The gloom of the day made it feel like it was much later than two p.m. Most of the surrounding huts were shuttered. The sellers had decided that it wasn’t worth a couple of sales to stand in the cold and the rain. But she had a building to buy and nowhere else to go. The part-time help she had at the store had called her an hour ago. Sales were slow at the store, but the regulars had come in for the baked goods. Kate checked the time on her phone. She’d give it another half hour, and if the rain continued to keep the shoppers away, she’d close up. Then she could get a jump on her baking for the rest of the week.
Every time she checked the time on her phone, she was surprised to see only a couple of minutes had passed. She scrolled through her messages with Hannah, rereading the words and lingering on the pictures they had texted each other. Surprising herself, she scrolled past the NSFW pictures and lingered on a few photos in their text chain that were selfies of Hannah and her. Her chest ached.God, I miss her so much.Kate bit her lip to stop it from quivering. It was the rain. How could anyone be anything but melancholy when it was raining in December? Even Santa was in a bad mood today. She watched as he walked by her hut, his hat now dripping with rain. The whitefluffy ball on the end of his hat was now grey. Kate held up her hand in greeting, and he scowled at her.
“Dang, even Santa is cranky today,” an upbeat voice said behind her. Kate turned to see Zaina with an umbrella and leopard print rain boots. She was with a tall blonde woman whom Kate didn’t know.
“This weather is the worst,” Kate said. “Cute boots.”
“Thanks,” Zaina said.
“Are you here to check in on your hut?”
“Nah, I told Hannah and Jacob to shut down and take the afternoon off.”
“Then why?”
“It’s about Hannah,” the blonde said. She had on a hoodie with a vest over it. Strands of her blonde hair were pasted against her rounded face.
“Is she okay?” Kate felt her pulse race.
“Yes, and we want to keep her that way.” The blonde woman said. “I’m Brandee.” She held out a hand.
Kate shook Brandee’s hand and welcomed the warmth of it. “Sorry, my hand is like an icicle.”
“No worries.”
“Come around the counter.” Kate pulled out the stools she used for photo shoots. “Here, sit.” She tapped the tops of the stools.
Zaina and Brandee sat down, and Kate sat down opposite them. “What’s going on?” Kate’s smoothie was sloshing around in her stomach, and worry made her heart pound as she waited to hear what was going on. Maybe everything was fine with Hannah, and they were just here to tell her that she was a jerk, and she should stay away from their friend.
“Hannah’s been getting text messages from her ex. He’s saying he’s coming to Marley Creek.”
Kate’s stomach went from a little queasy to a full-on roil. She rubbed her face and then looked at the green makeup all over her hands. Brandee and Zaina just looked at her. “Oh my God, poor Hannah.”
Zaina pulled a packet of baby wipes out of her purse and handed them to Kate. “Here.”
Kate wasn’t sure how much good the baby wipes would do, but it was better than nothing. She rubbed at her face until it was raw, as Zaina and Brandee gave more details about Chad and his threats. The cold air stung her face, and she relished it. The pain focused her. “What about going to the police?” she asked.
Brandee frowned. “They can’t really do anything unless something bad happens.”
“And then it’s too late. Fuck!” Kate shouted and slammed her fist on her knee.
“That’s why we need your help,” Zaina said.
Kate’s heart was pounding. She wished she could see Hannah right now. She needed to know that she was safe. Her chest tightened. She’d pushed Hannah away; what right did she have to swoop in and try to protect Hannah now? She didn’t deserve Hannah’s affection. But that didn’t matter right now.
“All I care about is keeping Hannah safe. What do you want me to do?”
“We don’t know if Chad is just trying to fuck with Hannah. He’s a complete asshole, and based on what she’s told me, I wouldn’t be surprised if he is just doing this to mess with her head. That’s probably the best-case scenario. The other one is him coming here and doing God knows what,” Brandee said.
“How dangerous is he?” Kate asked, and then she wished she hadn’t; it seemed so dumb. Far too many men were capable of extreme violence.
“What do you think?” Zaina asked back.
“I think, from what she’s said, he’s an abuser and capable of God knows what,” Kate replied.
“To top things off, she’s always said he’s able to wrap women around his finger,” Zaina said.
“Gross, there is nothing worse than an asshole who hurts women and just keeps doing it,” Brandee said.
