CHAPTER 11
Aiden
All right, that was actually fun.
I’ll never admit it aloud to another living soul, of course, but it was.
It was a good release for my anger, the screaming and flooring it and getting shit on all over by Mother Nature herself.
And I was pissed.
Not just about the coffee, which smelled otherworldly as soon as I opened my car door to the parking area. Not about the truck or my clothes.
Or even this town.
A ten dollar entry fee? What is wrong with these people? They printed hundreds of posters about this thing and then barely charge for entry? Have they increased their fees for anything since 1990? Unlikely.
And again, there were free samples. Harper wouldn’t allow me to have any of hers, of course, but I watched. Before the race, I observed the line of vendor booths from the crowd.
She worked herself to the bone at her table, serving freeloader after freeloader who kept coming back for more mud bites. Or I should say they came back for free samples of the mud bites. Which are some layered chocolatey square thing that looked incredible.
When the grill next to her ran out of napkins, she went to help. Maxine’s iPad was acting up, she went and fixed it. Tyrone’s speakers shut off, there she was again.
And when she did have a good bit of business, I never heard her say a word. Her assistant manager, I’ve gathered, greeted each guest and took every order while the baker herself poured, sliced, mixed and served. She needs more staff. She needs to charge more. She needs…
“Where the bloody hell is Stuart?” I said out loud before the race started, exasperated.
“Never where he’s supposed to be,” Steven chuckled next to me as he handed me the truck keys. “Why, did you see him around?”
“No, I haven’t seen him,” I huffed.
Steven shrugged, “Eh, he’s probably in the mud somewhere. Having the time of his life.”
I glanced around then as if I’d be able to spot him. So the boyfriend was in the race? Just off having fun with his mates while Harper silently slaved away to save her whole bloody town?
By the time I marched over to her and shook her hand I was furious. Irate. Whatever’s angrier than that, that’s what I was.
But I do feel a bit better now.
And I can finally go get myself a damned cup of coffee.
I wave to the crowd and accept a clean t-shirt someone handed to Renaldo, for free, then make my way around the outskirts of the mud field, to her booth near the starting line. Bad spot for a booth. Her linens are splashed on, which makes me think there might be mud bits in the coffee.
I’ll drink it anyway.
“Hey! You did it!” The assistant manager smiles at me as I approach the table inside the little canopy. Then she offers me a cup of black coffee and a napkin with two samples. She adds a flourish of her hand. “Boss said you are officially unbanned!”
“Lovely. And where is she?”
“Someone called, Stu got stuck in the mud,” she chuckles, “Harper went to get him out.”
The hell?
It’s not enough she’s the town’s Cinderella, now she’s going to what, tow a mud rig out with her car? It’s a beater of a thing. This is ridiculous.
“Where?” I ask, my pulse rising again.
She shakes her head, “Don’t know. She’ll find him.”
I look out in the direction of the race. All the trucks are long gone now. And the track spans for miles and is full of pits, by design. That’s part of the fun, I’m told.
“Uh, do you mind?”
“Oh,” I mumble. I step out of the way of a customer and huff out a breath. I’m losing it. I can’t go track down this random woman or her deadbeat boyfriend. As much as I want to.
And, honestly, why in the world do I want to so damn badly?
_____
“Ugh,” I grunt on the last rep. I still smell like dirt. I showered when I got home but I suppose it’ll take another. Either that or my very self is starting to reek of this town, down to my sweat. I hope not.
I chug water and tap the button to open the garage door to let in the cool air.
I don’t turn to look at the neighboring house even though I’d like to make a show of how magnanimous I am with my headphones.
I hate working out in them because I work out hard and they get so sweaty.
Now they’ll probably have mud residue on them too. Just perf—
“Ahhh!”
I jump, yell and remove one of my earbuds.
A mud-caked horse is in my garage.
Not horse, I guess…pony?
It barks at me.
A dog, then.
The largest dog I’ve ever seen is in my garage.
“No!” I say to it. Then I point to the street. “Out!”
Surprisingly, it obeys.
I lean over, hands on knees, trying to recover from both the workout and the near-death encounter with the beast.
“Aiden?” A small voice says.
I look up. Brilliant green eyes scan me, concerned.
“There’s a—”
“Where’s Stu?”
I stand and frown, “How the hell should I know that?”
She straights as well, putting her hands on her hips, which is how I’m standing too. She snipes, “Well, you just screamed like a girl, so I thought he came in here.”
“I did not.”
She is almost smiling, “You did. He’s big, I get it.”
Somewhere in my daft brain, it all clicks into place.
“Stuart is…a dog.”
She makes a face and murmurs, “Stuart Little, the Greatest Dane.”
She’s already backing away so I ask, amazed that giant thing lives with her and her father in their small home next door, “That’s your dog?”
“Not really,” she says absently, scanning the street and starting to walk away.
“Your dad’s dog then?” I keep on, suddenly desperate to know more.
She scoffs and says under her breath, “He hates dogs even more than I do.” Her eyes go wide and snap back to mine when she realizes what she just admitted, so she says, “Not that I hate Stuart! I love him I just…”
“Just what?”
She shakes her head and juts her little chin down my driveway as if to say, I just better go get him.
“Harper, wait!”
But she’s gone. So I take out the other headphone, drop my gym towel and follow after her.
She’s a short little thing, but fast. I find her three houses down squaring off with the dog.
He’s got to weigh more than she does, and as she approaches, slow, silent, arms out, the dog jumps from side to side. It’s like he’s taunting her.
“N-no!” She says as he jumps over a line of shrubs and barks. I’ve never paid much attention to dogs and their barks but that sounded a lot like the thing just said, “So long, suckers!”
This town is making me loony.
“Stuart!” She calls, not loudly.
I follow her as she follows him to the next yard over. He starts his little dance with her again.
“Enough! Stuart. Sit.” I say. He does.
Harper looks at me, mouth open. She’s shocked. And maybe angry?
“I got this,” she spits. So, yes. Angry.
“You don’t, clearly,” I reply. I walk toward the dog.
She huffs, “He’s not just going to sit there for you.”
“Stuart. Stay,” I command. He does. Happily so, I think. Looks like the thing is smiling at me, waiting. I grab his filthy collar with a firm hand and lead him to her.
Her perfect pink lips are slack with surprise again. Then she presses them into a firm line and glares at me.
“You’re welcome,” I say.
I didn’t say thank you, her eyebrows reply.
Damn. She’s got the most expressive face I’ve ever seen. She clips the leash in her hand to the muddy collar and starts to stomp off. But I keep up with her.
“Do you want help hosing him off?”
No reply.
“What do you mean you and your father don’t like dogs. Whose dog is this?”
Nothing.
“Harper!”
She ignores me.
I am not used to being ignored.
Which is why I snap like a twig under her giant pet’s paw and blurt, “Fine, then, do it all on your own. That’s certainly going well for you and the town.
I know you’re raking in the business. Just rolling in profits, yeah?
Loads of it. Your ideas thus far have been a smashing success, well done, you, very well done. ”
She stops and turns to me, finally, and her bright green eyes are glassy.
Shit.
“What do you want?” She whispers.
Surprised by the question I quip back, “Your town.”
“No,” she says. Her face adds, you already have the town.
So I answer, “My parking lot.”
She shakes her head and starts to walk away. Again this woman has confused me to no end. That’s it? I made her cry for shit’s sake! Where is her fight? The real her that I only see small flashes of?
“That’s not what I want? What do I want then?” I ask as I catch up to her in two strides.
She doesn’t look up as she answers with a shrug, “I hope you figure it out soon.”
“Why, so I’ll leave town? You think me leaving will help your silly cause? It won’t.”
She doesn’t answer, just walks on with her dog. He pulls on the leash terribly but she doesn’t scold him. She should. She should scold me too.
“Harper…” I start, ready to apologize for my outburst. Being dismissed by this tiny pastry chef is making me lose it. I’m not usually so curt with people. Especially after I’ve already won.
But, surprising me once more, she flips me off and goes into her back gate, then slams it shut in my face.
“I still get coffee!” I call, hoping for a reaction. A scoff, a door slam, maybe she’ll open the gate and curse at me.
She doesn’t.
This irks me. But as I walk back to my garage I find myself feeling…relieved, I guess?
Because Stu is Stuart Little.
Her dog.