Once Upon a Second Chance (Once Upon a Holiday Story #1)

Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Daniel

I was bundled under the large flannel blanket, Mayhem on my lap, a roaring fire, and a good book when my cell phone buzzed. Gary’s name appeared on the screen, and I immediately answered.

“Gary, is everything okay?”

“Hey, Mr. Laverton, sorry to bother you,” he began. I’d stopped asking them to call me Daniel—no one in this town ever did if they worked for me.

“No bother, is there a problem?”

“Well, I don’t know. I got the store closed up, everything went well, and the employees got home all right, I checked in. But I was just about to tuck in for the night when I got an alert from the internal alarm at the store.”

That was odd. “Could it be a glitch?”

“I thought maybe, so I called the company, and they said it was pinging from different locations in the store.”

Everlasting Springs was a quiet and safe town. In the last decade, we hadn’t had one robbery.

“Could an animal have gotten in?”

He hummed. “Perhaps. Sheriff Holden is nearby and said he’d check it out before the storm got too bad.”

“Very good. Please let me know.”

The call ended, and I had a hard time getting back into my book. Mayhem was purring in her sleep, so I smiled and gently stroked her fur. A strong gust of wind slammed against the house, and I worried, hoping the sheriff was safe.

I got up and looked out the window. Yeah, we were going to get a ton of snow; I was sure of it. The best upgrade to my home was the heated driveway I’d had installed three years ago. Just last year I’d had the walkways done and while I wouldn’t be able to go onto the roads prior to them being plowed due to the storm, it was a sound investment. So, no matter how much snow did fall, I wouldn’t have to shovel.

I started the dishwasher and my phone rang with another call, this time from the sheriff.

“Hey, Daniel, it’s Hank.” We’d gone to school together, and if he called me Mr. Laverton that would be weird.

“What’s going on, Hank?”

“So, I’m at the store. Got inside, and it wasn’t an animal.”

“Huh. A glitch, then? I’m sorry you got dragged out in this weather.”

Hank snorted. “Not a glitch, either. A man.”

I’d been walking toward the living room when he spoke, and I halted. “Did you say a man?”

“Seems that way. He’s claiming he got locked in.”

Gary was so thorough—how had that happened? “That’s awful, who is it?”

“That’s the thing, he’s not from around here. He said he was passing through. He was on his way to his car, but the weather took a turn. He came in to ask for help, but he couldn’t find anyone and ended up getting locked in.”

“Walking to his car? How far was that to not just get in it?”

Hank sighed. “Dan, I offered to drive him to Annie’s—she has rooms at the B and B, but he said he had no cash on him. I don’t know if it’s because he left it in his car that is apparently miles from here, or if he just has no money.”

“I see.”

“Only thing I can do is bring him to the station and hold him there until the storm passes.”

No, that would be terrible, and I’d get no sleep if Hank did that.

“How are the roads?”

“Not bad yet, mostly just the wind right now, it’s not letting anything stick.”

My mind made up, I rushed to grab my winter coat and slip my boots on. “I’ll come over there.”

“Are you crazy?”

“I’m not letting you toss some guy into a cell because he got locked in my store.”

I could feel Hank rolling his eyes. “Did you miss the part where I think he might be houseless?”

“Clearly, I did. I’ll be right there, use your keys and unlock the front door for me, please.” I ended the call and made my way to my garage.

Aside from my Mercedes, I also had a Land Rover with brand-new snow tires.

I hopped in, opened the garage door, and made my way out. The roads were just beginning to get a fine dusting, and the store wasn’t too far.

No one was out except for a cruiser or two, and all the streetlights were blinking red. I made good time and pulled into the parking lot. Through the glass, I could see Hank talking to the man, who had his back to me.

The doors whooshing open brought both sets of eyes my way. Hank smiled and held out his hand.

“Hey, Daniel.”

“Hank.” I nodded and turned to the other man.

His gaze was downcast, and curly dark hair peeked out of the hoodie he had on. A quick glance showed he was wearing worn sneakers, thin jeans, and while he looked a little worse for wear, I couldn’t assume anything.

“What’s your name?” I asked the man.

He looked up, and big blue eyes met my gray ones. He opened his mouth a few times as if trying to collect his thoughts. Even though time was of the essence with the weather, I’d give him all he needed.

“I’m so sorry, I swear I didn’t steal anything. The bags I had on me, I bought that stuff and only ate my crackers.”

The man was frantic, and it was strangely pulling a grin to my face. He was passionate regarding his innocence.

“I believe you,” I said, which had the desired effect of silencing him. “I’m so very sorry you got locked in the store during a storm.”

“Sorry? Oh, no it’s fine. Honestly, I wasn’t making it to my car unless it was as a human popsicle.” He chuckled, then sobered immediately.

“Hank explained to me that he offered to take you to the B and B here, but you’re low on funds. Did you leave your wallet in your car?”

He shook his head. “No. I don’t have the money for anyplace.” His eyes widened. “But do you think maybe one of you could drive me to my car?”

That was an idea. “Where’s it located?”

“It’s a few miles out of town—that way, I think.” He pointed west.

“Why so far?”

“It died and I was on my way to town to see if I could get a new battery with the money I had. The weather had everything closing up, so I chose to just get stuff to keep me warm.”

“Wait, you want one of us to drive you to your car, where we leave you there to freeze?” I peeked at Hank, who shrugged as if he couldn’t believe the guy.

“I got a blanket or two and some snacks. I’ll be fine.”

I huffed. “No, you’ll die. After the snow dumps God knows how much, the temperature will drop dramatically. You will certainly freeze to death.”

The man sighed. “My choice, right?”

“I’ll give you another choice.” I slipped my hands into my jacket pockets, maybe making the worst decision ever, but something inside me said this was right.

“What?”

“You can either go with Hank to the station, where he will let you stay in a cell until the storm settles or…” I looked at Hank, who was shaking his head at me; he knew.

“Or, you can come back to my house with me.”

Hank covered his face with his hand, and the man gawked. “I’m a stranger!”

I laughed. “Well, if you told me your name, that would change that.”

“It’s Aaron, Aaron Darwin, but I’m still a stranger. I could steal all your stuff and kill you in your sleep.”

Hank did a double take while I chuckled. “Are you planning on doing either of those things?”

“Of course not! But you don’t know that.”

“I do now, because you told me. Go on and grab the bags you bought, so we can get out of here before the roads are undrivable.”

Aaron blinked at me, clearly at a loss for words, then actually went to get his things.

“Are you nuts?” Hank asked once Aaron was out of earshot.

I lifted my shoulder. “We’ll find out.”