Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Cassian
Waking up to an empty bed was pretty devastating. I’d shaken it off to Red likely being downstairs or something, but after searching the whole house, and still not finding Red, I’d checked outside. He was nowhere to be found.
Had I imagined him?
I let my tears fall freely as I sipped whatever cheap and definitely out of date coffee I could find in the cupboard.
Red had been the one thing holding me together, and I swore he was real.
I could still remember how safe I’d felt going to sleep, but how could such a big wolf escape in the middle of the night?
The door was still locked, the windows shut, not counting the one that was missing, but the door was still firmly shut to that room.
Maybe I’d failed Red and that’s why he’d left? Should I have put a bandage on his leg? He seemed fine enough as we went to bed, and I’d even seen him put weight on the leg when he got up on the bed, no whimper or anything.
I had to have been imagining him, however devastating that realization was. He was simply too good to be true.
With some caffeine in my system, I faced my worst fears, the shower. It helped closing my eyes, until I accidentally turned the knob the wrong way and got myself a cold shower instead. I pathetically imagined Red being there keeping me safe while I rinsed the soap out of my hair. Some adult I was.
With my body now washed, I got dressed and made myself a list. I loved lists.
With my mind always running a mile a minute, it helped to break down the things that needed to be done.
The priority was the roof. I’d found a roofing company who did both repairs and laid brand new roofs.
Since I had no clue how bad the roof’s condition was, I decided to give them a call.
The man who answered was already on the road to check up on a new house. Then he would be over to inspect mine. I added a check mark to the list and started running through what I needed to do next.
A new washer and drier were essential, as was a new bed, and even if it wasn’t a necessity, I also added paint for the bathroom. I could easily find some paint that could go on tiles and hide the horror that lay behind, and as soon as I’d gotten myself a job, I could renovate the whole thing.
The third thing was the carpet. Considering that I’d sneezed twice this morning, I had to blame the dust filled horror for that.
Eying my coffee cup, I sighed and grabbed my keys. Grocery shopping would have to happen now or I would end up hangry in about an hour. It would also help with my mood if I knew I had good coffee waiting for me instead of whatever crap I’d just had.
Driving back into town felt good. The chill in the air was to be expected on a fall morning, but the scent had such an amazing effect on my mood.
The realization that Red had been a figment of my imagination still hurt, and I couldn’t help wishing he was real.
Logically, he couldn’t be. He’d been way too wise for a wild wolf, and the fact he hadn’t bitten or eaten me was just more proof that he wasn’t real.
I refused to use the GPS once in town. Instead I drove around until I found the local general store and a parking lot.
It was such a cute and cozy looking town, with colorful shops, full of personality.
No franchises, just family-owned businesses.
Trees lined the streets, too, which I absolutely adored.
Once inside the store, I found some coffee I knew I liked, then added some bread and meat so I could make myself some sandwiches for lunch. The fridge needed a deep clean, but seemed to work fine. I figured stocking it would help me save money on take out.
Once at the cashier, I smiled warmly at the elderly man who was scanning my groceries. “Hello,” he greeted with a wide smile. “You must be new in town, or are you just visiting?”
“New,” I answered, feeling every bit the outsider I was. “Just moved in yesterday actually.”
“Well, then welcome to Groove Vale. I'm Harry and I own this store. My wife, Dalia, runs the butcher shop just on the other side of the street.”
“You each run a store?” I questioned. It seemed odd in my opinion. Why not just work together in one place?
“We sure do,” he replied with a proud smile.
“My dad owned this store and ran it with my mom, and I always knew I’d take over someday.
It was the same with my wife. Her dad was the town butcher and she wanted to take over when he retired.
He’s long gone now, so she honors him by keeping his store working and running. ”
“Oh,” I said, feeling a tad embarrassed. People never seemed to offer so much personal information in the city, and I actually had no idea how to respond to all of that.
“Yeah,” he grinned. “You’ll find a lot of the stores here in town are family owned, often by several generations.”
“I like that,” I admitted, putting my stuff away in a recyclable bag.
“Say, you’re not Inar’s grandchild, are you?”
“I am,” I nodded. “I only ever met him once, but I inherited his house.”
“He was a nice man, too bad we all can’t live forever,” he sighed. “But that old house of his… I truly thought it would get demolished or something. No offense or anything,” he hurried to add the last part.
I laughed. “None taken. I was also taken aback by its condition. There’s a lot to do, but I want to make it work.” I shrugged and added, “I never felt like the city life was for me, so I’m determined to stay.”
If possible, his smile turned even wider. “I like you, kid. Many would’ve run screaming for the hills.”
Ignoring the fact that I cried this morning, I simply smiled back at him and said my goodbyes.
I made it back home just in time it seemed. A truck pulled into my driveway only five minutes after I’d gotten home. I’d foolishly searched for Red, only to once again have the inner talk with myself. He was only a figment of my imagination, that was all.
I hurried outside and approached the truck.
“Hey, there!” the man greeted and stepped out of his truck. “Made it here as fast as I could.”
I smiled and offered him my hand. “I’m Cassian, nice to meet you.”
“Jeffrey,” he replied, shaking my hand firmly. “Now, let me take a look, just need my ladder.”
I waved and left him to it, letting him know I was just inside if he needed me.
Then, because I’d forgotten all about the damn window, I added it to the list and searched on google where to get windows that would fit older homes.
I made three calls before I found a place that could help me.
After emailing them a picture of one of the other windows, they informed me they would come by in five hours to install it.
The price was way higher than I’d expected, but then again, I’d never had to replace any windows before.
The thought of maybe having to change all of them soon had my stomach in knots.
It was just so damn expensive being a home owner already.
Jeffrey’s news wasn’t good either. The roof hadn’t been changed in over 50 years and according to Jeffrey, this sort of roof needed to be changed every 25 years if not sooner.
A whole new roof was needed.
As soon as Jeffrey left with the promise of sending me an invoice and an estimate on when he and his coworkers could start the work on my roof, I slid down onto my stained carpet and sobbed for the second time today.
Several hours later, I’d cleaned the house as best as I could. Then I’d driven to the neighboring town to buy primer and paint for the tiles, two paintbrushes and a roller. The expense added up, but damn it if I was taking another shower in that creepy room.
When I returned home the window was replaced, the pristine white standing out against all of the old and damaged stuff…
but at least it would help keep the house warm.
I’d gotten their card and an estimate for replacing all the windows.
I’d simply thanked them and hoped I could put off replacing everything a bit longer.
I was in no mood to cook and too damn tired to care. I made a sandwich and ate it alone in the living room, eyeing the floor where Red had or hadn’t been sitting yesterday.
Another tear fell and I let it.
Just then, my front door was thrown off its hinges, banging loudly as it hit the wall. I flew up from the couch, thinking a bear or something had to be the culprit, but instead three men filed into my living room, looking all dangerous and mad.
One sniffed the air, then his eyes met mine and a slow spreading smile crept over his face.
“Oh, yes. He’s our guy.”
I was about to ask who, hoping I had someone hiding behind me, but as fast as freaking lightning, they grabbed me.