“Aren’t you a dear? No, I brought leftovers today. I’ll handle the phone while you’re out.”
“Thanks.”
He dipped back into his office to grab his phone just as the phone rang from the local dispatch. Jackie spoke in hushed, muffled tones, but he immediately sensed that his lunch would be delayed.
“Sorry, sir. Accident on the main highway just past the Carson exit. No injuries. Asheville police in route as well.”
Instead of sighing at his lunch being delayed, Preston went back to his office to grab the keys for his cruiser. It wasn’t ideal, and he felt a bit bad at the driver’s misfortune, but at least this gave him something to do for the afternoon instead of pushing papers.
The sticky summer air clung to his skin the moment he stepped out of the building. That was something he was still struggling to get used to. The hot North Carolina air in the summer could be unforgiving and steal the breath right from your lungs.
His cruiser felt like a sauna as he slipped into the driver’s seat, but it was quickly remedied as the A/C pumped cool air into the cab. Taking a deep breath, Preston tried to rid himself of the melancholy feeling still swirling from the morning. Something was missing from his life, whether that be adventure or meaning, Preston wasn’t sure. But he knew he needed to keep his head on straight. Just because he was in a slower town didn’t mean that bad things couldn’t happen. His ex, and his reason for moving to the town, Sydney, could attest to that. Life could change at the drop of a hat and it didn’t care if you lived in a city of fifty or five million.
As Preston traveled the freshly paved road leading to the main highway, he began to wonder if the job was really what had him feeling out of sorts or if it was something else. Preston just couldn’t be sure what.
His mind flashed with the concept that maybe it was time for him to settle down, which only caused a burst of laughter to spew from his chest. He knew better than anyone that relationships were messy, but add in being married to your job and risking your life for others, and most women ran in the other direction.
No, a relationship wasn’t in the cards for him, nor did he ever want more than a woman to warm his bed here or there.
Arriving on the scene, Preston parked behind a mangled hunk of metal that had once resembled a silver sedan
wrapped around the post of an exit sign. Usually, accidents of this severity were fatal, but off in the thoroughfare ditch stood a man no older than twenty with a phone pressed to his ear. Even from his distance, Preston could see that the man was unharmed.
Stepping from the car just as the fire department arrived, Preston shook his head as he took in the damage to the vehicle.
It was a miracle the driver could extricate himself from the vehicle, let alone walk. But crazier things have happened, miracles that couldn’t be explained.
Preston had seen it far too many times.
The young man began to approach and Preston could easily see the shock and fear rippling from him.
“Hi there, I’m Sheriff Savage,” he began. And for the next two hours, Preston’s lunch was long forgotten as he took statements and worked with the tow truck driver to remove the car from the highway.
It wasn’t until Joseph Connelly and his team of volunteers left with the fire truck that Preston was alone. Watching the boy’s parents rush to his aid had left a small ache in his chest, but he was confident the pang had nothing to do with wanting more from a woman. And as he got back into his car, Preston sent a text to a woman from Asheville to see if she was free over the weekend. He may not want a relationship but was still a red-blooded man.
Maneuvering his car back toward Carson, Preston had a bit more pep in his attitude, if only it didn’t wither away as he thought about the papers he needed to finish signing by the end of the day. And now, with the accident, he had even more work on his plate.
With a groan, he pressed the gas. At least with the new plans for the weekend, he had something to look forward to because falling into the pit of despair disguised as paperwork was not how he planned to spend his days.
***
Shelly folded the last box's flaps, and with a quick hand, she taped the box shut that read kitchen. Her Greenwich Village condo had been wonderful for the last few years. A huge step up from her apartment in the Bronx. If she never stepped foot in that rusted building again, Shelly would be happy.
The sound of a remote control truck came barreling toward her with the giggle of her seven-year-old son in tow. Abel was the light of her life and though there were times when they struggled, he was always happy and well-mannered. Shelly knew she had truly lucked out.
“Mommy, can we go to the park to play with my truck?” he asked just as she stood from her squat on the floor.
“Well, I have a few more things to pack up, but how about we stop by the park on the way to grab a pizza for dinner? How does that sound?”
“Pizza? Mom, you’re the best!” her son shouted before scurrying off in the other direction.
She was sad to see her things packed up into only a handful of boxes, but she knew from experience that tangible items didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. For her, making memories was far more critical. Shelly learned that at a young age. Her mother had always said that things could come and go, but memories would last a lifetime.
Not that Shelly didn’t spoil her son a bit when she could, but putting money into savings for a rainy day was at the top of her list. She never wanted to spend another day struggling to live. DeShaun had taken everything from her except her child, and it left her having to leave college just before she graduated to make a new life for herself.
Her phone rang in the kitchen where she had left it charging and Shelly couldn’t help but smile as she took in the name that flashed across the screen. Cassidy, and her now-husband, Harlan, had changed Shelly’s life. She hadn’t known who the gorgeous blonde had been when she stepped into the dingy bar where Shelly had been waiting tables, but after an altercation with a customer and her boss, Cassidy and Harlan had come to her rescue. That night left her with a new job and a new friend.
It wasn’t until the next day that Shelly learned the woman had been the creator and CEO of Cassidy Designs. She didn’t know much about fashion, but even Shelly hadn’t been living under a rock. The name Cassidy exuded classic and feminine designs in the fashion world, but Shelly quickly learned they were expanded to international markets with a new line of everyday wear. Cassidy explained that she needed an executive assistant that could help her manage the new branches and help her keep her sanity amidst all of the changes.