the elevator dinged and the doors slid open to reveal the garage, I stepped out quickly.
The limo was parked only a few spaces away. A tall, lanky man wearing a suit was standing against the hood, waiting for me.
“Where we headed?” Dalton asked.
I had no luggage of any kind. I had a spare bag in the limo trunk with a few basics…I wasn’t even sure what was in there. A tee shirt and gym shorts, I thought. Maybe some shoes.
“The airport,” I said, without thinking.
Dalton seemed surprised when I got into the front passenger seat. He smiled and took his place behind the wheel. He started the car and pulled out, heading for the upper level and the streets beyond.
“Need me to call and book a flight?” he asked. “Where you going?”
“Alaska,” I replied. The word came out of my mouth like I had planned it all along but truth be known, it was the first, most remote place that came to my mind.
“Alaska? Jesus. What the hell for?”
“Why not?” I shrugged, not looking from the tinted window.
“Sure thing.” Dalton laughed and nodded. “Any place in particular you wanna go?”
“Nope. Just away from here.”
“You got it.” Dalton picked up his phone and punched in some numbers. Within a minute or so, he was on the phone with the airport, setting me up on a flight to some where in Alaska.
I chuckled as the limo cruised down the street. Nice job, Jack, I thought. Let’s get out of here.
3—Mac
When customers like Amber Dawson come into the store, I wished that I had the budget to hire at least one more cashier so I could hide in the back. As it was, there was only myself and the two part-time employees, meaning that I carried the bulk of the hours on weekdays—particularly the middle of the day when the place was basically dead.
Not that I had anything against her. I mean, hell, a while back, I had once been like Mrs. Amber Dawson: unemployed, bored, beautiful, and a gossip. It was a pretty lethal combination. If I was being honest, the real reason I didn’t like to be around Amber wasn’t because she was a gossip. It wasn't even because she was nosy and a know-it-all. I cringed around her because Amber reminded me of how I used to be, before the divorce.
When Amber walked through the front door of The Pine Way, I became very aware of my frayed brunette hair, the dark circles under my eyes, the weathering of my flannel shirt, and the fact that I was always tired. Amber was simply the kind of person that made you aware of your own faults—not on purpose, but by default.
“Hey, McKinley,” Amber chirped, her voice like music, her smile like a radiant crystal chandelier. “How’s it going today?”
“Going,” I said. I did my best to look busy with the inventory sheet behind the counter, but failed miserably. “You?”
“Well, I was wondering what the latest and greatest was in organic power bars. I’m starting this new class at the gym that’s a combination of Yoga and Pilates and was looking for something with lots I energy that doesn’t taste like cardboard.”
Pretentious, I thought. What the hell do you need a class like that for? You’re perfect.
Of course, I didn’t say anything. I walked quickly from behind the counter and led Amber down the center aisle of the store. The Pine Way was a small store for outdoors enthusiasts, carrying food, clothing, gear and all things in between. The décor looked like a log cabin, right down to the immaculate cross beams that ran along the roof. In the winter months, we even kept the fireplace going, complete with rocking chairs to either side. But being June, there was no need. Even in Alaska, most people didn’t find much need for burning perfectly good fire wood when the weather was as beautiful as it currently was.
I led Amber to one of the newer power bar selections. I actually knew very little about many of the food and supplements the store carried, even though I owned the place. I just simply didn’t like the way they tasted, but I knew that lots of the hikers and marathon runners were really into certain brands.
“The GoBar,” I said, indicating the box on the shelf and hating the way it made me feel like a salesman. “The hikers that have been coming in here swear by it.”
“And it’s not fattening?”
“Not as far as I know. There’s