Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Alicia
There was not a whole lot to do in early February in a town this size, especially having a thirty-pound cocker spaniel in tow.
My options were limited. But I was starving and there wasn’t any food at my place.
I couldn’t leave Furgie alone; her symptoms hadn’t gotten worse, but they hadn’t gotten better.
Sadie and I had Googled giving Furgie an over-the-counter medication. It turned out that I could, but also couldn’t, and also probably don’t.
Then we talked about how much we missed each other already, until the crushed granola bar I’d found at the bottom of my purse stopped keeping my ravenous hunger at bay.
There were two possible places that I might be able to get food and bring Furgie, a rustically trendy bar and an eclectically trendy coffee shop.
If both failed me, I would have to do a drive-through. But I really wanted to meet a Grand Ridge person.
Parking my SUV outside of Country Grounds Café, I took hold of the leash.
The cold snapped at my cheekbones as we rushed to the front door.
The warm air just inside smelled of espresso and baked goods—I sent up a silent prayer that they wouldn’t tell me to get my dog out of there and kick dirt. Or snow, I guess.
“Hi,” a woman even taller than me called from behind the counter.
Gesturing to the leash around my wrist, I asked, “Is it okay for me to have her here?”
“Of course.” The smile on her face was as wide and welcoming as the decor of her place.
There were used mugs stacked in a bin on top of the trash can, but I was the only customer at the moment.
There were shelves on the wall with knickknacks for sale.
And two loveseats facing a shared coffee table.
On the far back wall was a huge poster of a floral meadow with a poorly photo-shopped crystal blue unicorn rearing.
The café’s name was at the top, and under the hooves it read, Our grounds are magic.
I was charmed.
She hooked her arm, welcoming me in. “What can I help you with?”
“I just moved in, and I don’t have any food at my place. Are you serving your sandwiches?”
“It’s not the full menu that we have during summer, but I have a couple I can do. I have soup too.”
My shoulders sagged. “You’re a saint.”
“The Patron Saint of Soups on a Cold Day.” She grinned.
I snorted. Furgie sniffed the air as we walked to the counter.
It didn’t take long to place my order. A few minutes later, she handed me my coffee. I held it between my chilled fingers and breathed in the comforting smell.
She raised her voice to be heard with her back to me as she prepared my food. “So, what brings you to Grand Ridge?”
Moment of truth. At my past jobs, residents either loved hearing that I was there for nature conservation or resented me for it.
“There’s a wetland over on the northwest side, just outside of city limits, and I’m here to stop it from being developed.”
She paused and tilted her head. “Over by the Creger’s?”
“I’m not sure who lives over there, it’s an equestrian therapy place.”
Nodding, she went back to her work. “Yeah, I know exactly where it’s at.”
I couldn’t read her reaction, and I didn’t want the conversation to go south, so I changed the subject. “Is this your café?”
“It is. I opened it almost six years ago.”
“I’m in love with it.”
“Me too.” She beamed over her shoulder. “Your dog is so cute. What’s her name?”
“Furgie.”
“Like the toy from the early 2000s?”
“Those were Furby’s.”
“God, those were terrifying.”
“Horrifying.” I looked down at my dog, scratching. Again.
“Are you renting?”
I gestured vaguely in the direction of my place. “Yeah, it’s over that way.”
The expression grew distant. “Ol’ Terrance Miller’s place?”
Shrugging, I said, “My employer handled my lease.”
“It’s a duplex? Your neighbor is like . . . really handsome.”
“I have a sneaking suspicion that he’s a total smoke show, but I’ve only seen his shoulders from behind. And they were”—I held my arms ridiculously wide—“broad.”
“That’s doc-too-hottie.”
“Oh, he’s a doctor?” I lifted an eyebrow.
“Veterinarian.”
“Really?” My stomach flipped. I tried to recall the shape of his shoulders in my mind’s eye.
The stretch of brown corduroy. The span of his shoulders had been .
. . too wide. There had to be plenty of rather large, hot veterinarians.
Not just the one. It was just a thing that my brain did every once in a while—conjure up an unrealistic scenario that might put me face-to-face with my ex-husband.
But the odds of him moving back to Michigan and living in the other half of my duplex were practically impossible. Scratch that, completely impossible.
Pulling myself out of a horrifying mental exercise was made easier by the ringing of the bell over the door.
Furgie paused in her itching to look in the direction of the newcomer.
It was instinct that drew my eyes to follow the sound, but it was the flirtatious smile on the beautiful man’s face that made me look away.
This guy was a knockout—blue eyes so bright they were practically a light source, black hair, and dark scruff on his jaw.
Behind the counter, the woman tossed her long brown braid behind her shoulder. “Hey, Strauss.”
“Millie, how’s the family?” He leaned a hip against the counter, keeping his body language open to bring me into the conversation.
“They’re good.” Millie carried a tray with my club sandwich and a steaming bowl of corn chowder to my table.
“Glad to hear it.”
There were a few moments where the only sound was plates clattering together, before Millie said, “Did you see the animal clinic’s page this morning.”
Laughing, he shook his head. “What bet did that man lose?”
“I don’t know but I’d make a bet with the devil before Nora.”
“Giant fool.” The man jerked his head toward my food Millie was carrying to me. “That looks good.”
Fixing my most polite and not at all encouraging grin on my face, I agreed. “It does.”
“Mind making me the same thing, Mill?”
“Sure thing, Sterl.”
His grin grew even wider, as if encouraged by the sarcasm in her voice. “You’re a gem, Mih.”
She snorted. “You’re a snot, Ster.”
He fixed those incredibly blue eyes at me, and I wondered if he had ever modeled. Even in a Carhartt jacket and worn jeans, he was artfully beautiful. Not my normal type, but he was easy to appreciate. I had my rules, anyway. Really just the one: No fraternizing with the men folk.
Extending a hand, he introduced himself. “I’m Sterling.”
“Pleasure. I’m Alicia.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“She was just telling me that there’s some sort of development going in over by Creger stables,” Millie explained.
I still didn’t have a read on how she felt about it, but the news was going to get around now.
It was hard to be a stranger in these communities.
It could be lonely. And when they didn’t want me around, the isolation could feel a bit suffocating.
The tags on Furgie’s collar jangled.
I wouldn’t be completely alone.
A crease formed between his eyebrows. “Whereabouts?”
“You know that marsh that Mr. Lewell did the mud crawl in a few years back?” Millie sliced a tomato and spoke as if she didn’t have any feeling about the land at all. Maybe she didn’t.
“For the theater department?”
“Mm.” She nodded.
They were having a conversation that I couldn’t decipher. Insider telepathy that I wasn’t privy to as an outsider.
When Sterling fixed his eyes on me again, they carried a sharp focus they hadn’t before. “What are you planning on developing there?”
“I work for a non-profit, the Great Lakes Water Protection Agency. So, I’m here to protect the marshland.”
His gaze softened. The easy smile returned to his face. “Nice.”
The knot that had formed in my gut loosened. Clearly, he felt positive about the job I was here to do.
“So, you’re like”—his grin went lopsided. Behind him, Millie rolled her eyes—“a total badass.”
“Yes,” I laughed. “I am a total badass.”
It didn’t mean that I’d be able to save the marsh, though. The cards were stacked against me on this one.