Chapter 8
Sam held the next Holiday Fair meeting at her house on their regular “girl get together” day. The children played, and the ladies ate Granny’s highly sought after baked goods while gossiping and catching up on town happenings. All of the ladies were there from their group with questions for their newest addition. That group was so tight. Without saying a word, they all had eyes on Megan, waiting for the juicy details of her budding relationship with their favorite firefighter.
Megan’s mind wandered to thoughts of Colton when the kittens were mentioned during conversation. Colton was on a 48-hour shift, and Ellie was the appointed kitten care taker, supervised by Sam when he was working. Ellie was Sam and Dawson’s five-year-old daughter. Being a new big sister, she retired her tomboy in a tutu getup for princess tomboy in a tutu. Her jeans and ratty shirt with Converse were still a staple, covered with a tutu, of course, but baseball caps were replaced by pretty hairdos and tiaras.
Ellie was a precocious riot, so adorable and the perfect caretaker of the kittens. Megan thought it was sweet that Colton had let Ellie not only name them, but pick which one she wanted to keep. That was just like him—kind, caring, and thoughtful.
Whiskers, Mittens, Mr. Snuggles, and Bob were well taken care of and going to be a tough group to choose from. Kitten number five wasn’t talked about as much or up for grabs. He was the runt and a total menace. He had already been claimed, based on that sole characteristic. “Flea Bag” belonged to Jessie, just as soon as he was old enough.
“Well, I love the idea of adding a Gala event to the end of the fair. How fun to dress up and bring a little elegance to McKenzie for a change!” Evie offered.
“I’m seriously not wearing a fucking dress again…especially not that kind of dress!” Jessie complained.
“Looks like you’re on babysitting duty then,” Carigan tossed on the table.
“Oh good, Jessie-girl. We can babysit together, play some drinkin’ games after the tots head to bed!” Gran returned excitedly.
“Hmmm. As much as that sounds…fun, I think I’ll pass on diaper duty, Lou. That’s worse than the dress issue,” Jessie said.
“Wait, you aren’t going Gran?” Evie asked in surprise.
“Nahhh, honey. That’s young folk stuff. Besides, it sounds a little too swanky for an old broad like me. I bet they won’t even have a good bean dip, just some of that raw fish egg stuff and fancy mystery meat on a stick,” Gran said.
“You and your bean dip,” Evie said with an eye roll.
“Sounds like we are on the right track. Great plan, Meg!” Sam interrupted. “Now, let’s get on with it…spill the beans, girl.”
“What do you mean? Spill what beans?” She asked, innocently, despite her embarrassment shading her face.
“Oh, c’mon, Priss Pants! You, Sparks, and all these dreamy smiles between the two of you?” Jessie bluntly questioned.
“Oh, Colton. Nothing much. Just friends, neighbors…nothing major.” Megan played it off, not ready to open up and bring more people into her private life than she already had.
Morgan chimed in, “Well, maybe you need to reevaluate your position, hon. You seem to be the only thing he likes to talk about down at the House.”
“Well, we do see a lot of each other, so…”
Jessie cut her off with a dramatic eye roll and bluntly called her out. “Oh, come on! Seriously, the only one close to blind here is the old woman,” she said, motioning toward Granny Lou. “Even she sees it. You aren’t fooling anyone. Own it, Princess!”
“Such a sweet boy – I’ve always loved that boy like my own. He has such a good heart. Easy on the eyes, too…I’m not as old and blind as that one would like you to think,” Granny half whispered, gesturing toward Everly.
Megan desperately wanted to tell her friends why she couldn’t be with Colton…or anyone. They were becoming more and more like family. They would understand. Knowing, however, would put them in the same danger she was tempting fate with by seeing Colton. She didn’t want to share her burdens with them. They didn’t deserve it any more than she did.
“I don’t know. I do like him, but it’s just not a good time. I mean, I have the shop, Jax, still settling in here. It’s just too much too fast,” she offered as her truth, which really was an honest response.
“Oh, honey. You’re young, your shop is lookin’ mighty fine, and Jax is welcome at Granny’s anytime you need to sneak away with that handsome boy, Colton. You are young. You only live once. Chase that sexy boy around a few laps, if ya know what I mean!” Granny said with a wicked grin and obnoxious whistle.
She sat and thought for a moment, giggling at Granny’s antics. Lou was right. She really had nothing to lose, but Colton did. She would need to be very careful. He was too special to gamble with.
“Well…I do like him. A lot! He is so sweet and thoughtful. Great with Jax. He’s like one of those characters right out of one of those fairy tale, happily ever after, sexy books. Oh, and the animals! I didn’t think they made men like that,” she recited.
“What, like Dr. Doolittle?” Jessie snorted.
“No, not like Dr. Doolittle!” she defended with a laugh. “It’s sweet. They all have a special story…he’s
special.”
“Sounds like you’re already half-way dating, Meg. You don’t talk about someone like that if you aren’t
interested in him,” Evie offered.
“Yeah, go for it honey. What do you have to lose?” Carigan said, jumping on the Colton bandwagon.
If only she knew. If only they all knew. She had been in McKenzie Ridge for months now and felt safe. Nothing had happened, and she wasn’t willing to add the “yet” to the end of that thought. Maybe there was room to explore Colton Sparks.
Sam decided to be the voice of reason on this one and offered her two cents, “Honey, he has waited his whole life for what he wants. He’ll wait for you if you need more time.”
She smiled at her friends and said, “Maybe. Now, let’s get back to planning this shindig!”
Excitement over the added formal event to the Holiday Fair line up was overshadowed by the flooding thoughts of Colton. Feeling more relaxed in her circumstances, compliments of her friends, the idea of pursuing him seemed more realistic. She would be just as careful as she already had been and not take unnecessary risks. It was as much for his sake as her own.
A subtle knocking sound caught her attention on the drive home. It escalated to a loud thump as her car began to shake, getting harder to control. She pulled to the shoulder of the old back country road and searched for her phone. Stepping out of the vehicle, she noticed the source of her delay—a flat tire.
She wandered around the car, circling it several times, holding her phone in the air, searching for a signal. She had no idea how to change a tire and couldn’t even look up a “how to” video without a phone signal for internet. Deciding which was closer, town or home, she went to pull Jax from the vehicle and head one direction or the other when Blake and Morgan pulled up, parking behind her.
“Need some help?” Blake asked, stepping out of the police car.
“Yes! Perfect timing! My phone doesn’t work out here for some reason.”
Blake held up his phone, had a clear signal, noting Morgan doing the same. Her surprised and slightly bewildered look suggested that she found the same.
“How can I help? Need me to change it?” He asked.
“Would you? Free coffee and Danish for a month if you do!” She offered in exchange for help. “I was going to call Colton, but…” She held up her phone, showing her excuse.
“I would do it for free, but since you offered, I’ll be in for that coffee and Danish. Fritters from Baker’s are our usual, but my arm can be twisted for your strawberry cream cheese Danish,” he said with a smile.
“Which means we will still get fritters from Baker’s, and he’ll eat a Danish, too,” Morgan joked, leading Blake to nod in agreement.
Megan laughed, enjoying their banter. “I’ll be sure to set one aside for you each morning.”
Meg caught Morgan up on the discussions and decisions made at the Holiday Fair meeting while playing with Jax. Like the others, Morgan was looking forward to the formal event that was scheduled to follow the week-long festivities. The annual event was about to step it up a notch with a little Megan flare.
Blake had helped himself to Meg’s keys and then the trunk in search of the tools needed to change her tire. There was a small suitcase stashed in the far back of the trunk that struck him as odd. He was ready to ask her if she was taking a last-minute trip and where she was going when he noticed another bag…a bag of money.
It wasn’t a small stash, easily explained as a bank deposit from Blooming Grounds, unless she had been collecting it for months. No, this was a large sum, enough to live off of for several months. An amount one would need to disappear in a hurry.
The uneasy feeling that had drifted in and out the past several weeks returned and settled deep in his gut. Her subtle paranoia and anxiousness, the behavior the night of the accident in front of her shop—it was all adding up. What was she running from…or who? A young woman with a toddler in tow and a trunk full of supplies and cash had red flags flying everywhere. He really didn’t know enough about Megan to draw a conclusion one way or the other. The only thing he knew for certain was that if he said anything, she would be gone before he could finish his sentence.
He didn’t want to spook her, but he couldn’t help her if he didn’t know what was going on. He stopped to look around the area, taking in anything out of the ordinary, making a note to look into her background. Megan had a secret. Even if she didn’t want his help, she had the interest of one of his best friends, and it was his duty to keep them all safe.
He went back to changing her tire, as though nothing was out of the ordinary. It wasn’t lost on him that she had a watchful eye on him while talking to Morgan. When he placed the spare next to the car, an obvious wave of relief washed over her. She relaxed as if sliding under the radar with her hand in the cookie jar. If she didn’t have his attention before, she certainly did now, and he had a winning poker face.
He finished quickly, loading her bad tire in the trunk while telling her who to go see in town about a new tire. They each said their goodbyes while Blake reminded her of their Danish deal, and they went their separate ways.
As they drove off, Blake asked Morgan, “What do you know about Megan?”
“I don’t know. Not a lot I guess. She’s from the east coast, lost her sister a year or so ago, ended up with Jax, came to McKenzie for a fresh start. She clearly lived a little higher on the hog than McKenzie has to offer, hence all of Jessie’s nicknames for her, but she seems to fit in well. Is there something wrong?” Morgan asked, knowing Blake only inquired when there was reason to inquire.
“No, just curious. She seems like a real nice girl. Sparks has it pretty bad for her,” he laughed.
The suitcase and cash in the trunk was for a quick getaway. Was she an abuse survivor or something else? He read people well, too
well. It haunted him at times, in fact. He didn’t feel that she was a threat, but he couldn’t always be right.
He felt it deep down. Trouble was brewing, but who was he protecting, and what was he protecting them from? The last time this happened on his watch, someone had died, and their blood was on his hands. It was time to have eyes everywhere, make some phone calls, protect his town and especially his people.