutions at the moment. Hopefully Charlie would find something. He was, she had to admit, awfully good at what he did.
So rather than worry about things she could do nothing about, she did the next best thing. Pulling her book out from under the counter, she spent the next couple of hours in a delightful world far, far away, where it was someone else’s responsibility to solve other people’s problems.
The old VW van started up, despite the fact that it had been sitting all night in the alley behind the shop. Or maybe because it had been sitting there, relatively sheltered from the whipping wind. It had also been plugged in all night – Earl Mough had converted it to an all-electric vehicle before giving it to Ellie the previous spring – so it had a full charge, important for running what Ellie referred to as “the blast furnace”.
She dropped Charlie off at the house before continuing down the road to Per’s place. He was hot on the trail of something and wanted the power his own, fancy lap top afforded him. It also, she suspected, contained a list of passwords to sites Charlie wasn’t technically supposed to be able to access. But the less she knew about that, the better she’d sleep at night. In the past few months, she’d encountered, mostly via phone, any number of people she never thought she’d meet, all courtesy of the mysterious Mr. McCallum. Police officers, FBI agents, and a couple of guys in black who showed up on her doorstep just before Christmas, and who didn’t disclose their employer or line of business but left her with the distinct impression that if they’d told her they’d have had to kill her.
