“I don’t suppose there’s any way I can stay here for a few nights?” I ask quietly. “Just until I can say goodbye to Sam?”
Her brow rises slowly. “And how exactly are you gonna pay for that, sugar?”
“Sam will take care of it,” I say, instantly hating how small it sounds.
She snorts. “Honey, that’s not how things work, even in a town this small. You want something, you pay for it. Otherwise, you’re just someone else lookin’ to be someone else’s problem.”
I nod slowly, forcing my mouth into a smile that feels more like a wound.
“Understood.”
“Need anything else?” she asks, already reaching for the remote.
“I just wanted to tell you I lost the key.”
She waves a hand like she couldn’t care less. “Plenty more where that came from.”
The TV volume returns, loud and tinny, and I’m dismissed.
I step outside into the blinding light of morning, and thecold hits me like a slap. The air smells like pine and melting snow. Sam was right, it really is different up here.
But it’s not mine.
Not anymore.
I blink fast, refusing to let the tears fall. Not here. Not now.
I don’t cry.
I don’t.
I head down the street toward Knot and Spur, dragging my feet even though I know what’s waiting.
A black truck idles in front. The window rolls down.
“You must be Charlie.”
The sound of the name Sam gave me hits me like a gut punch.
“I am.”
“Phern said you needed a ride into Sheridan,” the man says, his voice easy but not unkind. “You ready?”
No.
But I nod anyway. “Yeah.”
I climb into the truck, staring straight ahead, swallowing the lump in my throat.
“I’m Will,” he offers. “Sam’s friend.”
I force a smile. “You’re the one he tried to lock in the henhouse, right?”
Will laughs. “He’s never gonna let me live that down.”
The sound is warm, genuine but my smile feels hollow.
“Sounds like y’all had a lot of fun growing up.”
