COMPLETE ✓| Charlotte Hastings found herself between a rock and a hard place when she aged out of the foster system. With only a car to her name, she set out on the open road, hoping to find long lost relatives. Winter hits her hard. When she meets...
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CHAPTER NINETEEN | IN THE WIND
Elijah Blackwood
I woke up in the morning to a silent house. As my eyelids fluttered open to the sound of my phone blasting the alarm, it suddenly dawned on me how comfortable everything had become with Lottie. I was used to her fumbling around my kitchen trying to make toast before work, even though Mom had offered to feed her at the diner more times than I could count.
The floor creaked when I stood up in front of the couch, and the wind whistled through the slightly ajar window. I slid the window firmly shut and locked it before making my way to the bathroom to get ready.
Should have put the coffee on first, I thought to myself as I turned on the water to brush my teeth. Haven't had to do that since Lottie showed up.
I shook my head and finished washing up before heading to the kitchen for my usual breakfast of toast and coffee. When the toast popped, I reached for the bread to put in another, but Lottie wasn't there to eat it. It's amazing how quickly you fall into new routines when... I didn't know if I was ready to even think it out loud.
I stared towards Lottie's door -- I mean, my door. I wanted to go to her and explain my ridiculous behaviour the night before. In fact, I'd spent most of the night awake thinking about how I could make it up to her. But something had stopped me from walking to her door.
A small beep from my phone reminded me I had to leave to get to work. I rushed around the counter to grab my keys and wallet and then, without a backward glance, was out the door. I glanced over to the corner of the street, where I had parked Lottie's car after bringing it home yesterday. At least she'll have a way to get to work.
Then, I got into my cold truck and was on my way to work. Without Lottie for the first time in what felt like forever. The steering wheel was cold against my hand the whole time.
I was on my third oil change of the day when my phone started ringing.
"You gonna get that?" Joe called across the shop.
"Nah, I'm sure it's nothing." I dragged myself out from under the hood. "If it's really important they'll call back."
I didn't hear the non-committal sound Joe must have made as he went back to paperwork and invoices. With the amount of paperwork he was always doing, I wasn't sure I ever wanted to own a shop. But maybe the stability would be something... No.
"Elijah!" Joe yelled across the shop only seconds later. "Your mother's on the phone and I do not get on her bad side so clean yourself up and get in here and talk to her, yeah?"
I wiped my hands on my rag and jogged across the shop, showing Joe my clean hands before picking the phone up off the desk. "Hey, Mom. What's up?"
