Chapter 2 #2
“You are,” Simon insisted, as if he could tell she was about to protest. “I think what I like about you most, besides your long eyelashes and those eyes I could drown in, is your kindness. It doesn’t matter what someone’s situation is, you treat everyone who comes into the food pantry like long-lost friends.
As if they’re the most important person in the world at that moment.
It makes a difference. You make a difference. ”
Atlee wanted to cry. She tried really hard to do just that—make a difference.
When she’d gotten divorced, she’d felt so useless.
Worthless. And she’d struggled to raise her daughter.
Without the food pantry in Roanoke, she never would’ve made it.
So when she moved to Fallport—she and Renee had gone to a pickle festival there one summer, and Atlee had fallen in love with the quaint town—she’d wanted to do for others what had been done for her.
Help the less fortunate have fresh, healthy food on their tables.
“Thank you,” she managed to squeak out.
Simon squeezed her hand then let go. Atlee reluctantly pulled it back to her side of the car.
“So…what are all these bells and whistles for in here?” she asked, desperate for something to talk about that didn’t include blurting out how badly she wanted Simon to kiss her.
The next several hours went by surprisingly quickly.
After Simon explained what everything in the unmarked police car was for, they talked about Fallport, Bigfoot, the influx of tourists the town had seen recently, her daughter…
about anything and everything. And Atlee couldn’t remember a better conversation.
She’d gotten used to sitting alone at night, talking to herself, and she supposed Simon was the same way since he was single.
She was warm, safe, and talking to the man she’d wanted to get to know since she’d first met him a few years ago.
And he exceeded all her expectations when it came to a potential suitor.
He didn’t dominate the conversation, didn’t talk only about himself or his own interests the whole time.
He asked her questions, seemed as if really listened, as if he truly wanted to get to know her. It felt…nice.
“Can I ask you something, Atlee?” Simon said.
“Of course.”
“When we get back to Fallport…would you maybe… Would you want to go out to dinner with me?”
Her heart skipped a beat. “Yes!” Atlee supposed her answer was probably too quick and eager to resemble anything close to cool, but she didn’t care.
“Great.”
They stared at each for a moment. The sun had long since gone down, the snow still swirling all around them. It felt as if they were in a warm bubble that was all their own.
He leaned forward a little…or maybe she was imagining it?
No, she wasn’t. He was leaning toward her for sure.
Atlee moved without thought, closing the distance between them. Simon’s hand came up, and he rested his fingers lightly on her cheek as his lips touched hers.
It was a sweet kiss. A kiss full of promise.
He pulled back almost immediately, and the small, satisfied smile on his lips was enough to make Atlee want to giggle like a little girl. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
“I’ve wanted to do that for so long, you have no idea.”
“Oh, I think I do,” Atlee told him shyly.
This was gonna be so easy! Marley couldn’t believe his luck.
The accident on the interstate a few miles up the road had backed up cars practically to his backyard.
All he’d had to do was walk through the woods behind his trailer park and he was there.
He could see plenty of the vehicles looked abandoned, the occupants obviously having walked away before the snow got too deep. Leaving who knows what inside the cars.
Free for the pickin’!
And Marley was really good at getting into cars…locked or not.
He’d waited at home until it was dark before making the trek.
Now it was nearly one in the morning, still snowing pretty good, and he was ready to help himself to whatever he could find.
Maybe he’d get lucky and find some guns.
Or money. This time of year, people probably had more cash than normal, out shopping for the holidays and shit. At least he hoped so.
The snow and cold didn’t bother him, not at all. Especially not when the reward would hopefully be worth a little snow in his boots.
Smirking, Marley hunkered in the trees at the side of the interstate, scoping out his first mark. There were lights in some of the cars, but there were three right in a row that were black inside. That didn’t mean they were empty, but that’s where he’d start.
Creeping forward, he got to the first SUV.
It was empty, as he’d thought. And luck was with him because the door was unlocked.
He quickly slid into the vehicle and slammed the door behind him before rummaging through the glove box.
No guns, but he did find a hundred dollar bill someone had put in there, probably for emergencies.
Well, this was an emergency…for his pocket.
Snickering, Marley leaned over the front seat and rummaged through some bags left in the back floorboards. He didn’t find anything else of value to him, nor did he bother to try to hide the fact that someone had been in the vehicle. Time to move on to the next one.
The hundred bucks in his pocket gave him the confidence to keep going. This was a good idea. The best! He’d already hit it big with that hundred. Would return home a lot richer than when he’d left.
His adrenaline spiking, Marley went back out into the storm and continued down the row of stranded vehicles. If he found a gun, maybe he could use it to force the people still in their cars to give him all their money. It was potentially dangerous, but definitely a lot more lucrative.
Smiling, Marley fixed his sights on his next target. A dark VW bug.