A gurgle and then nothing.
“Shit, not now.” Shawn smacked the steering wheel and tried the key again. Nothing. Then he spotted the headlight knob—still pulled out from his morning ride through slightly foggy weather. He’d killed his own damned battery. “Goddamn it!”
Roadside service all the way out here would be expensive. Maybe he could call Mack and ask him to return for a jump start. Inconvenient, considering everyone’s long day, but better than sitting up here all damned night. He palmed his cell—which was as dead as his car. The thing’s battery wasn’t holding its charge well anymore, and he’d forgotten to use the kitchen’s charger today.
Anxiety rolled heavily through his chest and he fought against a rising tide of panic. With the car battery dead, his car charger wouldn’t do him any good. Even if he could justify sneaking into the kitchen to use the charger, the doors were all locked in case anyone got big ideas about snooping around in the off-season.
He was well and truly screwed.
Shawn closed his eyes and took a few deep, centering breaths. He’d figure this out. He’d be fine. He’d been figuring his own shit out for years and was still standing, goddamn it. He’d figure this out, too.
Mack’s house wasn’t an unwalkable distance from the ghost town, but it was after eight at night, dark, with only a sliver of moonlight to guide him down the gravel road. Shawn wasn’t afraid of the dark, but there were wild animals out here.
Flashlight. Do I have a working flashlight?
Granddad had given him an emergency roadside kit back when Shawn bought this car. He got out and opened the back hatch. Rummaged around his small collection of belongings until he found the kit. It had one of those battery-free flashlights, and after winding the crank a few dozen times, it finally shed dim light.
Better than nothing.
Shawn armed himself with his tire iron, not trusting the vast acreage of wild land all around him, and then set off toward the road. His feet already ached from a long day, and walking down heavy gravel wasn’t helping his sore muscles or his roiling emotions. Anxiety over finding new work, plus anger at this unexpected expense, made his stomach hurt, and he had to pause once to work back the urge to vomit. He should have taken one of his meds before setting off on this hike, but he’d come too far to turn back now.
Except it seemed to take forever for the yellow reflectors marking the Garrett/Bentley driveway to finally flash in the distance. Shawn wanted to sob with relief, but he still had the long driveway to traverse. It dipped down and bent slightly, giving the house tree cover from the ghost town road.
He’d never actually been to the house before, despite a handful of invitations to dinner from Mack. Two stories, the exterior was very rustic-log-cabin, the beauty only slightly marred by the more modern deck furniture on the front porch. The pickup and another car were parked by the house, and lights blazed downstairs.
I might be inconveniencing them, but at least I’m not waking anyone up.
Shawn put his tire iron down, not wanting to appear threatening, and took a deep breath to steel himself before he knocked on the screen door. The interior door swung open a moment later, and Mack stared at him a beat. “Shawn? Everything okay?”
“No, and I’m sorry to bother you this late.”
“It’s no bother.” Mack pushed open the screen door. “Come on in. Didn’t hear you drive up.”
“I walked.” Shawn entered the house, a little surprised by the mix of boho chic décor and more rustic elements that was a perfect blend of the two occupants. A real home. “My car battery died, and then so did my phone battery, and I really hate to put you guys out because I couldn’t remember to charge my phone, but I didn’t know where else to go.”
“Shit, that’s a run of bad luck.”
“Mack, who’s—?” Wes appeared from above, where an open staircase led up to a loft area. “Hey, Shawn, what’s wrong?”
“Dead car and phone batteries,” Mack replied. To Shawn, he said, “You want a jump?”
“I know it’s super late to ask, but I’d really appreciate it,” Shawn said.
Wes trotted down the stairs, already out of his period costume and wearing only a pair of tight workout shorts. “Dude, it’s after nine. Why don’t you just crash here and Mack can jump you in the morning. Unless you’ve got cats at home that need to be fed or something.”
Shawn nearly said he did, just so he could get out of this strange space and back to his familiar car, but he also didn’t want to lie to their faces. “No cats or anything, but I don’t want to be a bother.”
“Don’t even sweat it. We’ve got two guest rooms that barely get any use, unless Avery and Colt stay over together. You have got to be exhausted after today, and the last thing we need is for you to fall asleep at the wheel and crash.”
“I agree with Wes,” Mack said with a friendly smile. “It’s really no bother. I was gonna drive back up to the site in the morning anyway, just to finish up a few things in the office, so you’re on the way.”
Shawn couldn’t think of a good reason to turn down the offer, especially when all he wanted to do was lie down and sleep for a week. At least he’d have one night in a comfortable bed, instead of stretched across his two front seats, where he had no room to move. Sure, he’d gotten used to it over the last two years, but a bed? For one night?
“Okay, you have no idea how much I appreciate this,” Shawn replied. No. Idea. And it wasn’t as if Shawn had asked to stay; Wes had freely offered the room.
Wes showed him around the cabin, which only took about a minute. The great room was a cozy combination of a living and dining area. Beneath the loft was the kitchen, and tucked behind it were the downstairs bathroom and two small guest rooms. “This one’s got the freshest sheets,” Wes said about the room decorated in deep shades of burgundy, purple, and gold that reminded Shawn of Bollywood films. “There are toiletries in the bathroom, so help yourself to a toothbrush and a shower. Tonight or in the morning. Can I get you something to drink?”
“Water would be amazing, thank you.”
Wes left and returned with a chilled bottle. “So that’s some shitty luck, huh? Dead car and phone? Do you want to use my charger?”
Shawn held up his flip phone. “You got a universal charger?”
“Yup. I’ll get it.”
“Thank you.” Shawn gazed around the room, a little stunned at how generous Wes and Mack were being. He was just an employee, but they were treating him like, well, family. Part of the Bentley Ghost Town family, and he didn’t have the words to express his gratitude. He’d fallen down, and for the first time in years, someone was there to help him stand up so he didn’t have to do it all on his own.