Page 56 of Unlikely to Stay
Chapter 14
Brant was running late for the first time working in Parker.He had completely slept through his alarm, which was totally unlike him.Ever since his date with Colleen, he had been getting the best sleep of his life.Patty had called him to ask if he was sick and if he needed any orange juice or saltine crackers.When he told her he had just slept in and would be at the clinic in half an hour, she asked if he wanted her to reschedule his nine and nine-thirty appointments.When she told him the appointments were with Madge Perkins and June Adams, he quickly agreed they needed to be rescheduled, preferably when hell froze over.Patty had laughed and told him she’d ask if they could come in later in the week.
Even though he was already late, he couldn’t function without some sustenance and fuel by way of a cup of Sadie’s coffee.It wouldn’t take long to swing by.He passed the café on the way to the clinic, anyway.He was such a regular she probably had his coffee and bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit waiting on him.
Taking the quickest shower of his life, Brant got dressed and hauled ass to his Honda parked in the driveway of the tiny bungalow he rented from Max Wilson, the owner of Nailed It, the hardware store in town.Max’s mother had passed away the year Brant moved to town and he had rented her house to Brant for practically nothing.Granted, the walls were still dark oak paneling, the kitchen hadn’t seen an update since the sixties, and the water pressure sucked, but he was only paying three hundred bucks a month.For that price, he really couldn’t complain.
He backed out of his driveway and was parked in front of Sadie’s within minutes.That was something he didnotmiss about the city…the traffic was awful.He had grown quite spoiled he could get anywhere in Parker in five minutes or less.During the summer and when it warmed up in the spring, Brant had even gotten his ten speed out of the storage shed in the backyard and ridden to work, taking a change of clothes in his backpack.
The bell above Sadie’s door jingled a welcome.That was one thing he first noticed about the town.Almost every shop had a bell above the door welcoming guests who entered.Either that or warned the owners to be prepared at who was walking through their doors.He hadn’t figured that one out yet.Maybe it was a combination of both.
“I was beginning to wonder if you were coming,” Sadie said from behind the cash register sitting on the long counter at the front of the café.“Sleep in?”
Brant smiled sheepishly.“I slept through my alarm.I never do that.”
“Well, if you ask me, you deserve a little sleeping in every now and then for putting up with all the crazies in this town.”
“They’re not that bad.”
Brant could see Sadie’s raised eyebrow over her cat eyeglasses.“Oh, honey.Please.”
“How about no comment?”
“I can read between the lines on that one.”Sadie handed him a white paper bag and a large cup of steaming coffee.“Two sugars like you like it.I even kept the biscuit warm under the heat lamp.Don’t want anyone to think I serve cold food.”
Brant placed a five dollar bill on the counter.“Thanks, Sade.You’re a peach.”
“You always give me too much money, Brant Billings,” she called to his retreating back.
“Think of it as a tip for putting up with the you-know-whos of this town.I sleep in…you get a good tip.”
“With the tips you give me I’ll be able to build a new café in a year!”
“When that happens, I’ll give you exact change from then on.”
Sadie laughed.“Don’t think I won’t remember you said that.”
“Trust me, she rememberseverything,” Sadie’s husband, Clyde, called from his perch on a stool at the counter.“Don’t tell her anything you don’t want coming back to bite ya in the ass.”
“It sounds like you’re speaking from experience, Clyde.”
“More times than I can count.”
Brant chuckled and walked out the door, its bell jingling his retreat.Since he had parked between the café and the clinic, he decided to take advantage of the warm spring weather and walk to his job.What was another few minutes?Plus, if he were being honest with himself, part of the reason he wanted to walk is because he’d pass right by Colleen’s shop.
He quickened his footsteps but his smile turned into a frown when he saw the lights in her shop were off.He had forgotten she was closed on Sundays and Mondays.As soon as the frown formed on his face, it quickly turned back into a smile.Colleen was getting out of a blue International pickup truck that was backed into a parking space in front of what was going to be the town’s future gym.In the back of the truck was a ton of wooden slats, paint and supplies, a large toolbox, and a plethora of electric tools.
Making sure he was within her eyesight, he asked, “Whatcha doing, Freckles?”
She wiped a stray strand of hair out of her face that had come undone from the bun on top of her head.“I decided since I’m out of commission cutting hair for a couple of days I would take advantage of the time off and get started on the gym.”
“Are you doing it all by yourself?”
She shrugged her shoulders.“Wyatt was supposed to help me but he’s building pens for some more animals they’re getting at Sophie’s Haven and there are a ton of school field trips in May.He said he could help me beginning in June, but I don’t want to wait that long.Breckin’s dad helped me redo my shop back when I remodeled it.I figured I saw what he was doing enough that I could start the small projects on my own.I just ran out to Annie and Wyatt’s house, switched my car for his truck, got all his tools, and grabbed some stuff at Nailed It to start.This should keep me busy until Wyatt is able to help me.”
“Why don’t I help you?”The words flew out of Brant’s mouth as if they had a mind of their own.
“You know how to do stuff like this?”