Tic-Tac-Mistletoe - N.R. Walker Page 0,12
She lives with her husband. His name is Josh Hampton, if that helps.”
Ren nodded and picked up the little hand receiver again. “He should be on this channel,” Ren said, then pressed the button on the side. “Baker County Sheriff, come in. Baker County Sheriff office, come in. Over.”
There was a lot of static but after a few seconds, a voice cut in. “This is the Sheriff’s office. Over.”
“Hey Ronny, it’s Reynold Brooks here. I know you’re probably busy with the lines down and all but I have a communication request. It’s not life-threatening. Over.”
“Ren, good to hear from you, son. Don’t normally do communication requests. What’s the problem? Over.”
“I have a guy here who was travelling through and his car ran off the road. He’s fine, Ronny. There are no injuries, and McGee’s are taking his car so I said he could stay here at my place. But he was supposed to be arriving at his sister’s in Mossley, and we have no way of letting her know he’s okay. He’s arrived from Australia today and she’s expecting him, so she must be worried sick. I was wondering if you could let the Mossley police know and they might be so kind as to let her know. Over.”
There was a beat of silence. “You said he’s not injured? Over.”
“No, no injuries. Over.”
“Well, good. Are you safe, Ren? You shouldn’t be letting no strangers into your home, son. If you want me to drive out and bring him back here, I’ve got a holding cell that’ll do just fine. Over.”
I blanched at that and Ren laughed. “No, it’s all good, Ronny. I’m more than capable of looking after myself. Over.” He rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, I know. Just pays to be careful, okay? Now, have you got a name and address and a telephone number for this sister of his? Over.”
I dashed back to grab my phone, and when I got back, he’d finished giving the name and address. I found Liv’s number and handed over my phone so Ren could read it directly.
“I can’t make any promises, but I’ll see what I can do,” Ronny said. “They’re working to restore phone lines, but this storm should move out by tomorrow anyhow, just in time for Christmas . . . Say, speaking of, you have yourself a Merry Christmas, Ren. This time of year probably won’t be easy, and especially now your dad’s gone. Poker nights just aren’t the same without him. So you take care, and if I hear anything from the sister in Mossley, I’ll be in touch. Over.”
Ren’s smile was gone, his shoulders seemed a little lower. Oh man. “You too, Ronny,” he replied, his voice quieter. “Have a Merry Christmas. Give Geraldine my best. Over.” He replaced the hand receiver in its cradle and tried to smile. “Hopefully they can let your sister know.”
“Thank you,” I offered gently, trying to read his expression. He was guarded and trying to be polite, this kind stranger who had obviously not long ago lost his father. I wasn’t sure what I could say, given I didn’t know him, only that he’d been incredibly generous and welcoming. “I really do appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
His smile brightened, though it was still twinged with sadness. “You hungry?”
“Um . . . I suppose.” I shrugged. “I’m so tired, I don’t know what I am. But I’m trying not to fall asleep just yet or I’ll be awake at 3:00am.”
“A belly full of food will help you sleep.”
“True.” I turned to the back windows, to the snow falling and swirling, made even prettier by the fading daylight. “I can’t believe this is normal for you.”
That made him smile. “What’s winter like for you?”
“Back in Sydney? Windy and cold, with temperatures that would probably be a summer day for you.”
“No snow?”
“Nope. A bit like LA, I guess.”
He nodded as though that made sense, then walked back to the kitchen and waited for me to follow before closing the door behind us. “So, you’re here for two years, huh?”
“Yeah. Well, that’s what my visa says. My sister came for two years, loved it, and stayed. That was four years ago.”
“You haven’t seen her in four years?”
I shook my head. “Nope. We do FaceTime and Zoom chats. But not in person.”
He took some containers out of the fridge and sat them on the counter. “I’m sorry you couldn’t see her today.”
Now it was my turn for sad smiles. “Me too.”
“Mossley is about forty miles from here,”