He turned to where the voice came from. “Jessa?”
“Nice ride.” Her eyes twinkled with humor. “Not what I pictured you driving when not in your rig.”
“Funny.” He swept his arm from the front to back, as though it wasn’t obvious which vehicle they spoke of. “This is Gran’s car.”
“I figured, but I was only teasing anyway.” She peered into the windows. “Where is she?”
“At the cabin. I came into town for groceries while she rests.”
She grazed her bottom lip with her teeth, seeming to hesitate. “Did your parents come?”
“Yes.”
“How’s that going?”
He waved his hand, like a sideways seesaw. “Ehh.”
“That good?”
“They’ve been on good behavior, even taken good care of Gran, but I’m not falling for it.” The pump clicked off, and Landon returned the nozzle to the base. “It’s not been as horrific as I imagined though.”
“I’m glad.” She cast a quick glance at his receipt printing out. “I’ll say a prayer it stays that way. If things go south, I’m only a call away.”
Hmm. Was that an invitation? He flashed a smile. “I could if I had your number.”
“What’s yours? I’ll call it, and you can save mine.” Her pump also cut off, and she followed the same procedure he had a minute ago.
His phone rang within seconds of reciting his number. He reached into the car, grabbed it, and read off the numbers of the incoming call. “Thatisyou, right?”
“That’s me.”
He saved her as a contact before sliding the phone in his pocket. “By the way, I met your sister earlier.”
An odd, almost scared, expression flooded her face. “Which one?”
He stopped to think. “You know, I didn’t catch her name. She works at the property management company that takes care of the cabin I rented.”
Relief came over her. “Oh, that’s Phoebe. She started there two weeks ago.”
Her reaction, mixed with Phoebe’s earlier, sparked his curiosity. He came to the quick conclusion there was much to learn about the Graff family. She’d mentioned she knew all about family drama, but lots of people said that and didn’t understand the depths of what he meant. But maybe Jessa really did understand, and that’s why they shared a connection.
Would he get the opportunity to find out her secrets?
A car horn honked, and the driver gave Landon an irritated scowl.
“That’s my cue.” He waved to the man to acknowledge he heard and knew he was waiting. He got into the car and called to Jessa from the open window. “I’ll text you later, give you an update.”
She smiled, then turned away to return to her car, ending their brief conversation.
Having a friend in this town had bolstered his optimism of the weekend. No matter what happened, he could handle his parents for forty-eight hours—knowing he could call Jessa to vent if he needed to.
Chapter Five
Yesterday had worn out Jessa, from the early morning conference call with other nearby chamber of commerce directors to the varsity football game that went into overtime last night. Jasper Lake High won the game after a nail-biting end, sending them to the playoffs.
After the long day, she’d fallen into bed and slept soundly until waking up at ten that morning. She refused to feel guilty or lazy about it. Everyone needed a day to sleep in from time to time, and today was hers. No tasks awaited completion, and no one expected her anywhere.
An entire day with nothing on her schedule.Whatever shall I do? She thought the words in a fake southern accent and laughed at herself. Didn’t someone once say the hallmark of a good personality was to enjoy your own company? She did enjoy time alone, as long as it didn’t extend for long periods of time.
