“Sounds good,” Josh said. “I have some paperwork for the ATV trails, too. They need reading by somebody a little more fluent in legalese.”
One of their plans for getting the lodge back on its feet was to connect Whitford to the ATV trail system in the next town over. Not only would businesses like the diner benefit, but the lodge could possibly see more off-season business than the occasional hiker or passer-through. If they got the four-wheelers in the spring, summer and fall and got the sledders coming back in higher numbers in the winter, they could double the income. Whether they kept the lodge or ended up selling it, doubling the income wouldn’t hurt.
“Right after you boys are done cleaning the kitchen,” Rosie added.
Ryan groaned and shoved his phone in his pocket so he could carry dirty dishes. Sometimes it sucked being home.
*
Lauren was out of words. Because Nick wasn’t talking, any conversations they’d had since she’d gotten the phone call from Drew were more like one-sided lectures on her part. And she’d said everything she could think of to say.
She knew he was sorry. And she knew Ryan catching him and calling Drew had scared the crap out of him. But she still couldn’t figure out why he’d done it in the first place. Acting out, obviously, but why?
Sick of hearing “I dunno,” she’d let him go to his room to sulk, minus his iPod, which was zipped securely in her purse. If he wanted to stare at his ceiling, he could think while he did it, not listen to his music.
She’d thawed chicken breasts for dinner, but she didn’t really have time to cook them and she wasn’t in the mood for soup. Grabbing her purse, she knocked on Nick’s door. “I’m going to the market. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” At least he hadn’t said “whatever.”
The Whitford General Store & Service Station was still open, thankfully. Fran Benoit ran the grocery half of the business, while her husband ran the gas station and garage. They’d cornered the market on food and gas in town, but were smart enough to take advantage of that by putting the screws to the community.
Fran was sitting behind the counter, knitting what looked like a sweater for Butch, when Lauren walked in. Her gray hair was in its customary braid and she was wearing a blue flannel shirt that had seen better days. “You cut it close, honey. Ten more minutes and I’d have been gone.”
“I just need to grab a couple of things. I was going to bake chicken breasts for dinner, but I got held up and it’s too late.”
She grabbed a package of hot dogs, then a box of macaroni-and-cheese because she couldn’t remember if she had any in the cupboard. Not the most nutritious of dinners, but it was enough to fulfill her maternal obligations and that was about all her son deserved at the moment.
Grabbing a candy bar on the way, she walked to the register. She’d eat the chocolate on the way home, because she wasn’t sharing.
“You look a little stressed,” Fran observed.
Because it was Fran, Lauren told her the entire story. “So now Nick has to work over there three days a week after school until Ryan feels he’s paid off the damages he caused.”
“Kids get crazy ideas in their heads sometimes. He wasn’t with Cody, was he?”
“No, he was alone. If he hadn’t been, I could have blamed Cody, so maybe it’s for the best. This way I can’t deny my kid’s heading toward a life of crime.”
Fran laughed at her exaggeration. “Nick’s a good boy and you know it. Maybe he’s bored or maybe there’s something bothering him, but sweating it out at the Northern Star won’t hurt him any. Might even do him some good.”
“Plus, Rose will be making him do his homework first so his grades are bound to go up.”
“That they will, because she doesn’t put up with any crap. And being around Josh and Ryan will be good for Nick, too. Not that Dean’s not a decent guy, but the Kowalskis have a work ethic he could learn something from.”
Lauren didn’t even want to think about Dean. It could be really tiresome, sharing a child with somebody you really didn’t like all that much anymore.
“It’s probably a good thing Ryan caught him now,” Fran said as she rang up the purchases. “Not only because he might have ended up costing so much money that his doing some odd jobs couldn’t make up for it, but because Paige seems pretty determined to get married there in a couple of weeks. The guys already have their hands full making sure the old lodge is spiffed up for that.”
“I heard he brought a couple of guys that work for him. And he’s got Andy there, plus Josh. His leg’s doing pretty good, so there’s quite a crew. Plus Nick, I guess.”