He must be freezing.
She knocked on the window and the man began to rouse himself. It was only then that she realized it was the man from earlier, the one she’d spilled the coffee on.
He opened his eyes and rubbed them. He seemed confused about where he was.
“Are you all right?” she said.
“Oh, God, where am I?” he said.
He looked into Elle’s eyes and again she felt transfixed by his gaze, as she had the first time he’d looked at her.
“You’re asleep in your truck.”
“Oh, man, I’m sorry,” he said. “This is really terrible. I drove through the night last night, and all day. I must have nodded off.”
“It’ll drop well below freezing tonight,” she said.
“I know it, miss. I’m grateful to you for waking me up. This really isn’t like me.”
“Are you all right?”
He took a moment to answer. “You know what? I could say I’m fine, but I already feel foolish. First, I made you spill coffee on me. Now I’m asleep in your parking lot. I know this doesn’t seem normal.”
“It’s a bit weird,” Elle said, “but I don’t mind. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’ve got a lot on my mind. I’ll have to find somewhere to stay.”
“There’s a motel on the way into town.”
“I remember that,” he said. “I’m sure they’ll have vacancies.”
“I hope so,” Elle said. “I’m not sure there’s any place else you could stay.”
“There’s the hotel,” he said, looking down toward the gated entrance to the luxury ski resort at the end of the street. The flames of its lamps glowed in the darkness. They gave the whole town a sort of old world, European feel.
“I hear that place is pretty expensive,” Elle said.
The man nodded. “Can I ask you one more thing?” he said.
Elle looked at him. For a second she allowed herself to imagine he was going to ask if he could come back to her place and stay with her. It was just a fantasy, a brief one, but she pictured herself sitting in front of her fire, this man’s strong arms wrapped around her protectively.
“Do you know where the funeral home is?”
She blinked. “The funeral home?”
He nodded.
Suddenly, it all started to make sense to her. He wasn’t a freak. He was grieving. He’d just found out someone had died. That’s why he’d returned to his hometown.
“I’m sorry,” she stuttered. “I’m new here.”
“It’s okay,” he said, and turned the ignition on the truck. “Thanks for your time, and sorry for weirding you out today. I’m not usually like this.”
He pulled out of the lot and drove off slowly up the street. She was surprised to see that he was headed for the luxury hotel. She watched his taillights as they receded into the darkness. His truck would look strangely out of place in the courtyard in front of the hotel with all the luxury vehicles. She supposed a guy like him was used to looking out of place.
Chapter 9
Elle
WHEN ELLE GOT HOME, KELLY was waiting for her in the little stairway that led up to the apartment.
“What is it?” Elle said, worried that something had happened.
“I realized I hadn’t taken you out for a celebratory drink,” Kelly said.
“A drink?”
“Come on. Just a quick one. The bar’s right around the corner. After a shift like the one you just pulled, you deserve a nice cold beer.”
Elle smiled. It was true. If anyone deserved a drink, they did.
“Isn’t it kind of late?” Elle said.
Kelly scoffed. “We can handle it, can’t we? Besides, Gracie’s babysitting for me tonight.”
“You have a kid?” Elle said, surprised that she hadn’t guessed it. She was usually able to detect when a woman was a mother, even if she didn’t mention it.
“Almost,” Kelly said. “I’m a big sister. I look after my kid brother, Lucas. He’s eleven. Our parents died a few years back, and well, I’ve been looking out for him ever since.”
“By yourself?” Elle said, reappraising her new friend.
“Almost,” Kelly said. “If it hadn’t been for Gracie helping us out, I don’t know what would have happened.”
Elle reached out and patted Kelly on the back. She meant it as a sign of respect. For some reason, she’d assumed Kelly was just another happy-go-lucky girl, she certainly seemed that way. But hearing that she’d lost her parents at a young age and was raising her little brother gave her a heightened level of respect for her new friend.
A few minutes later they were sitting on large, leather upholstered stools by a beautiful oak bar. They were in the town’s most popular bar. It was a quiet night but the place still had a nice atmosphere, Elle thought. A big fire roared in the fireplace, warming up the place. A few customers were scattered around, drinking beers and talking among themselves.
“What can I get you, Kelly?” the bartender said.