Chapter 6 #2
“Do you want to text him and tell him where you’re going?” Teagan asked, her voice oddly careful.
“I don’t have his phone number,” I said, noticing the lack. I had been living on his property, and I couldn’t even text him.
“Well, I’ll fix that.” Before she pulled out of the driveway, she pulled out her phone and quickly texted me his number.
“It’s just smart for you to have it, in case of an emergency. I don’t know how long you’re going to stay here, but Bodhi’s not going to kick you off the property. Not if he hasn’t already.”
I wasn’t quite sure what to do with that, but while my hands shook, I put his phone number into my contacts and opened up my text.
Me
This is Kiera. Teagan gave me your number. Don’t be mad at her. I’m heading out to lunch with the girls. Just wanted you to know.
I set my phone down as Teagan drove through the forested area to the main road of Ashford Creek.
“He probably won’t text back. Or if he does, it’ll be the letter K in about an hour. He’s not part of the group chats often. Not that we Ashfords have too many group chats going.”
“I would assume you would.”
“Callum hates texting. I’m not a huge fan of it either, to be honest, and Bodhi never texts.”
“What about Briar?”
“She does more than I do. But it’s the twins that do the most.”
“Sterling and Finnian?” I asked. There had been two sets of twins in the family, but everybody called the youngest the twins. I wondered what they had called Bodhi and Malcolm. That wasn’t something I would ask.
“Yes. With Finnian being a dad, he’s constantly texting to check in with his co-parent and then texting us.
And Sterling was out of state for a long time, and while in school, he would text us.
By the way, the younger twins were always ‘the twins’.
Bodhi and Malcolm, as the first set of twins, came with their own deeply different personalities, and we called them by their names.
I don’t know why we started calling the youngests ‘the twins’.
It just happened. Maybe because they were the second set. ”
Thankful that she had answered my unasked question, and feeling awkward, I leaned back into the seat, trying to take in the town of Ashford Creek.
Ashford Creek was so named after the creek that split the town itself.
There were four main streets, with multiple offshoots and tributaries of driveways, and many streets that led to homes and different properties.
There was another creek or maybe even a river to the west that people fished and played in.
There was even an outdoor recreation area where you could rent things.
I didn’t know what things because I was not an outdoorsy girl, but I had seen it the first few times I had been up here with Briar.
The main street itself held many of the buildings you would think of when you thought small town. A bakery, a bar and grill, a coffee shop, and other things like that. They were either cute and catchy, having to do with what they sold, or mountains.
“Sterling owns The Range,” Teagan said as we drove by what looked to be a nice restaurant. “I’m so proud of him. He saw a need in the community and filled it. We’re heading to Altitude Diner.”
My lips twitched. “So it’s either mountain names or Ashford itself?” I asked, voicing my thoughts.
“We’re nothing if not original. Oh, Felicity did text, so we are meeting at the diner.”
“Who all are we meeting?” I asked, feeling oddly insecure in that moment. I hadn’t been around many people in over a week other than Bodhi, and before that, it was usually around my band, our team, and countless people who seemed to want something from us. It was nice just to be Kiera again.
When I had joined the band, I hadn’t really thought of what would happen if I had made it in.
It had just been a hope, a dream. Now people knew my face, my name.
They wanted me to sign things, and little girls would come up to me with their drumsticks, asking me to sign them, telling me I was their inspiration.
And I knew the headache in the parents’ eyes probably blamed me, versus thanked me.
I didn’t know what to do with fame. I had never expected it. But I was going to have to figure it out soon, especially as my bandmates all began to settle down, leaving me slightly behind.
“Felicity, Elizabeth, and Tess. Tess will probably have her daughter, Wren, with her. She’s three and adorable.”
“You’re going to have to tell me who a couple of those people are,” I said with a laugh.
“True enough. You know Felicity. She’s Callum’s girlfriend, and honestly, my friend. Elizabeth is a local and a friend as well. She’s lived here all her life. Tess is the only one new to town, and I’m grateful for that. The town needs new blood.”
We got out of the SUV after she parked in front of the diner, and I was grateful that nobody gave me a second look.
Everybody was moving about their business, either tourists or town members, I couldn’t tell.
We inhaled the clean mountain air as we headed into the small diner that had comfy leather seats, white tables, and people milling about with milkshakes, burgers, or just anything that screamed diner food.
The waitstaff wore cute outfits, but instead of paper and pen, they all had those digital screens that could take your credit card right there.
It was nice to see some things stay the same while other things finally caught up to newer technology.
“Anyway, Felicity is in the corner, so we’re going to go meet her. But she is Felicity Carter of the Carters.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“As in her brother owns the grill, her dad’s the former fire chief, her mom is on every committee, and her other brother is an NHL goalie.”
I snapped my fingers. “Oh, right. I knew that.”
“Come on. I want you to see meet Elizabeth and the others since it seems like we’re the last ones here.”
We moved forward, and Felicity bounced up and wrapped her arms around me before I could even say anything.
“It’s so good to see you. I’m just so glad that you’re here. And Teagan could abscond with you.”
“Nice word,” Teagan teased as she sank into the booth.
“I’m glad that I’m here too. I’ve been craving a burger. And I have no idea how to make one.”
“Bodhi knows how to make great burgers. You should have just asked him,” Felicity said as if that made total sense.
“I’m Tess, by the way,” a woman with honey brown hair and light brown eyes said as she smiled at me. She had what seemed to be her mini twin on her lap, the little girl playing with some form of fidget toy, all her attention on the bright colors versus me.
“Hi, I’m Kiera. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Oh, I know who you are. I love the band, which I promise I won’t bring up again… I’m the town nanny,” she said dryly, and the woman next to her snorted.
“And I’m Elizabeth,” a gorgeous woman with auburn hair and bright eyes said as she gave me a small wave. She was too far into the booth to shake my hand. “Also, I love that Tess is calling herself the town nanny, but honestly, it’s not far from the truth.”
Confused, I sank into the booth by Felicity, with Teagan on my other side. “What do you mean?” I asked, as I looked down at the full menu of so many options, that my mind whirled.
“I moved to town and was searching for a job. I have all of the qualifications for what I’m doing, but I didn’t realize I’d be working with two different families.”
I shook my head. “Honestly, that sounds like so much work. I’m in awe of you.”
The other woman smiled. “Yes, but I love the kids. And four of them are older.”
“She works with Thatcher and Kellan’s families. All six kids,” Teagan explained.
“Oh. I met Kellan.” I winced as everybody gave me a look. “I don’t know if you guys know the story of why I’m here, but I had a slight concussion, so it was nice of Kellan to stop by and make sure I was okay.”
“I didn’t know it was that bad,” Felicity whispered.
I reached out and squeezed her knee. “I’m fine now. I promise. Kellan was great. And I think I met Thatcher the last time I was here. He’s the fire captain, right?”
“Yes,” Tess said softly. “Both guys work far too many hours, and then they spend all of their free time with their kids. I kick them out of their homes every once in a while so that they can go to Summit Grill with the guys. But that’s about it.”
“That’s amazing. I don’t know if I could work with that many kids.”
“As I’m their high school English teacher, you sort of get used to them. And all of their kids are pretty much well-behaved. Most of the time,” Elizabeth said with a wink.
I took a sip of my water. “Now you’re very intimidating. I was always good at English, because I loved reading and always wanted to do my best, but I spent most of my time writing lyrics, where they wanted full poetry.”
“Lyrics are poetry. And I’m sorry your teachers never saw that.”
Oh, I liked this woman. “It’s okay. I still got my A. Even having to read books by old white men that made me want to scream.”
“Now that is all the school board.” Elizabeth shook her head. “Don’t even get me started. I’ve had a long day.”
“Welcome to Altitude Diner, girls. Does everybody know what they want to order?” An older woman with a bright smile and even brighter red hair asked, and I sank back into the booth, feeling oddly comfortable.
I didn’t always in places I didn’t know, which was hard since I was touring often, but this was nice. It felt almost normal.
I ordered my iced tea and cheeseburger with onion rings, while each of the girls ordered their usuals, it seemed.
I learned about what was going on in town, the new bakery opening, and the fact that two of their friends, Promise and Keely, owned and worked at the bed and breakfast, so they hadn’t been able to join.
And Bronwyn had just bought the bakery from another woman named Fiona, who had a whole story of her own that made me cringe and laugh at the same time.
There were weddings coming up with a few townspeople, a huge scandal when it came to the deputy mayor and his ex-wife, and the upcoming Summerfest that was interrupting a farmer’s market, and it was creating quite a stir.
I just sank back and listened as they talked about their small town life, which was anything but small.
It was a life. It was a living. And when certain issues popped up, hints of a past that I didn’t understand, I nearly opened my mouth to ask.
Like, why was Elizabeth so weary when it came to coming to the brewery, or even out with Teagan?
There was a story there, and I didn’t understand it.
Then there was Tess, who paid half attention to us, the other half to her daughter, who was the sweetest girl in the world. Today was her day off, as both of the families she worked for relied on other people, but I could see that she had to be exhausted. I didn’t know how she did it.
As we all finished our food, and the food coma was well on its way, we gathered our things and headed out, as we each had work to do. There was another lyric playing in my head, and I wanted to finish it. Or at least try to grasp it this time.
“It was so nice having you, and for however long you’re here, I’d love to do it again,” Tess said, and Felicity nodded.
“Yes. Anytime. We’ll make sure that you get out of that cabin.”
“It’s a nice cabin,” I teased.
“You’re staying with that murderer?” a deep voice asked, and I turned, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end.
“Excuse me?”
A man with dark brown hair heavily styled with gel leaned toward us. He looked like any normal businessman and gave me the creeps even without speaking. “He murdered them. Killed them. Just like he killed the old man. You’d better watch that, little girl. He’s going to be after you next.”
“Fuck you, Nathan.” Teagan pushed her way in front of me and went toe to toe with the man.
She had to be at least six inches shorter, but you couldn’t really tell with the fire blazing off her.
“You come near me, my family, my friends again, and you’re not going to be afraid of that Ashford anymore. You’re going to be afraid of me.”
“Bitch.”
“Go away, Nathan,” Elizabeth snarled. “Spewing lies doesn’t do anyone any good.”
“Fuck you all. Just because Bodhi’s fucking you guys doesn’t mean you have to stand up for him. He’s probably fucking that bitch. Because she’s new.”
“So you’re saying he’s fucking me too? My own brother? You keep mixing up your sins, buddy.” Teagan lifted a lip and practically snarled.
“Fuck all of you.” And with that, the man named Nathan whirled on his heel and stomped away. People had begun to look, and my shoulders tensed, afraid that they were going to take a photo or tell somebody that I was here.
“Let’s get you back,” Teagan whispered, and it was only now that I heard the shaking in her voice. I reached out and squeezed her hand before we said a quiet goodbye to the others and got in the car, heading up to Bodhi’s.
The silence in the car ride to Bodhi’s wasn’t deafening, but the awkwardness began to settle around ten minutes in. “Are you okay?” I asked, my voice soft.
“I’ll be fine. I’ll have to come down from my high and throw up later. Just…just don’t take what Nathan said at face value, okay?” she said softly.
“Of course I won’t. Bodhi’s not…” I shook my head. “He’s just not.”
“Good. I’ll talk to you soon, okay?” she asked as we pulled up to the cabin after going through the security section, and I nodded.
“Okay.”
Not sure what else to say, I slid out of the SUV and stared at the cabin, Teagan quietly pulling away.
That man had sounded so sure, so full of spite and cruelty, that I couldn’t imagine dealing with that constantly. No wonder Bodhi didn’t come to town often.
I moved toward the cabin and realized that I was shaking.
Bodhi deserved to know what had happened.
And frankly, I didn’t want to be alone right now.
That might be selfish of me, but I needed to find him.
The workshop door was closed, and I didn’t hear any sounds, so I moved toward his house, hoping I wasn’t interrupting.
The door was open, confusing me, and I moved forward, not hearing him at all.
“Bodhi?” I asked, my chest tight. Why would he leave the door open? Had that Nathan guy found him?
Wishing for the bat I had left behind at the cabin, I looked in the first room and realized it was his office. He wasn’t there, but there was a steaming cup of coffee next to his computer, and that meant he had been there recently.
My gaze caught on a photo of a smiling woman with green eyes and a small bundle in her arms. Bodhi had her on his lap, with a younger boy on his shoulders, and the four of them looked like the sweetest family in the world.
Tears pricked, and I tried to take a step, but instead slammed into a rock-hard chest. I turned and looked up—way up—at Bodhi.
And the anger in his gaze took my breath away.