“At least take this,” I said. “In case you change your mind.”
He glared at the paper without touching it. My stomach twisted with embarrassment, but then Hailey snatched it up.
“Thank you!” she said enthusiastically.
I smiled down at her. “It was nice to meet you.”
“You too.” She glanced down at the paper, then back up at her dad. She leaned toward me and gave a quick wink. “We’ll be in touch!”
Her dad pulled her back, gave me one last scathing glare, and then closed the door.
I stood on the porch a beat, taking in a few deep breaths. I hadn’t even asked for the fire chief’s name. My head fell back, and I let out a frustrated groan.
I wasn’t sure that the day could get any worse.
Before he decided to come back and yell at me, I forced myself to move. I turned back toward my car, reminding myself that doors had closed on me many times—and I’d always found another way forward.
Ishiveredinthebackseat of my car, buried under every blanket I owned—which was only two. They were thick and knitted with bulky wool yarn, but no matter how tightly I wrapped them around myself, the cold snuck its way in.
The windows were almost completely covered in snow, and I gritted my teeth, annoyed with myself for not paying closer attention to the weather.
After leaving the bed-and-breakfast and that surprising interaction at the door, I’d slunk off to the public library. I hadn’t had anywhere else to go, and I’d spent the rest of the day researching job openings, hotel prices in the surrounding cities, and possible places I could live. I was lucky to have an older laptop, but it was slow, and everything had taken longer than I’d expected.
When I’d finally decided it was time to leave and drive to the hotel I’d picked out, the snow was already a couple of inches deep, with no sign of stopping.
I hadn’t realized we were under a winter snow advisory.
I grumbled under my breath and wrapped my arms tighter around myself beneath the blankets. I’d bought about a millionlittle hand-warmer packets from the store, but I was still freezing and they didn’t last long. I’d been turning the car on intermittently to warm things up, but I didn’t have much gas, and my car was…not in the best condition.
I’d needed new tires for a while now. They were bald enough that it wasn’t safe driving the thirty minutes out of town to the hotel in this weather. So I’d decided that sleeping in my car for one night wouldn’t kill me.
At least, I hadn’t thought it would. I was regretting that decision now.
I’d slept in my car before—but never during a snowstorm.
“I don’t think I’m going to freeze,” I muttered to myself as I rolled onto my back.
Through a small sliver of the window that wasn’t covered in white, I could make out the snow still falling. It had slowed a little, at least. I tensed as another snowplow drove by, the ground rumbling beneath me. I wasn’t sure that even if I managed to fall asleep, I’d be able to stay that way.
Parking on the side of the road probably hadn’t been the best idea.
But in a town like Ember Hollow, it was hard to find a good place to hunker down in your car for the night. A random vehicle in an otherwise empty parking lot or near the park was noticeable—likely to get a cop’s attention. I’d learned that firsthand. Parking along the side of the road where other vehicles already were was usually the safest bet.
I’d found what I thought was the perfect place a few houses down from the bed-and-breakfast. There was an empty lot between a couple of homes, which made extra space along the street. Another car was parked a few yards ahead of me, and one sat across the road. I should be safe here.
But I hadn’t realized quite how cold it would get.
Sighing, I tried to ignore the way my body shook beneath the blankets.
My thoughts drifted back to earlier that morning—to the fire chief and his little daughter.
Roman Ramsey.
I’d researched him while I was at the library. I hadn’t realized how big the Ramsey family was—or how deeply involved they were in the town. His brothers owned a security company, called Hearthstone, with nothing but glowing reviews online. Roman himself had been a pillar of the community for years, first as a firefighter and then as chief. And the bed-and-breakfast had been an attraction for the town since his mother started it years ago.
People seemed to speak very highly of them.
I froze when there was a sharp knock on my window.
