Page 4 of Better Together

Normally, he would answer in a hushed tone, flirting, saying that his heroism was classified. Instead, he said, “No, not a hero, just doing my job.”

The doctor smiled and finished with the wrap. “You’re lucky it was only a graze.” She wrote a prescription for a painkiller and handed it to him. “This should help with the pain. No strenuous activity.” She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Zeke’s phone vibrated on the tray table. The doctor nodded for him to take the call and turned her attention to dictating notes into the computer.

“Hey, Luke. Everything good?” Zeke said.

“I should be asking you that question. How many phone numbers have you collected from the nurses?”

“Ha ha. None.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? Running a fever?”

“Nope. I’m fine. Just a graze. Nothing broken.”

Luke spoke after a long pause. “I’m sorry this happened.”

Zeke winced as he reached for his T-shirt. “Yeah, being shot sucks, but it was worth it. We got another sick bastard off the street.”

The doctor glanced at him. A slight smile graced her lips. “A nurse will be right in with instructions.”

“Hang on a sec, Luke.” Zeke winked at the doctor. “Thanks, Doc.”

She nodded and walked out the door.

“Okay, I’m back,” Zeke said into his phone. He could hear his brother typing.

“Have you been released?” Luke asked.

“Just now. I need to visit the police station and give my statement. I’ll fly out tomorrow.”

“I’ve got it covered. I need you to wrap up a few things for me in the morning, and I’ll send my jet to take you to Duluth tomorrow evening and arrange a car to bring you home. You should be back before the evening news.”

“Deal. Send me instructions.” Zeke’s phone pinged.

“Just did. And Zeke—glad you’re okay.”

The red-haired nurse who had taken his vitals when he arrived entered the room with some paperwork in her hand. “Here are your instructions.”

His phone chirped, alerting him of a missed call. Alexis. Instead of calling her, he’d stop by when he got home and surprise her.

CHAPTER THREE

Alexis flipped through the mail, adding more bills to the pile, and groaned. The thought of her mounting debt had her wanting to go back to bed and hide under the covers. Instead, she grabbed a zip-up hoodie from her coat rack to ward off the brisk morning temperature. With coffee thermos in hand, she faced the day. She needed to complete a bathroom remodel this morning in Duluth and then check on the progress of the church transformation. The church, soon to be the town’s first coffee shop, was the last job on her books for the year. Her only potential lead was the Whitmore Estate.

The income from a job like the Whitmore would help her to become financially stable again. If she didn’t get it, she’d need to seriously consider doing something else with her life. Except she didn’t know what else to do; she’d only ever wanted to fix up old homes and bring life into them again.

Autumn, her favorite season with its colorful leaves and the smell of woodstoves firing for the first time in months, comforted her. Honeycrisp apples and anything pumpkin were her absolute favorite fall treats. She missed the pumpkin lattes she used to order every fall when she worked in the Twin Cities, but most of all, she missed stopping by a coffee shop before work. As a woman in a mostly male-dominated career, she looked forward to talking with women before heading to the job site. She was beyond excited that Deer Creek Falls would finally have its first coffee shop and that she was part of making it a reality.

With the final payment from the bathroom remodel deposited into her bank account, she drove to the old Lutheran church.

Kate Davis had bought the church on the corner of Main and Church Streets and hired Alexis to remodel it in two phases: first living quarters, then the coffee shop and bistro. Kate, a soon-to-be transplant from Chicago, fell in love with their small town when attending Paige’s grand reopening of Turner Books. Kate, an award-winning baker, decided the town could use both baked goods and a coffee shop. Kate’s move-in date the week before Thanksgiving gave Alexis a little over a month to complete the first phase. The completion of the rest of the church’s transformation was scheduled to coincide with the May fishing opener and the start of tourist season in the spring. Chloe, Alexis’s friend, coffee connoisseur, owner of Rural Chic Boutique, and the town’s official webmaster, had already started posting “coming soon” advertisements to spread the word.

Alexis arrived at the church to find that the lumber-yard truck had arrived and unloaded materials. Tommy, her student hire, waved to the driver after checking over the order.

“How’s it going, Tommy? How come you’re not in school?”

“Teacher workshop day.” Tommy handed her the invoice. “All accounted for. I have a few more receipts inside for you. They’re in the folder you nailed to the wall. I think you’ll be happy with the progress.”