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“That’s the third time today somebody’s told me that.”

She doesn’t answer. “Watch the counter while I sort through the freezer.”

Marthe disappears into the back room and I turn around to find a man at the counter. Does no one in this town use a door?

It takes a second to place him. It’s the fireman.

“Hi. What can I get for you?” My head’s still pounding, but I grab a pad and pen, glad of something to do with my hands. They shake when I press the tip to the paper.

“You’re Ellery, right?” Grinning at me the way he did that first morning. Still in a too-small T-shirt, but he has the decency to throw a jacket over those arms today. An ice hockey player in a fireman’s uniform. Willow would climb him like a tree.

“Yeah.” Everyone knows my name, but I don’t know theirs. Though the easy familiarity makes the hair on my neck stand up. “Sorry, have we met?”

“Not officially.” He holds out a large hand. “Dominic.”

I take it lightly, and he holds it between us longer than would be polite. His skin feels like Nick’s, cool under my warm touch. I jerk mine away.

“You okay?” he asks, and his easy charm slips into concern. He glances out the window, then back at me, and lowers his voice. “Did something happen?”

“I—” Did it? I dig around for it, and there’s nothing but a headache and sand slipping through my fingers. “I don’t know,” I admit, and hate how lost I sound. “Why would you ask that?”

“No reason. Maybe stay in?”

“Can you check how many sacks of coffee are under the counter?” Marthe calls from the back room.

“Sure thing,” I yell through the doorway and turn back to Dominic.

He’s gone. The front door is firmly closed. The bell hasn’t made a sound.

What? Maybe I imagined it. I lean across the counter to see if he’s spontaneously combusted or shrunk to the size of an ant. The stool top spins gently.

“Everything okay out there?” Marthe’s voice floats through.

A whole town behaving as if there’s a storm coming, two men who move like ghosts, and a pounding headache. I tie my apron and count the sacks.

“Five bags,” I call out.

Then I put the coffee on and try not to notice that I’ve got one eye on the empty street like Roslyn and Marthe.

Chapter 30

Ellery

The only people that come in for dinner are two young guys in a camper van, passing through on their way to Denali.

“Closing up early tonight,” Marthe says as soon as they leave. “Flip the sign and stack the chairs. I’ll wipe down the booths.”

“Hey, Marthe.” I follow her to the kitchen as she buses dirty plates and loads them into the dishwasher. “Is there something going on? Around town?”

She straightens up after she starts the machine. “What do you mean?”

“Something’s off. People seem jumpy…” I let the sentence hang in the air. “And Nick insisted I stay in after dark, but he didn’t say why.”

“Good advice.” She walks into the back room. “Listen to Nick. It’s not safe to be out at the moment.”

“Why?”

“It’s complicated. Just know⁠—”