by Jen Peters
Because it wasn’t any fun facing consequences.
Chapter 6
Raine left the coffee shop, and with nothing to do until her shift started in a few hours, she paused in front of Trailhead Bikes.
The window display was pretty mundane—a shiny new bike next to a mannequin wearing what she was sure was the latest trail gear, complete with gloves and a helmet. Nice if you were already into that, but not dynamic enough to draw newcomers in.
She wondered what a bike like that would cost. And, from the conversations in the cafe, who in town could afford one.
She’d spent a little too long dawdling, though. The guy who might be Robin’s boyfriend stepped out and smiled. “Can I answer any questions? Would you like to come in?”
Close up, she couldn’t help but notice his sparkling, ice-blue eyes and a bumpy nose that showed he’d had an accident or two. Down, girl, she scolded herself. He was taken.
“Hmm? Oh, no, I’m just looking.”
“I’m Brandt Walker. I’ve seen you around.”
Wasn’t Robin’s guy named Cliff? And she’d heard he was a cowboy, not a cyclist, so maybe there were possibilities here after all. Except she wasn’t supposed to be thinking that way. “I’ve only been back in town a few days. But I work at Sam’s, and I think I’ve checked you out. I mean…” The flush rose quickly up her face.
His eyes sparkled. “You’ve been checking me out, huh?”
“No, I mean, just your groceries.”
“My groceries, huh?” He grinned, obviously enjoying himself.
She stayed silent. Flirting was fun, but…no.
“Sorry,” he finally said. “I just couldn’t resist the set-up line. So anyway, you’re back in town? You lived here before?”
He really did have a nice smile. “I grew up here. Went to Seattle and became an event planner.” What was she doing? She stiffened her resolve to keep things impersonal. “Your shop is new. Is it going well?”
He fidgeted. “Well enough for the first year, I suppose. It takes time.”
“This is a great area for outdoor stuff, but I’m not sure your clientele is here.”
“I’m a pretty determined guy, though. In many ways.”
There were so many things Raine could say to that. She steeled herself again. “I’ve got to go. Nice talking to you.”
His jaw dropped, and she walked away. It looked like he wasn’t used to being shut out so easily. And as much as she was determined not to get tangled in a relationship for a while, it was fun to know she still had what it took.
The flirty feeling left as Raine prepared for another long, boring day at work. People weren’t coming in to stare at her anymore, which was a huge relief, but there wasn’t enough to keep her mind occupied.
She clocked in and wiped the register area down—the morning cashiers were obviously not picky enough—while her thoughts rambled.
If she were going to redeem herself, she needed to not only show Robin and Ree that she had changed, but other people as well. And if this last week was anything to go by, that was the whole town. But until she figured out how…
Raine smiled automatically when Nora Cooper pushed her full cart up. “Mrs. Cooper, how are you?”
The woman gave only a slight smile back—definitely not the chatty, motherly figure Raine remembered her being. But then again, she was Robin’s mom, and she would have seen the worst of Robin’s heartache. Once again, Raine wished she could go back and change things in the past.
Raine rang up the groceries with Mrs. Cooper staring at her the whole time. Not the ‘make sure you ring it up right’ type of stare, and oddly enough, not an accusing stare. More like she was puzzled.
The older woman never questioned or accused, though, never spoke at all except to say a quiet thank you when Raine wished her a nice day.
Raine spent a long time with her regrets and shame, polishing the counter and chrome until she felt like she’d rubbed the chrome off.
Eventually her feelings eased, and her mind turned toward other things. Possibilities, projects, plans that would help the store and give her something to focus on. “Hey, Sam, can I talk to you? I’ve had some ideas running through my head.”
“Sure, what’s up?” Sam said, bringing new magazines to put out.
“Well, I don’t know if you noticed or not, but I moved a few things last week.”
Sam nodded. “Yup. The steak sauce next to the meat was brilliant.”
Raine gave an inward sigh of relief but reminded herself to keep her professional face on. “You know I was an event planner in Seattle, right?”
He nodded again, a little warily this time.
“I know we can’t compete with prices at the big stores in Eugene and Springfield, but I wonder if we could bring people in more often, for more of their big grocery shopping.”
He raised his eyebrows.
“People usually go down the mountain on weekends, right? What if we could do some events that would bring them into the store instead? Something they’d stay in town for, and hopefully do some of that shopping here?”
“I’m listening.”
“Well, these are just starter ideas, but something like face painting for the kids or a taste-testing table for different sodas. Or someone grilling hot dogs outside—customers could eat lunch and then shop.”
She waited while Sam stared off into the distance. He finally looked back at her. “I don’t know if things like that would increase our sales or not, but it can’t hurt to try,” he said. “Write me up some specifics, and we’ll see.”
* * *
The couple of days of sunshine had turned overcast by Friday. Brandt puttered through the morning at the shop, then turned it over to Rudy at noon and started work on the website. Which had reinforced the dreariness.
Forcing words into essays of how to choose a bike, the importance of safety, staying hydrated on rides, choosing a trail at your level—he was following Robin’s advice, but he felt like he was back in high school English.
All he could do was put down the important stuff and hope he could get some help like he had back then. He sighed. The biggest frustration was having an instant replay of a ride in his head and not being able to get it into words. He forced himself to concentrate.
And then his pager went off.
Brandt leapt from his chair and took off running. McCormick’s Creek only had a volunteer firefighter crew, which had welcomed him warmly in the spring. They’d been called out for one garage fire, two dinner disasters, and one park pavilion so far. He wondered briefly which this would be, hoping it wasn’t someone’s whole house.
He rounded the corner and didn’t have to ask—the back of the hardware store was smoking fiercely, and Justin was already pulling up in the fire engine.
He ran the two blocks to the fire station and slowed down enough to pull his turnout gear over his clothes. By the time Brandt reached the store, the smoke had turned to flames, and Javi motioned for him to join on the fire hose.
They approached the alley door, spraying low into the fire. Back and forth, containing the huge water force with effort, but calming the flames as they entered the building.
Brandt could see another stream of water coming from the front—Justin and Lizzie must have entered from the sidewalk with a second hose. Smoke poured through the roof, but no fire.
The flames were heaviest in Mac’s back office. Between the two hoses, they doused the fire quickly, soaking the ashes and any possible hidden embers. Javi radioed to the chief that the fire had been extinguished.
Brandt pulled his SCBA off, grateful to breathe fresh air and hear clearly again. Javi was doing the same.
“It didn’t look like it reached the front of the store,” Javi said.
“Mac’ll still have to close for a while. Going to be hard on him.” Brandt disconnected the hose from the hydrant, and they started hauling it back to the engine. The adrenaline began to slow in his body, but it sure wasn’t a dreary day a
nymore.
Justin and Lizzie coiled their own hose, and as soon as it was stowed, Cat came running to Justin, leaping into his arms.
Brandt shook his head. Lovers. He’d never gotten so silly in love with his girlfriends—even in the middle of a relationship, he’d known how shallow they were. He’d probably be a bachelor until he was forty.
* * *
Brandt glanced up from checking the truck—quite the crowd had appeared. Shauna, his favorite barista from the cafe, hugged poor Mac. He saw Robin and Nora Cooper and Lian Cheng, all out from their restaurants. Lian’s father was probably still inside cooking. Actually, there were quite a few people he recognized, proof that he was settling in to town.
He saw the woman from Sam’s IGA, the one who had stopped by the shop and shut down the flirting faster than he ever thought possible. Still dressed in designer clothes, still with perfect hair, even while watching a building fire. Did she actually wear those heels to work?
It didn’t matter—he didn’t even know her name. He shook his head as the police chief came to talk to Javi.
“We’ll get an investigator up from Eugene tomorrow,” the chief said, checking his watch. “Will you be all right for your patrol tonight? I can have Carson come in if we need to.”
“I’ll be fine, Chief. This was minor. But…you think it might be arson?”
The chief shrugged. “Could be. Could be electrical, or maybe Mac just left his hot plate on. Can’t rule anything out yet.”
The police chief moved on. Javi and Brandt gazed at the blackened back of the building. “I wonder what Mac will do,” Javi said.
Brandt had no idea, only a sense of fragility. Even when a business was established, you never knew when things would go south. He hoped Mac had good insurance.
Javi waved as he stowed his gear in the truck. “Nothing like a busy day, right?”
Tired and needing yet another shower, Brandt finally arrived home and collapsed on the sofa instead. One more advantage to living alone. Still, he wondered what it would have been like to have someone waiting for him.
Chapter 7
“Thanks for coming, everyone,” Brandt said Sunday evening, standing at the back of his shop and looking at the ten people who had gathered. Javi still wore his police uniform—he must have come straight from patrol. Justin Cooper was there, although Brandt had never seen him on a bike. Mick and a couple more from the volunteer fire crew lounged in the chairs he had put out. A guy had driven up from Springfield and broke off his conversation with Mitchell Blake.
Brandt didn’t know much about Mitch, just that he was a lawyer who had turned into a benefactor for the town, but if he wanted in, that was fine. They could use anyone with enthusiasm and some time and muscles.
“I guess maybe we should start by finding out everyone’s experience. Who rides trails already?”
Javi, Lizzie, and Tadd raised their hands.
“Good. Who has at least tried it?”
One of the fire crew and a girl he didn’t know.
“And who has never been on a mountain bike before?”
He grinned as Justin, Mitch, and the rest slowly raised their hands. “No worries—we’ve all been clueless before,” Brandt said.
“Hey, I resemble that remark,” Mick shouted, then fake-winced as Javi slapped him on the back.
“So we’ve got all levels of riders. Has anyone ever helped build a trail?”
Javi shrugged. “Me, but you know that.”
Tadd, the guy from Springfield, lifted his hand. “I’ve helped on maintenance, but never building.”
Dead silence from the rest.
Brandt nodded. “So, with all that in mind, what do you hope for in a club?”
Some wanted to learn to ride and have people to ride with. A couple liked the idea of building something for the town. Most just wanted to have fun.
“There’s nothing more exhilarating than charging down a mountainside, but the other side of it can be a lot of work, too,” Brandt said. “Trails need maintenance, like Tadd said. Clearing debris, draining low spots, smoothing out berms. That’s ongoing, and some clubs have monthly or quarterly activities for it.”
Heads nodded—no one worried about that.
“But we’d also like to grow the sport as well as have an awesome place to ride in our backyard, so Javi and I have been working on a new trail. For those who haven’t heard, I’m hoping to hold an event next year—a rally, not a race—that will pull people from all over the state. Maybe the whole Northwest eventually.”
“You can build a trail with just two people?” Mick said, looking between Javi and Brandt.
Brandt chuckled. “We’ve been trying, but it’s taking f-o-r-e-v-e-r. Which is why we finally got smart and decided a club would be a good thing!”
“Don’t you need permission?” someone else asked.
“The Forest Service allows us to build more trails within a certain area. We only need additional approval if we want to put in new trailheads.”
They talked about weather, tasks, and equipment, then talked about schedules when Javi or Brandt were available to lead them if the weather was good.
Afterward, Brandt talked to the newbies about bikes and equipment, what should be new and what might be available used. The evening finally settled down to Javi, Mitch, Mick and Brandt.
“Somehow mountain biking was never on my radar in Portland,” Mitch said. “Maybe because it takes a big chunk of time at once.”
“Workaholic, huh?” Brandt said.
Mitch nodded. “Got pretty bad, really, and I wasn’t thrilled with what I was doing. Now, though…life is good, and biking sounds great. Are you around in the morning for me to come in and talk bikes?”
Brandt nodded and kept a smooth face, but it wasn’t easy. Mitch had money, and he probably wasn’t after an entry-level bike. He wouldn’t take advantage of the guy or anything, but it would be good for his bottom line this month.
“Nice for you,” Mick commented, fingering a price tag. “I’m going to have to save for a bit. But I like the idea of working on the trail.”
“Need some more bulk on that muscle-bound body of yours?” Javi teased.
Mick flexed his arm, and his biceps bulged. “My hot body draws lots of hot girls.”
Brandt nearly spewed his beer. “Yeah, right. Like I see you hanging with babes all the time.”
“Hey, I can’t help it if this town doesn’t have much to offer.”
Javi smiled slightly. “It all depends on what you’re looking for.”
Mitch raised his eyebrows. “Is our favorite policeman making a declaration?”
Javi blushed through his brown skin. “No, just…no.”
Brandt looked at his friend—Javi must have his eye on someone.
“Actually,” Mitch said, “if I weren’t already in love with the most beautiful woman in town, I might take a closer look at Raine DiMarco. She seems pretty put together.”
Brandt hooted. “She’s a bunch of spit-and-polish fluff who left a career to come home and work at the grocery store. She wears the fanciest clothes to work that I’ve ever seen a cashier in.”
“No, I think there’s more to her than meets the eye,” Mitch said.
Javi and Mick exchanged looks. “She’s got a past here,” Mick finally said. “And there’s a lot of folks who wouldn’t welcome her back. Your sweetheart, for one.”
Mitch raised his eyebrows. “Ree? What’s she got to do with it?”
“Ree and Robin and Raine used to be thick as thieves,” Javi said. “Called themselves ‘the three Rs’ all through school.”
Mick picked up the story. “Then Raine joined up with the mean girls in their senior year. They made Robin’s life miserable. Ree and Justin were about the only thing holding that girl together. And those dogs of hers.”
Mitch looked troubled. “Ree hasn’t said anything about that. I wonder if she knows Raine is back.”
Mick hooted this time. “Oh, Ree knows, all righ
t. I saw her storming out of the IGA, and Raine didn’t look too good back inside.”
Brandt wasn’t surprised. Raine hadn’t given off any nasty vibes when he’d seen her, but she definitely seemed the type of person to fit in with that social group.
* * *
“Go directly to jail. Do not pass Go.” Tyler cheered and Raine groaned. It was just her luck to have a six-year-old cousin who could play real Monopoly instead of the junior version. And who, unlike Raine, had the luck to land on the right properties and to pull the right cards.
She moved her marker from Boardwalk, where she’d landed after her second set of doubles, and settled it firmly in jail.
Tori rolled, and Tyler demanded $360 in rent, which Tori gave him in small bills.
“Thanks, Mom!” He laughed and rolled the dice.
Tori gave Raine a commiserating glance. “I don’t remember losing this badly when I babysat you.”
“Kids are smarter these days—it’s all the technology they get to use.”
“Right. And we had to walk uphill both ways to school?” Tori laughed.
Raine went bankrupt first and spent the rest of the game sketching her nephew. She handed the drawing to him with a hug before he went up to bed. By the time Tori came back down, Raine was ready for some grown-up talk.
“Sorry,” Tori said. “Jim will be calling tonight so I’ll be in my room. Feel free to take over the TV.” Her boyfriend was working in Kuwait, the first serious relationship since her divorce four years before, so Raine didn’t begrudge her the time.
She was anxious for some company herself, though, but she really didn’t have anybody to hang out with. Sure, there were people who were pleasant toward her, and people she worked with, but no girlfriends. Especially no one her own age.