Mr. Mays eyed me curiously. “You heard me.”
I lifted my shoulders. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Old Man.”
“You know people talk. I just heard something, that’s all.”
I sighed. Since New Year’s, I’d been hearing all kinds of rumors about me, about me and Laura, about me and Ronnie, about Ronnie and Laura. “What did you hear?”
He shrugged. “That you got the Wells girl pregnant. Laura found out and stole all your shit before she left town.”
Of course, that was what he’d heard. I laughed. “Yeah, no. That’s not what happened.”
“You and the Wells gal… is that true?”
“Maybe,” I admitted.
Mr. Mays grinned. “Boy, I might be old but I can still whoop your ass.”
Laughing, I said, “I like her. We’re seeing what happens.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. You finally got your head out of your ass and asked her out, huh? I knew you were sweet on her.”
Curious, I asked, “How did you know?”
“Because I see the way you look at her. Like I looked at Mil. Take it from me, if you find someone that will hold all of your attention, don’t let go.”
Nothing he’d said was untrue. It only served as a confirmation for me. “Thanks for the advice.”
“Anytime, son.” Mr. Mays stood. “Let me get out of here.”
I walked him to the door. “Be careful out there. Text me when you get home.”
“Will do. Aren’t you proud of me? I’m getting good at this technology thing.”
I smiled, remembering the day I’d tried to teach him about texting. That hours-long lesson was frustrating as hell. But it was worth it, just to get that quality time.
“That’s good,” I told him. “Maybe next time I could teach you how to order your groceries and have them delivered.”
He waved me off. “I’m not doing that shit. I need to get out of the house every now and then. Going grocery shopping counts as exercise according to my granddaughter.”
“True.”
“See you soon.” He stepped down onto the sidewalk. “Bye, now.”
I watched him walk to his car and waited until he drove off before I closed the door. I peered up at the sky. One thing was sure… I needed a contingency plan for dinner. I placed a few calls and made a quick run to the store.
I’d just made it back to the bar when my phone buzzed.
Ronnie:I need help.
I paused, wondering if she’d made it back home. The roads were probably slick heading into town. I replied:Are you okay?
A few minutes later, another text came through:I’m stuck. Can you come?
I texted that I was on my way and asked her to send me her location. Once I let my staff know that I was out for the rest of the day, I left.
Several minutes later, I pulled next to Ronnie’s car. It had taken twice as long to get to her, due to the icy driving conditions. But I spotted her right away. She was about a mile away from her neighborhood. Judging by the angle of her car, she’d slid off the road, most likely due to the sheet of ice under the falling snow.
I veered off the road and parked in front of her. More than likely, I’d have to pull her car out of the little ditch she was in.
