Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Maisie
“Okay, start again from the beginning. You fell and a Greek God appeared out of nowhere and tended to your wounds?”
“Alright, when you make it sound like that, it’s stupid. Never mind.” I turned around in the store break room and stormed away.
“Wait, Maisie!” Alicia laughed. “I’m only kidding. I’m hungover. Give me a break.”
“Well, it does stupid when I say it out loud. Just forget about it.” I walked out of the break room, ignoring Alicia’s calls.
Why did I bother saying anything? It sounded silly and much better in my head.
I needed to forget the whole thing even happened.
I knew the guy’s first name. Nothing else.
No other information. How far could I possibly get?
“Maisie, wait. Nothing is stupid. I was laughing my pain away, okay? I’m miserable and I’m jealous you’re not hungover.
Besides, there were no cute guy’s last night.
Like none. Okay, I’ll stop being selfish now.
” Alicia wrapped her hand around mine and I held back my smile.
I could always forgive my sister, even when she acted like a little brat.
We all had a little brat in us. “Please tell me what happened.”
“I fell on my ass, went to my car and cried, wishing a man rescued me, but of course there wasn’t any, until one knocked on my window.
He grabbed a first aid kit from his truck, fixed my wounds, and was gone.
All within a matter of five minutes. And now I can’t stop thinking about him.
” I threw my hands up in the air. “Ugh. Why me?”
“So, let’s find him.” Alicia stated.
“You make it sound so easy. I have no clue who he is.”
“Well, he’ll have to get groceries at some point, right?”
“True. Unless he avoids me.”
“And why would he want to do that? He’d be an idiot. And not worth your time. You deserve a man who fights for you, Mais.”
“Thanks, sis. So do you.” I hugged my sister close. We never knew our parents well, dropping us off at my grandparent’s house when I was two and Alicia a newborn, taking off and never returning. So, we’d grown close, an unbreakable bond I treasured.
“If he doesn’t show up here within a few days, we’re finding him, got it?”
“Got it.” I nodded.
But I wouldn’t be waiting for my sister.
I was finding him tonight.
My grandparents owned a large piece of land with a main cabin and several smaller cabins surrounding it.
An old hotel that my grandfather turned into his and my grandmother’s home and fixed up the other cabinets, renting out a few and saving two for my sister and me.
As soon as we turned twenty-one, we could move in and out of the main cabin.
I curled up on my couch, sinking into the deep, plush cushions, and pulled out my phone. After work, I showered and ate dinner, with one mission in mind. Figure out where I could find Ravi.
Every customer that walked through the door today lifted my heart in hopes it would be him. I was driving myself crazy. Where was the tall, dark, and handsome stranger hiding?
Opening social media, I typed his first name and Appleridge, but nothing. I kept digging, checking out different social media sites, before finally doing a Google search.
Jackpot!
Ravi Ferreira joined Clay Patrick’s lumberjack crew here in Appleridge and he couldn’t be happier to join the team of talented men. Stay tuned for more happenings in the small mountain town as we expanded and develop our land.
Ravi Ferreira.
I repeated his name in my head as I navigated back to social media and typed his full name in with the town’s name.
His face popped up instantly. I clicked on his profile and pressed the send him a message button. My hands shook as I typed out a message, my heart pounding in my ears.
“Hi. It’s Maisie. From the car the other night?”
Ugh. I erased the last question.
“Hi. It’s Maisie. I can’t stop thinking about you. Please meet me at Appleridge Mixer tonight.”
I stared at the message, my heart in my throat. Was it too forward? Would he read it and think I was out of my mind?
With a deep breath, I hit send and freaked out inside.
Shutting my phone screen off, I tossed it beside me on the couch and dropped my head into my hands. I shouldn’t have sent it.
What was I thinking?
My phone buzzed and my back stiffened. I dropped my hands and took a deep breath.
It was probably Alicia. There was no way he wrote back to me already.
I wiped my clammy palms on my thighs and picked up my phone, my eyes scanning the message.
“What time?”
“How’s eight?”
“See you then.”
I jumped up from the couch. Holy shit, he said yes. Holy shit I was seeing him in less than three hours.
I called Alicia and demanded she come over. We had a date to get ready for.