“I really do. I’m taking my cat, my papers, a few books, and I’m leaving for the next week.”
“You don’t even know how to start a fire,” Kristen told her.
“I know, but that’s the point. He’s got instructions for everything, and I’m supposed to test and see if they all make sense. Then I just let him know if it all worked.”
“Grace, don’t go.”
“I need to. I’ll see you when I get back, and maybe it’ll be funny by then. I need to get away from all this for a few days.”
“Well…” Kristen definitely wanted to argue. “Just check in with me while you’re there? Let me know you’re okay?”
“I will. Thanks for trying to get me out of the date. Might have gone better if I had had my phone and you had gotten throughbefore it all happened. I’m ordering pizza, and I’ll let you know when I get there.”
She hung up and got out of the car. This was all too much, and putting her clumsiness on display for the whole town was more than she could handle.
Grace went inside and fed Milo, her cat, before trying to order pizza. With a sigh, she went back to her car, where she’d left her phone again, and brought it back inside before finally getting food ordered.
CHAPTER 4
Caleb checkedthe weather one more time before deciding if he needed to run out to the store again. Being snowed in was no issue for him but in this small town, he wondered how quickly it would open back up after or rather, how long it would take to get to after.
His truck was four-wheel drive, so he could go out, and he grew up where a snowstorm was a normal occurrence, but the way Daniel was talking about the storm, this seemed out of the ordinary for them.
He checked the pantry and the fridge and made a small list. Then he headed next door to see if they needed anything. No need for all of them to run out.
Knocking on the door, he looked around and tried to imagine the place covered in snow. Mike was right; it would be photo-worthy when the snow fell.
“Come in,” Macy yelled.
Caleb shook his head and let himself in. She was in the kitchen and he followed the sounds. A baby sat in a high chair gurgling and immediately drew his attention.
“What are you doing?” he asked her.
She cooed and smacked her hands on her tray.
“Is that right?” he played along.
She smiled and did it again. He pretended to be alarmed by it and got her laughing.
“You’re good with her,” Macy commented, turning away from the stove.
“Eh, she’s just a little person with a silly sense of humor.” He acted surprised again when she slapped the tray.
“That’s one way of looking at it. I’m in the middle of making dinner, did you want to stay for some?”
“No, thank you. I just came by to see if you needed anything from the store. I wanted to make one last trip before things close.”
Macy laughed. “You and half the town. There won’t be much on the shelves, if anything.”
He groaned. “Is it really that bad?”
She nodded. “It’s like the weatherman says snow and things just poof off the shelves. Let me see what’s on your list and I’ll let you know if you should even bother.”
Caleb handed it over. “Where’s Daniel?”
“He’s on his way back in from the shop.” She pointed out the window where he was walking up. “You should just stay home. Snacks are gone with the bread and milk.”
“Really? Ugh.” He took a seat at their table. “Guess I’m glad I stopped by then.”
