Her phone rang from the living room, and she ran in to answer the call. “Good morning, Marie.”
“Good morning.” Marie’s tone sounded mildly stressed. “I have a huge favor to ask. The school system closed today, and my daughter needs me to watch the girls. I know you had plans for today, but is there any way we could switch our schedules?”
Cora laughed. “I was debating asking you the same thing. The weather’s too bad to work outside today. Stay home and enjoy a snow day with those grandbabies.”
“You’re the best.” Relief echoed in her statement. “I wish I could chat longer, but I need to run next door before Amber leaves for work.”
“Be safe.” Cora’s mom only lived twenty minutes away, but there were times Cora wished she lived next door like Marie and Amber did. She was blessed to have a great relationship with her parents and siblings, and she would spend time with them every day if possible.
Once the call ended, she returned to the kitchen and poured the hot water into her mug. While she waited for the tea to steep, she took a quick shower, keeping her hair dry and opting for dry shampoo instead. She’d have to leave early to accommodate for the snowy roads, which wouldn’t leave time to dry her hair.
After her quickest shower ever, she dressed in warm clothes and went to finish preparing her tea. She stirred in a teaspoon of sugar, then poured it into a travel mug. “Want to come with me today, Noel?”
The cat ran under the table, making it clear she had no intention of leaving the confines of her toasty warm home. Cora smiled and grabbed her coat from a peg in the mudroom. She didn’t blame the cat. As much as she loved snow, she didn’t like driving in it, especially when the storm hadn’t yet ended.
There was a chill in the garage, though not as harsh as the biting wind outside. She opened the door, shoveled a quick path while her car engine warmed. Out of breath, she sat behind the driver’s seat. She considered herself in good shape, but she hadn’t shoveled snow in nearly a year and was out of practice.
She began to back out.Slow and steady wins the race. She tapped the remote on her visor to close the garage door before driving into the road. Her tires lost traction and slipped. The road was deceptively icy under the sticking snow. She inched her way into town, heaving a relieved sigh when she reached the shop.
Main Street was a ghost town. Between leaving her car and unlocking the door she didn’t see a single person. Once the snow stopped falling, more people would venture out. She secured the door behind her until it was time to open. She went upstairs to the office and checked for any messages.
One of her part-time employees called out with a sincere apology. Cora didn’t fault him. He was a college student from Florida, unaccustomed to driving in these conditions, and she’d rather him be safe.
Marie had left the closing reports on the desk for her, and Cora reviewed the numbers. By the looks of them, the store had been busy after she’d left, a fact that made her happy. She’d close out the year with a nice profit if December maintained November’s trend. She filed the reports and made sure they had also transferred to the accounting program on her computer.
Bending over, she keyed in the safe’s code. The deposit bag stared her in the face, daring her to take a trip to the bank. “You can wait until tomorrow.”
She slid out the cash register tray with the petty cash in it and walked downstairs, performed the morning routines. The last task was her favorite. She went to the mini fridge in the rear room and grabbed a bottle of apple cider, poured it into a warming carafe. She’d never tire of the fruity scent mixed with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg.
A man at the door caught her attention. She didn’t officially open for another fifteen minutes, but he looked on a mission, so she opened the doors. He appeared younger that she’d first thought. Maybe two or three years older than her twenty-eight. His hair was a rich mahogany, and she was jealous that her honey blonde tresses weren’t nearly as thick.
Expressive eyes, a shade darker than his hair, stared at her. “Are you Cora Mullikan?”
Taken aback that he knew her name, she blinked. “Yes. Can I help you with something?”
He twisted his fingers in front of him, then freed them and extended his right arm for her to shake his hand. “I’m Gabe Newton.”
She racked her memory for any recognition of the name. It sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t place from where. “Nice to meet you.”
“I’m afraid you might take that back in a few minutes.”
Her heart lurched. Was he a danger? She quickly dismissed the thought. If he meant to harm her, he wouldn’t have offered a name, real or fake, nor would he have waited for her to unlock the doors. But what did he mean? “Pardon me?”
“Is there somewhere we could have coffee and talk?” He rocked on his heels, shoved one hand in his coat pocket.
“I open in fifteen minutes, and I’m sorry, but I don’t know you.” She patted her pocket, reassured she had her phone if she needed to call for security.
“Fair enough.” He sucked in a long breath and his features contorted to a tortured expression. When he exhaled, his face returned to its previous countenance. “Like I said, my name is Gabe Newton, and I’m the new owner of this property.”
She took several minutes to process his statement and coughed. “New?”
“My uncle passed recently and left this building to me. I just moved here to start a new business, unaware anyone rented the location.”
The implications made her head spin. “Are you saying you’re kicking me out?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then what are you saying?” She crossed her arms, indignant to give him a smile or appearance of being welcome.
