Chapter One
Julie
I lay back onto the thin mattress, adjusting to avoid the sharp springs that are poking into my back. The light from outside flickers in through the window and whatever drug deal that’s going on downstairs sounds like it’s going bad. I stare up at the stained popcorn ceiling, getting lost in the variants of browns, yellows, and blacks, hoping to distract myself, but nothing helps.
How did I end up here?
My phone rings on the table next to me and I reach over to answer. It’s my friend Angie. She works at the diner on Main and she’s a certifiable worrywart, which means if I don’t answer, she’ll send a brigade of people out looking for me, which is the opposite of what I want.
“I’m alive,” I say, holding my phone up to my face. “I just need a break.”
“A break from the people who love you? Where are you?”
I don’t dare tell her where I’m staying, or she’ll freak out. “I drove up to that cabin by the lake for a few days. I’ll be back soon.”
“You know, you should really come back. I think you’re going to win this thing.”
I shake my head and roll my eyes. “It’s not a sure-fire thing. Mrs. Richardson is running on getting the miners out of town. Maybe people don’t want them there. Some days it does get disruptive.”
I can almost see her eyes rolling. “So come back and tell people why the miners are important to the town.” She says the words as though it’s that easy. “I don’t get it. You’re always so brave. Why are you running now? The election is only a week away.”
I let out a hard and heavy sigh as I stare at the lights flashing through the window. I’d guess it’s a neon sign of some sort, but I can’t see it from this vantage point. Instead, I’m looking straight toward the side of an old brick building.
“I know you’re trying to help, and I appreciate it, but I need a second to process everything that’s happened.”
A heavy thud hits the outside of my door and I jump up, my heart racing.
“What was that?” Angie asks through hyperventilating breaths.
“I bumped my leg,” I lie again, but it’s one of those little white lies that keeps her panic at bay. If I were to tell her there was a bad drug deal going on that’s been making its way up the stairway for the past twenty minutes, I think she’d have a heart attack.
“On what?” Of course, she’d ask for elaborations.
“Why are you so worried about me? I’m fine. I just need a minute to process everything. That’s reasonable, right? People need space. That’s a thing.”
“Yes, but you’re in the middle of running for mayor. You can’t just disappear. Besides, what is it that you need space to process?”
“I just need a distraction. If you want to talk, maybe you can tell me about your new boyfriend. I hear he’s a mechanic at the bike shop?”
She grumbles. “Can’t we talk about your problems instead? Mine are so boring.”
I laugh. “No way. I want details on biker boy.”
“He’s not a biker,” she scoffs playfully. “He just rides bikes.”
“Umm… so a biker.” I smile. “And what kinds of kinky things are you and this biker doing? I imagine lots of chains and—”
“God, no!” She sounds appalled. “We barely know each other. He’s busy getting his business off the ground. I think the most we’ve said to each other was something about the weather.”
“Probably how hot it is, right?” I’m grinning ear to ear, though I’m not sure Angie is having the same response. She’s much shyer than me and I’m sure talking about sex has her cheeks redder than a storybook apple.
“Whatever! Let’s get back to you and your crazy life. Where are you really staying?”
Another thud hits the thin wall outside my room. With this one comes some pretty loud yelling.
“I can hear all that noise in the background. It sounds like you’re in the middle of a street fight. I know you’re not at the cabin.”
I’m not sure she’d believe a lie about watching a movie. The cabins run on generators, so it’s plausible, but I’ve made it loud and clear I’ve never been into movies. Books have always been my thing. I’ve run my mayoral campaign on bringing a bigger library to Rugged Mountain.