Chapter 1
Vivi leaned back against her truck, pressing a hand to the top of her hat and sighed. She glanced up at the sky, vibrant blue with lazy white clouds meandering along, blown softly by the breeze that had just begun to pick up, swishing her knee-length black skirt and ruffling her white blouse.
She should have just let Selah come get her.
She would have had the company at least. And probably a jelly roll or two, dusted with powdered sugar and made with all the love she’d missed this last decade or so. She looked mournfully at her dying phone and then up and down the long stretch of road. Nothing, both ways. Nobody. Just wide open fields and road as far as the eye could see.
No signal either.
And one veritable oven of a car to sit in.
She considered walking for a while, and then discarded that thought for the third time. The only thing she had packed, rather impractically for her, was her heels. She hadn’t thought about getting loafers until she’d walked into the station she’d left a few miles back. She wasn’t in the city any more. Nobody cared that she sported the latest fashions.
Life was simpler here – full of hardworking folks with stories to tell, a warm hug and a listening ear. It was why she’d left her imploding life behind and made her way out here. Her things were on the way, she knew, and here she was, stranded for hours with no cell service and no real way to find help.
She considered her options again.
One: get some help from a passer-by. More likely, though, as a (newly) single woman who looked like a city gal with little country experience, she’d find herself on the wrong side of a true crime podcast feature.
Two, hike the five or so miles it would take to the rest stop she’d left behind. Again, not an option.
Three, sit there and sulk. Boy, would Nana June have given her an earful at that one…
The first was her best bet. Too bad city folks didn’t just carry weapons around in their vehicles, or she’d be fine. Although technically her heels counted. She was sure that if she went missing, her ex, Leo, wouldn’t be so cut up about it.
“Jackass,” she said under her breath.
So, that left walking.
If she changed into her more comfortable wedge heels, maybe she could actually make the trip. And she was sure she’d packed a pair of jeans somewhere… the sweltering heat had made her opt against the warm material. They were the only pair she’d packed.
Wow, she admitted, after going back to her luggage for the third time, maybe Leo had been right about her inability to get her things together. In her defence, though, she’d been much too distraught to think about what she was putting in which bag. She had a blanket at least. And some lotion. That was practical… maybe.
She was so glad he couldn’t see her now – imagined his satisfied grin as he told her, once again, how much she’d messed up and how much she…
She heard it before she saw it, feeling equal parts scared and relieved. The low hum of an engine in the distance. She looked up and squinted at the road back the way she’d come.
It could be a killer. Or a Good Samaritan. Or someone who would blow right past her because maybe she was the killer in the driver’s scenario.
Either way, she was juggling several crappy options and needed to make sure this person slowed down to, at the very least, send help from her home town of Serenity Valley.
It turned out she didn’t need to worry about that because a tow-truck pulled up near her. Her relief, however, was short-lived, her smile falling slightly when she caught sight of the driver.
“Vivi?”
The nostalgia hit her like a wave; echoes of bygone days spent with him – the last person she wanted to see on this lonely road. Well, second last. Leo was still dead last. Jackass.
“Beck? Oh my God, hi!”
He stopped the truck and stepped out, still staring at her like he couldn’t quite believe it was her.
“How… how have you been?” he asked stepping up to her. His grease-stained overalls were partially open to his waist. New tattoos marked the skin of his arms and peeked over the neck of his vest. A new scar sat proudly on his cheek.
And none of that detracted from the rugged handsomeness that was Beckett Graham.
“I’ve… well, I’ve been better.”
He seemed to catch himself then looked at her truck.
“I can see that… uh. I think that came out wrong. You need some help?”
She chuckled despite herself. “What gave it away?”
The small lift at the corner of his mouth told her he hadn’t missed the mirth in her voice. It was a look that was just so… him it set her off kilter. And if the small stumble in his step was any indication, he hadn’t really been ready to see her either.
That was Vivi for you though. Witty, sassy and one to knock a man right on his ass if he wasn’t paying attention.
“I can give you a ride back into town and… maybe come back and have a look at your truck here.”
“Oh, yeah? I remember you worked at Joe’s Garage before. That going well?”
“Yeah. Really well, actually. I… uh… own it now.”
She had to admit she was impressed. As the awkward silence stretched between them, she grasped at the first thing that came to mind.
“You look… good.” He gave her a lopsided grin.
“Yeah, thanks. So do you.” He cleared his throat. “So, about that ride…”
“Yes!” she said quickly, latching onto anything to end this unbearable strangeness. “Yes, please. I’m meeting Selah there.”
“Awesome. Hop in. I’ll get you there.”
They were back on the road in no time, each wondering what trick of fate this was, throwing them back into each other’s orbit after all this time.
“I was real sorry to hear about Nana June,” he said after a few miles. “She was great.”
Her grandmother, Annabeth Kolu, had gone by Nana June to everyone in town. After her parents had passed away, she didn’t really have any other family. And now that Nana had passed, just as her life had imploded…
“The best,” she said wistfully, and then felt the sting of tears in her eyes. He quietly handed her some tissues from a box and that brought a laugh bubbling up.
“Since when do you keep tissues in your truck?” she asked. He chuckled. It had been a long time since she’d last been in his truck. And a lot had changed in the years since.
“I grew up some, I guess,” he replied, his drawl creeping up on them. “I have wipes too if you need them.”
She stared at him aghast.
“Okay, who are you?” Now it was his turn to laugh.
“Still me, just older and wiser,” then he added after a beat, “It’s… good to have you back Vee.”
“It’s good to be back,” she replied gently.
She was happy to realise, after they’d gone on for a while, that the silence that settled between them wasn’t so awkward any more.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
About a half-hour later, they were making their way onto the main street of the small town of Serenity Valley.
“Where are you meeting Selah? I can drop you off.”
“Oh, no. I don’t want to trouble you. Just here is fine.”
He set the car in park safely off the road and helped her fetch her bags. She murmured her thanks just as a loud squeal of delight cut through the air.
“Vivi!” yelled Selah, barrelling into her friend and gathering her into the warmest, tightest hug. It brought all the tears to the fore again, and, noticing her friend’s distress, Selah whirled on Beck.
“You!” she said, pointing a stern finger at Beck, “you better not have been mean to Vivi or I swear…”
He laughed and rubbed the place she’d poked him in the chest. Everyone knew that Selah didn’t make threats lightly, and Vivi was and had always been the final straw; the line that was never crossed lest you incur her wrath. Vivi laughed, coming to his defence.
“I’m innocent. I swear. Tell her Viv. I’ve been a perfect gentleman!”
In response, Vivi dragged her friend back into her arms with a laugh.
“He saved me actually. So let’s thank the nice man before we threaten him, okay?”
Selah narrowed her gaze at Beck in warning causing him to laugh again, before she turned and faced her friend hugging her back tightly.
“Okay. He gets a stay of execution.” She stuck her tongue out at him and he mock gasped. She finally smiled at that. Vivi watched the exchange with amusement, wondering when the two had gotten so close.
“Now come on, Vivi. Papa’s been waiting for you, and Mam’s made Jollof to welcome you back.”
Helpless at her friend’s enthusiasm, Vivi managed a quick goodbye to Beck as she was whisked off down the familiar street to her lodgings for the evening. It felt weird being back here. But, looking at her beaming best friend dragging her into the arms of her waiting family and talking with her like they hadn’t been distant for years… she felt that maybe she could get used to it after all.
