I nosed my car out of the hospital parking lot and waved my thanks to the minivan full of tourists that let me in front of them. Then I sighed and switched on my radio, resigning myself to the slow crawl back into town.
It was the official start of the season. Friday evenings in June in Reckless Falls always brought a line of cars that stretched for miles. Like a slow parade into town. The population swelled to ten times its normal amount. Every hotel and bed and breakfast had a No Vacancy sign out front. And every cafe and diner was packed with people celebrating the start of the season.
The sun was still high in the sky over Whaleback Mountain. It would be light past nine tonight, and everyone was taking advantage of it. The deep blue lake was dotted with boats and Jet Skis whined so loud I could hear them over my radio. Main Street was so clogged that pedestrians ambling along the sidewalk moved faster than me. Normally this would bug me. I avoided Main Street all summer long.
But tonight I had a reason to brave the crowds.
I was headed to see my friend.
Lake Country Tours was wedged between Mrs. Feathergill's dusty antiques store and Scoop's Ice Cream Station. A good location, especially in summer time. I pulled into the municipal lot behind it. I parked, then reached into my pocket one more time to make sure I had my phone.
A bootprint just under her window like that meant someone was looking in. Were they making sure she wasn't home?
Or were they watching her while she was?
Both thoughts unnerved me in equal measure. And I knew they'd unnerve Cal too. I'd have to be cagey about how much I told him.
When I opened the door, he looked up and raised his eyebrows in quick greeting before returning his attention to the older hippie-looking couple seated at his desk. As he went over tour packages, I paced around his shop, picking up brochures and putting them back down again.
"Hey man," Callum greeted me once older couple packed up. They looked immensely pleased.
"Hey." I sat down and waved one of the brochures. "I just read about a new excursion I want to try. When are you going to start offering donkey rides down the gully?"
"Why? You volunteering to be one of the asses?" He grinned as he shook my hand.
"You want asses, not assholes. I'm completely overqualified."
"Touché. What's going on? Weird seeing you here at work."
"I know. I should stop by more."
"Nah. Neither one of us wants you to do that."
"True. I'd hate to embarrass you by witnessing your failure."
He leaned back and stretched. "Failure my ass. I booked fifteen tours for the next week. Man I love summer."
"Harper's not going to like that," I pointed out.
"She'll like the money. Diapers cost a fucking fortune and I swear Ellie poops every fifteen minutes."
"That's why I like being an uncle. She shits herself, I can give her right back."
"Oh come on, you know you want your own little rug rat. But first you'd need to get laid."
"Fuck you." I grinned amiably and pulled out my phone.
A text message blinked on the screen. "I didn't see you before you headed out, so just a reminder, see you tomorrow at the Country Club 7PM," the message from Hal read.
I sighed heavily and ignored it as I swiped to my photos. "Hey. Make yourself useful," I said to Cal, "Look at this picture." I flicked to the shot of the two bootprints. "The one on the right, with that tread, is that a hiking boot?"
Cal looked at me quizzically before leaning forward. "The smaller one? Yeah, probably. Though based on that tread pattern I'd say it's more of a hiking shoe."
"Shoe?"
"Yeah. Someone who does trail running or something like that." He leaned back again. "Why do you ask?"
I pressed my lips together. Telling him why I had this picture would mean telling him why I was outside of Brynn's house. He'd asked me to check in on her, true. But he'd done that because he thought my feelings for her were sisterly and innocent. I needed to distract him, and setting up a joke at my expense was the easiest way to do that. "Some asshole keeps cutting across my lawn." I lied.
"Oh no, is he trampling your flowers?" Cal took the bait immediately. "Not your hydrangeas, the horror!"
I sighed. "Go on, let it all out."
"I hope the brute gets scratched by your rose bushes. It'd serve him right."
"Those were there when I bought the place," I pointed out.
"Doesn't matter. You still spend way too much time pruning them."
"You have to prune roses. It keeps them healthy."
Cal fixed me with a withering glare. "Just once," he sighed. "Just once I'd like you to fuck something up. Anything. Let your grass die. Forget an appointment. Get tomato sauce on your shirt."
"Not gonna happen." I stood up and shook his hand again. "I have to give you something to aspire to."
He sighed. "Grayson and Harper call me a control freak. But I've got nothing on you, man." He clasped my hand. "Where you headed now?"
I looked down at my watch. "You working late?"
His face fell. "Yeah, I'm here till nine. Too much business to snap up."
The bell over the door jingled. I nodded. "Keep my niece properly diapered," I hissed to him.
"Thanks man," Cal said, distracted. "Hi, welcome to Lake Country Tours!" he called to the milling tourists.
I walked from his shop feeling a mix of amusement and admiration. Amusement at Cal running a business and being forced to deal with the public in a civilized manner. Admiration because my friend was doing well for himself and his family.
I pulled out my phone and swiped to the unanswered text message from Hal.
"I'll be there," I typed back.
He must have been waiting by his phone because he replied instantly. "Don't forget to bring a date!"
I took a deep breath and shoved my phone back in my pocket. There was only one person I could imagine bringing with me to this function. I'd just finished talking to her brother. And now I was turning the corner towards her father's bar.