Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 125936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Yeah, that would likely require some explanation. Maybe an explanation he could make over dinner.
She turned his way and seemed to make a decision.
He stood up straighter because she was making a beeline for him.
She gave him a bright smile as she looked over the menu. “Could I get the boozy hot chocolate?”
“Absolutely.” He smiled back, hoping he could still find some charm. He had that. He’d lived off his charm for years. “How are you doing today?”
“I’m good. Are you from around here? I’m looking for a man named Mel Hughes. Do you know him?” she asked.
Oh, here was the crossroads. She was the military person looking for Mel? He could follow Bliss law that stated plainly “thou shalt not allow the government in”…or he could go with his dick.
“Sure do.”
Yeah, he was going to get kicked out, but when she smiled, he thought it might be worth it.
Chapter Two
Elisa looked around the charming fairgrounds the hot handyman had guided her to. The whole place was set up like a winter wonderland with snow on the ground and on the roofs of the buildings. Steam puffed out of the small shops vendors had set up. Children were playing all over the place, their parents looking on. Family seemed important to these people because she’d counted several obviously expanded families enjoying the day.
“So what’s it like?”
Sabrina had called mere moments before. “It’s a beautiful town. It’s kind of like being inside a snow globe. Or maybe a Hallmark Christmas movie. The bad news is I haven’t found any trace of my dad. I went out to the address we found but no luck. I then learned there’s a man with the same last name as my dad and I went to his place but there was this weird note on the door. Something about a bunker.” She hadn’t understood but had noticed the woman’s name on the note. The note had claimed that Mel and Cassidy had taken to the bunker along with Ripley—who might be their kid. Cassidy was the same name of the owner of the house she’d looked for her father at. “Apparently the Cassidy Meyer person isn’t in Dallas. Unless the bunker’s in Dallas.”
“You know the records list his middle initial as M,” Sabrina pointed out. “Are you sure they’re not the same person? Lots of people go by their middle names.”
“I’m not sure at all, but I have to find the guy first. Or his bunker. He seems to be some sort of prepper. I left a note,” she explained. “But I’m starting to think he might not call me back. It’s weird that so many records surrounding him are classified. I’m wondering if I shouldn’t back off. I might be stepping into something I don’t understand.”
She’d been thinking about it all morning. Well, when she hadn’t been thinking of the hot handyman. Mostly ruing the fact that the only man who’d caught her eye in a long time had a partner. Of course even if he hadn’t, there was a good chance he wouldn’t have looked at her the same way. He could be bi, but probably had pretty set sexual preferences.
“Absolutely not,” Sabrina said. “You are not quitting. You just got there. Give it a couple of days to find him and then decide if you want to get to know him. You are in…”
She knew exactly where her sister was going because this was well-worn ground. “…a unique position to explore the road not traveled. Yes, I know. I’ve even seen a couple of help wanted signs that look like seasonal work. I would have to find a better place to stay than the motel, but there are a couple of cabins for short-term rental.”
While she’d gone through the last of her treatments, she and Sabrina had talked about this trip, about how good it would be for her to get away from their childhood home for a while. Obviously if her dad turned out to be an asshole, she would cut the trip short and go back home to start her new life outside the military. But if it seemed like a relationship they both might want to pursue, she’d decided to hang out for a while. Get a job, rent a place, get to know her dad.
Mostly she wanted to see what else was out in the world for her.
“Excellent because I want to come out for holiday break and spend time in the mountains,” her sister said. “I think it will be good to spend Christmas somewhere else. Somewhere new.”
She would make it fun for her sister. The holidays the last few years had been dreary affairs, surrounded by death and illness, and she wanted to sit by a fire and drink hot toddies and enjoy time with her sister. “Yes, it will. It will be lovely, and I am going to find us a nice place.”