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After making sure my borrowed wig was in place, I hurried down the stairs. Instead of going through the shop, I circled the building to check the sky. It was close to noon, and the sun was shining right where it was supposed to be. A gentle, airy breeze shuffled the air and danced along the sidewalk, kicking up leaves.
Standing in front of the broken window was one of the Cozy cousins. Zo nestled a basket in the crook of her elbow as she peered into Twisted Sister’s front door. Concern pulled her normal smile into a frown. She caught me walking up before I could call out to her.
“Oh, there you are,” she said. “Ru and I heard about your window and Nell’s close call.”
“It’s been a day,” I said, struggling to sound optimistic.
Zo chuckled softly. “I bet.” She lifted the basket. “We packed you guys some BLTA’s and tater tots. You guys need more than cinnamon rolls and caffeine to get you through the day. Especially times like this. There’s even enough for Gill.”
I took the basket as she held it out. “Thanks,” I said. “Nell and Jade will be touched.”
“Great,” Zo said. She turned to the broken window. “Was this another one of Nell’s near miss disasters?”
I shook my head. “No, this was intentional.”
Zo’s eyes went wide. “Really? Did the police—”
I filled her in. “Gill called it in, but we have heard nothing since then. That was hours ago.”
“When?” Zo asked. She ran her fingers along the plywood.
“Seven-ish?” I guessed. Without my phone to check the time, the hours smooshed together.
“That’s rush hour at the Cozy,” Zo said. “Maybe one of our customers saw a suspicious person. I’ll ask.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“Looking out for one another is what we do in the Canyon,” Zo said. “We’ll figure out who did this.”
“I’m sure Nell and Jade would love to know you’re helping.”
Zo waved off my sentiment. “It’s nothing they wouldn’t do for us. I better get back to Ru. Lunch isn’t as crazy as breakfast, but I shouldn’t be gone long. Especially when the weather is about to turn. I’ll text Jade if we think of something.”
I looked to the sky. Zo must’ve noticed something I couldn’t. Or maybe she listened to the same forecasts as Jade. Would she and Ru be laying out sandbags as well?
“Thanks again for lunch,” I said as Zo turned and walked away.
She wiggled her fingers behind her in farewell. I drew back the festive blue napkin that covered the basket. Its retro appeal and smattering of embroidered daisies would delight Jade when she saw it. The Cozy cousins were sweeter than pie. I tucked the napkin into place before hurrying to the garage.
Gill’s feet stuck out from beneath Delish Mode’s front bumper. My shoes crunched on his sunflower seed shells as I approached. The sound alerted him to my presence without giving him a jump scare.
“Jade?” he asked, still under the car.
“It’s Penny.” I crouched closer to his level as he slithered his way out.
“Ah, but Jade sent you. Am I right?” Gill dropped whatever tool he’d been holding. He wiped his forehead, smearing grease above his eyebrows. His oil-slick unibrow lifted as he waited for my reply. “The flash flood, right?”
“How’d you guess?”
Gill pulled a blue rag from his pocket. He rubbed it between his hands. “Heard it on the radio. Jade’s always freaking out over news reports.”
I hadn’t picked up on Jade “freaking out” over anything except the Raven. Then again, this was my first weather alert with her.
“She said to get you. I brought lunch.” I showed him the basket.
“The Cozy cousins?”
“This town keeps everyone well-fed.”
Gill snorted. “Let me guess, Jade wants me to put out sandbags?” I nodded. Gill said, rising to his full height, “That’s what I figured. Lunch will have to wait.”
“How’d you hear about the flood? Weren’t you supposed to be asleep?”
Gill grunted and rolled his shoulders. “I was. Then the police called.”
“Did they catch the vandal?”
Gill’s frown was loud. “Nope, and unfortunately, the shop’s cameras weren’t working.”
“Isn’t that always the way?” Security cameras were no match for the Raven. If the vandal was part of his plan, then the Raven would protect him until the crucial moment.
“Promise not to tell Jade if I tell you a secret?”
I nodded. However, if it clued us into Raven business, it was a promise I’d be breaking. “I don’t want her to worry. She’s already terrified for her little sister.” I wouldn’t have used the word terrified, but again, Gill was much closer to the sisters than I was. No point in debating it. Gill continued, “No point in getting everyone in a tizzy over the latest Trevor scare.”
“A Trevor?” Jade’s name for annoying pushy men tickled me.
“Yeah, the same as the last couple of days.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. Gill’s face left no room for doubt. “What does he want with the garages?”
“Who knows? He might have followed the girls one night when we were working on D.M. Maybe he thought he could catch them off guard.”
“Good thing they have you.”
Gill rolled his eyes, making the smear of facial hair waggle. I pointed to my forehead. “You may want to clean that up.”
Catching the hint, Gill rubbed the smudge from his skin. “Thanks. Let’s get these to the front of the shop.” Gill pointed to his golf cart. The wheels dug into the gravel under the weight of the sandbags piled in the back.
“You have them already?”
“I had a stash in my greenhouse. Want to give me a hand?”
“I’ll do my best,” I answered.
“Hop in, and let's get this done. We’ll be the only shop on the street with sandbags piled by the front door.” I did as Gill asked while he locked up the Morris garage.
“Will Nell’s customers be about to get in around the bags?”
Gill winked. “If they want their appointment with Nell to stand, they’ll find a way. They always do.”
The ride to the front of the shop took a long time. I credited the lag to the added weight boring through the gravel. Gill parked right next to the front door before hopping out. The cart lurched forward and began rolling down the sloped street. I stomped the brake before putting the cart in park.
Gill blushed as he hurried to my side. “Geez, I’m sorry. I’m always forgetting that stupid brake.”
“No problem,” I said as I exited. “I’m glad I was there to stop it from joyriding down the street.”
“Hero Penny strikes again,” Gill said. His words rang hollow.
I shrugged them off. We were both tired and hungry and stressed.
“Where do we start?” I asked, nodding to the bags.
My attempts at helping Gill unload the first sandbag had me splayed out like a starfish on the street. The sandbag held me to the ground as the wind slowly returned to my lungs.
“They’re heavier than they look.” Gill hefted the bag from my torso and put it into place.
“How is it you pop up in time to be of help?” I asked Gill.
He answered, “You do the same thing.”
“Sort of,” I said. “Don’t you ever tire of catering to the sisters?”
Gill’s face fell, and a whoosh of breath shot from his mouth as he set down the first bag. “I get tired, sure. Not of the sisters. We’re family. Sort of.”
“Even family can grate on you.” I spoke from no genuine experience. Observation and foster families were what I knew of relationships in households. “Or so I’ve heard.”
Gill tracked around to the cart. “Sure, but that doesn’t change the facts. Family is family. Besides, it's nice being needed.”
I giggled. “You can tell them no.”
“Have you ever tried to tell Jade no?”
I thought back. I’d avoided confrontation with Jade but never straight-up said no to her. That I was outside, on a cloudless day, worrying over sandbags answered Gill’s question.
“That’s what I thought. It’s impossible. Can’t be done.”
“Especially if you have a crush on her.” The words came out without a thought. Sleeplessness loosened my tongue. I slapped my hand to my mouth.
Gill paused. “A crush?” He shook his head and lifted the next sack. “Is that what you think? Even if you’re right, Jade’s not on the market.”
“What does that mean?”
“She’s holding out for a superhero.”
I winced at Gill’s choice of words. “There’s no such thing.”
“Exactly,” Gill said. He finished toting the last bag. The look on his face was unreadable. Tired maybe? Sad probably?
Either I’d hit too close for comfort with my crush statement or I’d offended him greatly. Walls that hadn’t been there before were erected in moments. Gill's smile went from friendly to fake, and his gleaming wink shifted from cute to concerning. Score another gutter ball for Penny Nicols.
He drove me to the garage without a word. It felt weird with Gill. There wasn’t any job to complete and no sister to start up a conversation with. Just weirdness. “Help yourself to a sandwich.” I nodded toward the basket I’d left on the hood of D.M.
“Nah.” Gill acted casually. “I’m heading home. See you later.”
I stood with Gill as he double-checked the area and relocked the garage. The lunch basket dangled heavy from my arm.
Without another word, Gill jumped into the driver's seat of the golf cart. He had the engine on and his portable stereo going before offering me a backward wave. I guess his chivalry was only for the Morris sisters. I didn’t mind; being on my own was my lot in life.
Gill’s radio crackled. Pins and needles poked along my arms and neck. It took only the first beat of David Bowie’s Heroes playing to alert my Raven radar.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked the blasted bird.