Page 57 of Colton’s Inferno

“I’ll give you a minute to get ready,” he said.

Lucy picked up her shirt. The silk was wrinkled. One of the buttons hung by its thread. What would her grandmother think to have her favorite shirt look like a dust cloth?

Well, maybe it wasn’t that bad. But she should have been more careful with something that didn’t belong to her. Lucy stripped out of Aiden’s shirt and redressed in her bra and top. She went to the living room. Aiden stood in the adjacent kitchen, measuring coffee grounds into a filter. Her jeans were on the floor, and she stepped into those as well. Her phone was on the end table. She hit the home button.

It was 5:52 a.m.

Grandpa Rusty was definitely working already. If she hurried, she could get back to the ranch and have breakfast ready and waiting for when he got home. She tucked her phone into her back pocket. Her shoes were by the door. She stepped into them. “I’m heading out,” she yelled toward the kitchen.

“Hold up one second,” said Aiden.

He came out of the kitchen a moment later, holding a stainless steel cup with a lid. “I made you coffee. It’s not from freshly ground beans,” he said. “But it’ll wake you up on the way home.”

She took the offered cup. “Thanks,” she said. “I’ll get this back to you.”

“That’s all part of my master plan,” he said, smiling wider.

She laughed. It was time for her to go. But what now? Did she kiss him? Give him a hug? Just leave? “Well, thanks for everything.”

“I hope we can get together soon,” he said, reaching for the door handle.

She held up the coffee cup. “I will get this back to you.”

He placed his lips on the side of her head. “Soon,” he whispered into her hair.

“Soon,” she echoed.

Without a backward glance, she left the apartment and took the steps down to the foyer. She opened the door and stepped into the morning. The air was cool. Folding her arms across her chest, she walked quickly down the sidewalk. The traffic light glowed. The lights inside the beauty salon were also lit. The concrete was damp, and puddles filled every pothole on the street.

Her car was parked one block away. Hers was the only vehicle at the curb. Fishing the keys from her front pocket, she unlocked the door and pulled it open. Lucy slid behind the steering wheel and started the ignition. She placed the cup in a holder as the engine purred. The road was empty, and she pulled onto the street.

The drive home passed in a blur. Soon, the entrance to the Five Steers Ranch came into view. She turned onto the dirt lane that led to the house. The track was pitted, and much of the gravel had been washed away by the rain.

She added new gravel to the long list of expenses and tasks that needed to be addressed. She pulled up next to the house and turned off the engine. The truck was already gone. No surprise there. She opened the door and stepped onto the damp grass. The tarp, used to cover Grandpa Rusty’s car, was piled near the house. The folds were filled with rainwater. She spread it out on the damp grass. The car could be covered later.

She climbed the steps and opened the front door. The scent of coffee hung in the air. She went to the kitchen and flipped on the overhead light. She wasn’t sure when Grandpa Rusty would be back, but she planned to have breakfast waiting.

And after that? Well, she didn’t know what would happen next.

After Lucy left, Aiden couldn’t stay in his apartment. He’d made himself a quick breakfast. Then, he got in his car and drove to his mother’s condo, which was twenty minutes outside of Red Grove.

He parked in a visitor’s spot and turned off the engine. He got out of the car and walked up the sidewalk. Standing on the stoop, he lifted his hand, but hesitated. It wasn’t even 7:00 a.m. It didn’t matter that he’d told his mother he would stop by on Sunday to fix her dishwasher. A lot had happened since he made that promise. He should have called first.

Then again, he came all the way and wasn’t going back. He pressed the doorbell. The sound of chimes came from inside the condo.

Emily opened the door a moment later. She wore a white robe, and her hair was wound into a bun.

“Aiden, honey,” she said. “What are you doing here so early?”

How was he supposed to explain to his mother that after one night with Lucy everything in his apartment reminded him of her? That he couldn’t stay in his own home, not without being haunted by memories. “I stopped by to check on your dishwasher.”

“Come in,” she said, opening the door wider. “Let me get you something to eat.”

He stepped into her condo. The first floor consisted of a great room, with a galley kitchen. The two areas were separated by a breakfast bar and four barstools. A cup of tea and a folded newspaper sat on the counter. Light blue drapes hung over a sliding glass door that led to a deck.

Emily closed the door and followed Aiden. “What can I get you to eat?”

Sliding onto one of the barstools, he said, “I ate already.” He needed to keep busy. “Where are your tools? I can get started on that dishwasher.”