“Of course, dear.” She handed me a piping-hot mug of tea. “If you need a ride, I could give you one after the hot chocolate is ready.”
“No, that’s okay. I can wait out the rain. I need to get some more miles in today anyway. Thank you for the offer, though.”
“You’re welcome, dear,” she said with a kind smile.
Mr. Covington looked down at his cell phone. It was one of those old flip phones that was probably older than my twin sisters.
“Brodie and Willow haven’t seen Ryan today. They said he isn’t answering his phone.” There was an edge of concern in his voice.
Hana frowned. “Maybe we should call his parents?”
The older man nodded. “I think that’s a good idea.”
“Excuse me,” I asked hesitantly, “are you looking for Preach?”
“Yes. He didn’t show up for his regular shift, and we’re a little worried,” Mr. Covington said. “Do you know him?”
“A little better than I want to, sir.” I held up my braced wrist.
“Oh…you’re the girl,” Hana said, her gaze shifting to my hand. “Just came in from Alaska.”
“Boy, this really is a small town,” I said as I eased onto a wooden chair before the kitchen table.
Hana chuckled as she stirred some chocolate powder into one of the eight cups she’d filled with hot water. “That it is.”
So Preach was a no-show for volunteering today? He’d been really upset yesterday during our blow up at the Taste of Rome, but I thought he would have calmed down by now.
“How’s your hand?” Mr. Covington asked while he set a pile of chocolate chip cookies onto a plate on the counter opposite from Hana.
It was so sweet, seeing them feeding the kids cookies and hot cocoa on such a cold, rainy day.
“Are you okay, dear?” Hana asked.
“Oh, sorry?”
“Does your hand hurt?” she asked.
“Not any more than normal, ma’am.” I sighed, sipping my drink again.
“You remind me of my Willow, working out no matter what the weather.” Mr. Covington grinned. “She always says it’s her time to think things through, solve problems, stuff like that.”
“Not sure it solved much today, but running usually helps to process things…at least, for the most part.”
“Is that what you were doing today in this dreadful weather?” Hana asked, topping off my cup with some hot water. “Trying to process something?”
I shrugged. “Kind of, but more like I needed to run off some frustrations.”
“Let me guess,” Hana said. “One of those frustrations is our RyanPreachArmstrong.”
That’d be a hard yes.
Chapter Fifteen
Preach
Droplets of water pelted me in the forehead. I rolled over. If freaking Wind was squirting me with a Super Soaker again, I was going to pummel him.
I swatted at him, but my hand landed on cool, wet blades of grass. My eyes shot open, and I saw dark, ominous-looking clouds floating above me. I blinked.What the hell?Clouds? But—