Chapter One

 

Audio books were my favourite, and I could listen to them for hours, if the narrator were any good. However, the book playing over the speakers of my car was terrible, the voice grating yet monotone. It was supposed to be a fairy-tale retelling but instead of hoping the proverbial damsel in distress would be rescued by the supposed hero, I found myself wishing he’d run in the opposite direction as far away from her as possible.

Doing the same, I ejected the CD with a huff, tossing Cassidy’s Cryptic Cauldron onto the passenger seat, but the disc missed and hit the floorboard instead.

“Oh, for crying out loud.” I groaned and gripped the wheel as I bent over the consul.

The highway was deserted, so I took my eyes off the road for a split second and stretched out my arm until the edge of my fingertips touched the CD. Slowly I inched it toward me and grabbed it firmly, putting it back on the seat.

Correcting myself as I had drifted just over the centre line, I yanked the wheel hard to the right. Suddenly, a boom came from the front passenger side and the car tipped on the forward edge.

“Shit!”

I gripped the wheel with all my strength and stabbed the hazard lights button on my dash, nearly chipping a manicured fingernail. The car was heavy and difficult to control all the while the strangest sound circled around me.

My best guess? I blew a tire.

Slowly, shoulders scrunched up against my neck trying to drown out the awful sound, I drove the car over to the side of the road and put it into park.

I took a sip of my still-warm cinnamon-scented latte and reached into the back seat for my hat and mitts before I killed the engine.

Thrusting my fake-fur lined gloves on, I stepped onto the vacant road and walked over to the passenger side, staring at what was left of the shredded tire with a heavy sigh.

“Well, that’s bloody fantastic.” I tossed my hands into the air and let out an ear-piercing scream into the void of snow-covered, coniferous trees.

I was still a good thirty minutes outside of Cheshire Bay, and that was the nearest town.

The universe continued to rain down its parade of nastiness. If it wasn’t one thing going wrong over this blessed holiday, it was nine other things. Why couldn’t it be January already? Nothing major in my life ever went wrong in January. It was often too cold.

I opened the trunk and lifted the lid where underneath sat the spare. Never in my whole life had I changed a tire – I had no idea how that even worked, but youTube would have a video. However, as I scrolled, each video was in excess of twenty minutes, and my rapidly draining phone in the sub-zero temperatures didn’t have that kind of battery.

I should’ve stayed home. Made up some wild excuse to convince my sister I wasn’t making the drive, sent a sizable cheque to excuse my absence, and called it a day. That would’ve been better than making the painful drive to a place I swore I’d never want to see again. Instead, I’m stranded on the side of the highway, in the middle of nowhere, a good half hour drive from her place.

From our family’s summer home.

The one Mom died in fourteen years ago.

As anger at being delayed with another unexpected issue boiled, I dialled Lily’s number after climbing back into my cooling down car.

My younger sister picked up on the first ring. “Hey, Mona.”

“Hey, Lil. I’m going to be late.”

Majorly late.

“You’re not coming, are you?” My little sister’s voice fell in a self-defeating way.

My breath was visible in the glow from my phone, and I swore the dampness was freezing into miniature crystals.

“Of course, I am.” The need to chastise her on the tip of my tongue, but I closed my eyes instead. “I’m nearly there. However, the tire blew, and I need someone to come and help me change it. Can you recommend someone? I’m not sure the motor association comes out this far.”

“Isn’t that their job?”

I turned my face away from the oncoming lights. “Good point. And once I hang up, I’d give them a call. I just wanted to let you know I’ll be late.”

A semi hauling logs drove past me in the opposite direction.

“Just a sec.” She covered the phone and her voice muffled, but not enough as her words were easy to understand. “Eric, do you know someone who can change a tire? Oh, of course, why didn’t I think of that?” She cleared her throat. “If you drop me a pin, Eric and Mitch can come and change it for you.”

“Oh, gosh, that’s not necessary.”

“You’d rather pay?”

“That’s not it.” Money wasn’t the object; I just didn’t want to tear her fiancé and his friend away from their festivities.

“Drop me the pin.”

A blinding set of headlights slowed on approach and pulled over to the shoulder, tucking behind my car.

“Just a sec, Lil.” I locked my doors for good measure, having read too many horror stories on the internet. “Someone’s here.”

A heartbeat later, after a door slam, and a silhouette cut through the lights as the figure moved around the back end. It disappeared and a hand tapped on my driver window.

I lowered it just enough and held my phone in front of me. “Lily, hang on. There’s a guy here.” I stretched out my neck to speak through the three inches of space between the frame and window. “Can I help you?”

He laughed, a deep baritone sound. “Think I should be the one asking you that. Looks like you got a flat.”

“I do.”

“Want some assistance in changing it?”

“Thanks, my sister’s on the phone. I’m just working that out right now.”

“Who is it?” Lily asked.

“No idea,” I whispered back.

As if I knew. It had been too many years since I’d been out this way, and those I knew had likely left and moved into the big city.

He tugged on his red ball cap and glanced down the road. “Well, I’m here, and I have all the tools needed. Can have you back on the road in five minutes.”

Five minutes? That sounded too good to be true. How did I say no to that?

“Okay, thank you. Just a second.”

His silhouette reflected once again in the rear view mirror as he walked back to his truck.

“Lil, some guy is going to change my tire. I’ll send you my location. If you haven’t heard back from me in ten minutes, track me and call the police. However, if this guy’s on the up and up, it’ll save Eric drive time.” Sort of. For now, I was putting the guy into a holding pattern.

“Are you sure?” Her voice had all the hesitation I wanted to unload. No way was I making myself an easy target though.

“I’m sure.” I fiddled on my phone and dropped the pin. “Give me ten minutes.”

“Fine. I’ll be waiting. Stay safe.” She clicked off.

I put the phone in an inside pocket to keep it warm and to stop the battery from dying. Inhaling the last of the not yet frozen air, I exited the safety of my car and went to the trunk.

Keeping a safe distance from the interior, lest he toss me in my own trunk, I popped it open and stepped aside.

“I appreciate the help…” I tightened my jacket to the frigid air.

“Name’s Jesse.” For a heartbeat, he locked his eyes on mine.

“Well, yes, thank you, Jesse, for your assistance. I was driving and suddenly, it just blew.” I huddled into my jacket. The air was damp which made the cold seep into the depths of my bones.

“Figured as much when I saw fresh pieces of rubber a little ways back.” He reached under the mat and pulled out the spare, leaning it against the side of my car. “Just give me a minute to grab a jack and an impact wrench. Hop in my truck to keep warm.”

“No, that’s okay.” I’d rather shiver uncontrollably than give the stranger any opportunity to kidnap me. Paranoid? Sure, but I was also a realist. “I’ll watch, if you’re okay with it?”

“Suit yourself.” He disappeared into his truck and backed up.

Was he taking off?

Instead of driving away, he pulled deeper into the ditch and positioned his truck to light up the passenger side. I wanted to smack myself in the head for being so crazy and had to remind myself not every guy was an asshole. Just most.

A moment later, drill in hand, he stomped through the compact snow to the flat tire.

“Do you want a play by play?” A cheeky hint of a grin tugged on his lips and dimpled the divot in his chin as he positioned the jack under the front end of my car.

“Sure, why not?” I stood on the other side of him so as to not block the bright light while he pumped the jack.

Surprisingly, without an ounce of talking down, he walked me through the easy star pattern of bolt removal and pulled off the shredded mess and the rim, which needed replacing. The dummy tire, as he called it, was pushed into place and the bolts re-fastened.

“All good, miss.”

The jack hissed as it lowered my car, and Jesse slid it out.

“Wow, that’s it?” I needed to learn how to do that. It looked within my capabilities.

“That’s it.” He grabbed the shredded tire and set what was left of it back in my trunk. “You’ll need a new one, obviously. Where you headed?”

I swallowed and stared into his eyes. “Cheshire Bay.”

“Perfect. There’s a shop there, umm, something like Lenny’s Neighbourhood Mechanic.” He pulled off his cap and gave his head a scratch. “He’ll have a small selection of tires, but likely something that’ll fit your car.”

“Thanks. I truly appreciate your help. What’s the charge, and I’ll e-transfer you right now.” I pulled out my phone, but first, quickly sent a text to Lily, letting her know I would be back on the road within a couple of minutes.

“Nothing, ma’am.”

“I have to give you something.”

He covered the tire with the mat and closed the trunk lid. “Honestly, it’s all good. Pay it forward or something.”

I stood there, dumbfounded. “That doesn’t feel right.”

“What would’ve been right? Just leaving you here on the side of the road?” He grabbed his jack and drill, setting them into the box of his truck.

Hmm, he got me there. “Well, thank you.” The idea of this being a purely sweet gesture wasn’t sitting right. “Are you sure?”

Maybe I had some cash in my wallet. It’s too bad I hadn’t baked anything; those always went over well.

He kept a respectable distance. “Absolutely. You have a Merry Christmas.”

“Thank you. You too.” I stood there, shivering.

“Get into your car before you freeze to death.”

“Thanks again, Jesse.”

I hung there on the side of the road until another semi blew past us, the kick up of wind further reducing my internal temperature. With a quick wave, I hopped into my vehicle and started it up, blasting the heat. After rubbing my hands together to return some warm blood into them, I sent another text to Lily and within a moment, I was on my way.

Slowly, I pulled off the side of the road.

Jesse seemed to be following me, but then again, the desolate highway was the only one between Port Alberni and the turn off to Cheshire Bay. I didn’t pay it too much attention until he signaled left, like I did, onto the main road leading into the tiny seaside village.