Page 9 of Chasing Shelter (Sparrow Falls #5)

Shep shifted in his chair. “When you come from the kind of background Trace does, control becomes important. Safety, too.”

My stomach hollowed out. I didn’t know Trace’s history. Just that he’d come to live with the Colsons when he was twelve. But you weren’t placed in foster care for happy, fun reasons. It was because of loss or something worse.

God, life could be a real dick. And not the good kind.

But it was also a great equalizer. It didn’t matter if you came from a background that meant you were struggling to get by or if you were part of the one percent of the one percent, life could still suck in the worst ways.

And the people who were supposed to care for you could do anything but.

The image of a tiny Trace swirled in my mind, alone and defenseless. I suddenly understood him a little more. But that didn’t mean I would stop trying to force him into a little fun and recklessness. All it told me was that he needed it more than ever.

“Good to know,” I said softly.

I felt Anson’s gaze probing the side of my face but didn’t look in his direction. I knew my expression could give away too many clues for a man who was a master at discerning them all.

“You guys need any refills?” I asked.

“We’re good,” Shep assured me.

Anson just grunted his agreement.

I turned in his direction. “Next time I see you, the goal is twenty whole words. I believe in you.”

Shep choked on a laugh as I raised my fist in the air. But I didn’t miss the twitch of Anson’s lips. “Victory!” I called as I backed away.

I got caught up in delivering food to a crowd made up of mostly locals. I’d met a few, but the majority were new acquaintances. I wasn’t surprised when all but two already knew who I was. That was small-town life.

I slid a plate in front of a woman I didn’t recognize, her eyes locked on me. “Here’s that breakfast platter for you. Do you need any refills?”

“You’re that Pierce girl, aren’t you?” she asked, not much warmth in her voice.

Tension wound through my muscles. I’d never wanted to change my name more than I had this past month. “Ellie.”

The woman’s lips thinned. “You and your brother have a lot of nerve sticking around here after what your father put poor Arden through. The stress he put on the whole Colson family.”

My hands fisted at my sides, my fingernails digging into my palms. “Well, seeing as Arden and Linc are engaged, I don’t know how she’d feel about Linc taking off, but I’ll be sure to pass along your concerns.”

I turned on my heel and stalked off before I said something I really regretted.

The problem was, I didn’t disagree with her on the father front.

Philip Pierce was a monster, capable of things I couldn’t have imagined just a couple of months ago.

And the thing that scared me the most was that his DNA wove through mine.

I startled as I nearly knocked into someone. Strong hands reached out to steady me. “Whoa, careful there, woman on a mission.”

I looked up into kind, brown eyes I recognized from the aftermath of Arden and Linc’s attack. “Deputy Fletcher,” I greeted, doing my best not to look like a deer caught in headlights.

“I told you, call me Harrison.” Those brown eyes narrowed. “Hey, you okay?”

“Just a hectic morning,” I said, forcing a smile.

He didn’t look especially convinced, but he didn’t press. “I didn’t know you worked here.”

My smile became a little more genuine. “I don’t. I just offered to pitch in because Thea’s new hire was a no-show.”

“Joey,” Harrison groaned. “That kid dances to the beat of his own drum.”

“I’m starting to think his drum never beats on time.”

Harrison chuckled. “It does not. Thea’ll have to hire someone else. I have no doubt.”

As I glanced around the still-crowded bakery, I winced. “I hope she finds someone quick.”

“I think I’ll keep my orders to go until she does,” Harrison said, nodding to the bakery bag and coffee on the counter.

“Smart man.”

He smiled wider and shifted slightly. “I heard you’re sticking around Sparrow Falls.”

Goose bumps rose on the backs of my arms, but I did my best to shove down the sensation.

Harrison wasn’t a private investigator breaking my privacy.

This was just the small-town grapevine, and I needed to get used to it.

“I am. It’ll be nice to be close to my brother, and I think a change of pace will be good. ”

Harrison nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I’d love to take you out. Dinner? Maybe a little town tour?”

I braced as if we were about to get into a car accident. In a way, maybe we were. “Thank you. That’s really kind, but I’m not dating right now.”

Harrison arched a brow at that. Nothing about the gesture was rude or unkind, but he was clearly surprised.

“I just got out of something pretty serious. I need a little time to get my sea legs back,” I explained.

Sympathy washed over Harrison’s expression, softening the lines of his face. “I get it. Tell you what, the offer stands. You feel like you’ve gotten those sea legs back? Give me a call.” He pulled out his wallet and handed me a business card. “My cell’s on the back.”

I took the piece of cardstock and shoved it into my pocket. “Thank you.”

Harrison grabbed his food and coffee. “Good luck filling in for Joey.”

“I’ll take all the luck I can get.”

He chuckled and saluted me with his coffee before heading for the door.

I rounded the counter and turned toward the kitchen, but someone blocked my path. Thea’s green eyes twinkled as she grinned at me. “That looked like an offer of a date.”

“Small towns,” I grumbled.

“Hey, I just have eyes. Small towns have nothing to do with it.”

“Do you know that half the people I served today knew who I was, where I was from, what I did for work, and probably had my social security number?”

Thea laughed. “I feel your pain. It tweaked me when I first moved here, but I’m used to everyone being in my business now.” She studied my face, trying to read beneath whatever expression I wore. “So…did you say yes?”

I shook my head, fighting the urge to rock back and forth on my feet. “I’m not ready. I need a little time.”

Thea’s expression fell, but she instantly moved closer, squeezing my shoulders. “Take all the time you need. It’s gotta be hard moving on from what you thought your life would be.”

What I thought my life would be. I wanted to laugh at that.

Not once in twenty-six years did I have control of my life.

Not in any meaningful way, at least. It felt like every molecule of it had been decided for me, from what I ate to who I was set to marry.

Telling Bradley we were over was the first time I’d stated what I wanted since the day I wished for a rainbow on my bedroom wall.

Sometimes, it felt like I’d died right alongside my mom. That my will to fight slipped away with her. Instead, I walked a tightrope, trying to keep everyone happy but me.

“I think I just need to stand on my own for a little while,” I said, not agreeing or disagreeing with Thea’s statement. Either path would give her information I didn’t want her to have.

She squeezed my shoulders before releasing them. “I get it. And I’m always here if you need to talk.”

“Thanks,” I said, side-stepping her. “Better get the next order.”

I dipped into the kitchen before she could respond. Walter had moved on to dishes now that we were through the worst of the breakfast rush. “One last order for ya,” he called over the spray.

“You got it, boss.”

“Now that’s the kind of respect I love.”

I chuckled as I grabbed a veggie scramble and headed for table five. I was already learning the map of the bakery and found weaving through the tables to drop off food or pick up empties was sort of a meditative practice.

As I approached table five, I took in the man sitting at it, poring over a newspaper. He wore a familiar Bloom & Berry T-shirt. A handful of years older than me, his tan skin had smile lines around his eyes, only accentuating the amber color.

“Veggie scramble?” I asked, holding out the plate.

The man looked up, his gaze sweeping over my face as if trying to place it. “That’s me.”

“Here you go,” I said, sliding the meal in front of him.

“New to The Mix Up?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Not really, just helping Thea in a pinch.”

“That’s a good friend,” he said. “I’m Duncan. I work with Thea at the nursery. ”

It was nice that he didn’t share that he owned the nursery—a fact I knew thanks to Thea. Bradley never missed an opportunity to let people know his family owned the hedge fund he worked for.

“Hi, I’m Ellie. I’ve been meaning to come by Bloom. I just moved into a new rental property and really want to make a butterfly garden. Mind you, I don’t know what goes into a butterfly garden, but it’s the goal that counts, right?”

Duncan laughed, making the dark, almost-black beard around his lips twitch. “Good thing about coming into Bloom is that we can help you with that. I’m pretty partial to butterfly gardens myself.”

He must’ve recognized the skepticism on my face because he let out another laugh. “Hey, a man can’t like butterflies?”

Heat hit my cheeks. “Of course, they can. I just…it’s a case of opposites. Burly mountain man and delicate butterflies.”

“I’m gonna take that as a compliment.”

“You should.”

“Well, come by anytime. I’ll be happy to show you around and tell you what those butterflies love.”

“Thanks,” I said, warmth lighting within me. “I really appreciate it.”

“No problem.”

I gave Duncan a nod and started clearing the rest of the empty tables, wiping them down. By the time I finished, it was after noon, and I was beat. When I reached the counter, Thea held out a to-go bag for me. “Lunch for my savior. I had Walter make your favorite.”

“Tomato mozzarella panini?” I asked hopefully.

“You know it.”

“Thank you. This is going to be perfect.”

“I’m the one who should be thanking you,” Thea said. “You saved my ass today.”

I waved her off. “I was happy to help. Honestly, it was nice having a little purpose. Since leaving my job, I’ve felt a little all over the place.”

“Well,” Thea began, “what would you think about working here? Just until you figure out what you want to do permanently. I could use the part-time help, and you’re great with the customers. The pay isn’t bad—twenty-three dollars an hour.”

She obviously hadn’t seen me smack down the rude lady, but I also didn’t think Thea would begrudge me for that. “Are you sure you want someone with no experience?”

“Pretty sure I can teach you what you need to know in an hour or two. Plus, I like you, which is a hell of a lot more than I can say for Joey.”

I chuckled at that. “I’m learning he’s a little flaky.”

“Understatement of the century. So, what do you say?”

I mulled over the pros and cons for a moment and then grinned at her. “I’m in.”

Thea let out a hoot and did a little dance. “You are saving me, Ellie Pierce. Thank you so much. I’ll email you a preliminary schedule tonight, and you can let me know if it works. We’ve got two other fill-in folks, so it won’t be full-time or anything.”

“Part-time is perfect.” It meant some structure, but not so much that I wouldn’t have time to find my way, and I needed that.

“Okay, get gone before I find something else for you to do.”

I laughed again. “I need to work on my leg strength. Being on your feet all day is hard.”

“You’ll get used to it. Don’t worry.”

I hoped she was right because, right now, a hot bath in the middle of the day sounded like heaven.

I gave Thea a wave, ditched my apron, grabbed my bag, and headed for the door.

The bell jingled as I stepped into the sunshine.

Even though fall had hit, it felt a little closer to summer with the sun out full blast.

I was making my way down the street past the adorable shops when a shout caught my attention. I looked, trying to find the source, and saw a car speeding past. One second, I was trying to make out the words, and the next, I was stumbling back as something crashed into my chest.

I only had a moment to register the stinging pain before I was falling.