Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

Milo

They drove separately. Milo in his car and Shane in his truck. While it was nice to have his car back in working condition, Milo missed sitting in the passenger seat while Shane drove them around. He missed being able to relax and stare out the window at the beauty of the mountain, sure, though more than that he missed Shane's company.

The mechanic shop and general store were on opposite sides of Hope Peak, connected by the one road cutting through the little town. Main Street. It was quaint, dotted with dormant trees and empty flower beds. Only a few people were milling about so early in the morning, but all of them were dressed for the winter weather, bundled up in puffy coats, poofy hats, and sturdy boots.

There were even a few dogs being taken out on a walk.

Milo looped his scarf an extra time around his neck as he hopped out of his car, eager to reunite with Shane. Pumpkin remained inside the truck and poked her head out the rolled-down window.

"How'd your chat with Leonard go?" Milo asked curiously as he gave Pumpkin a scratch behind the ear. He had to bite his tongue not to refer to Leonard as Shane's friend.

Even if that's what they were.

"How was your tea with Becky?" Shane finally volleyed back.

"It was delicious." Milo's answer was honest and genuine. "An apple spice cinnamon blend. But really, did you talk and make up with him?"

Shane dipped down to whisper into Milo's ear. "I'd rather be making out with you."

"Be serious." Milo kept his smile though he didn't back down. "Are you guys…okay with each other? I don't expect you to forgive him and forget it ever happened, but maybe you can find it in your heart to give him a second chance."

Milo hadn't paid much attention to what Becky said about his car. Even though she'd dumbed it down for him, the jargon still hadn't meant much to Milo. He'd been far more interested in hearing what Becky had to say about Shane and Leonard.

Shane had shared only a little about his past, and his troubles with Leonard, but Becky had spilled everything about it while they sipped their tea.

Things might have been rocky between them for a long time, but Milo had seen the way the two men acted around each other. And he'd heard the note of sorrow in Shane's voice when he'd talked about the past. Those weren't bitter enemies being forced to talk with each other.

That relationship had been damaged, not destroyed.

They could still fix it.

If they'd only give each other a chance to say sorry. Becky had said as much and even told him that Leonard wanted his best friend back. Milo believed her. They'd drunk a second cup to give Leonard and Shane more time to catch up…and maybe, just maybe, give them a chance to smooth things over.

Shane scoffed. "Why are you so keen on me burying the hatchet with him?"

Milo stopped petting Pumpkin so he could huddle closer to Shane. He laid a hand on Shane's shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze. Milo was relieved Shane didn't shy away from the affection, he leaned into the contact.

"I told you, Shane. I don't just want to live here, I want to be part of the community. And that means having friends. I like Becky and Leonard, I'd like to call them my friends. And I think you'd like that too, if you'd give Leonard a chance to make things right."

Milo moved his hand southward. He cupped Shane's hand and laced their fingers together, squeezing again. Shane squeezed back without hesitation. They were partners in public as well as private.

"I don't want to see you fix your place only to go back to hiding there again."

Milo didn't want Shane to go back to his place at all, if he was being honest, though he knew it was too soon and too much to ask for Shane to officially move in with him. But Milo still wanted Shane to stay even after that roof was repaired.

He was going to spend the rest of his life with Shane. For the first time in his life, Milo felt love. Real love. He wasn't going to let it run away or hide from him now that he had it.

They left Pumpkin in the truck with the window rolled down and walked toward the store. Side by side, hand in hand, and heart to heart.

"So, you guys talked?" Milo asked again. "Do you feel better about it all?"

"I don't know, but he did offer to help me fix my roof…and I took him up on that."

Milo brightened at the news. He swung their clasped hands as he and Shane walked into the store.

* * *

Milo had more groceries and a few household essentials on the counter and Shane had his supplies list out. All the items on it were crossed out.

"Y'all gonna pay separately or…together?" Jessie Mae asked that question with such delight. Their blossoming love story had spread around the town like wildfire even as the snow had all but buried them inside for a week and Milo had a feeling Jessie Mae had been the one fanning the flames.

"I'll pay for my shit." Shane shoved the crumbled piece of paper into the back pocket of his jeans and got out his wallet.

Milo had to swallow the urge to speak out and try to pay for it all. He had that big pile of money hidden away at home. Shane had shown Milo a better way to hide it, pried open one of the floorboards and sealed the cash in plastic bags to keep it dry. Keeping it in a bank would be better, but the nearest bank was down in Pleasantview. Milo intended on opening an account at some point though he hesitated to deposit it all at once.

He didn't want to do anything with the money until he knew what he'd be spending it on in the long term.

Shane handed over a few bills before putting his wallet away. "Put the rest on my tab?" he asked while Jessie Mae gave him a sympathetic look.

"Sure thing."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "You still got that space out front open? I was gonna get to chopping this week."

Jessie Mae was nodding before he'd even finished asking the question. "I'll keep it open for your firewood. And your Christmas trees!"

Shane nodded. "Thank you kindly."

Milo stepped up to pay for everything else.

"You look like you're handling the cold snap much better now," Jessie Mae commented as she finished tallying everything up.

"Somebody has been showing me ways to stay warm," Milo said with a sly smile. It drew a giggle out of Jessie Mae and a blush from behind the darkness of Shane's rugged beard.

Jessie Mae let Shane off the hook without any additional teasing though she did have a question for him. "Do you have your reusable bags for me to pack your things?"

"Damnit," Shane cursed softly, "we forgot them."

Milo could picture them folded and stuffed inside each other on the kitchen table.

"Would y'all like to buy some more?" she pointed the question right at Milo and paired it with a hopeful look.

"Sure!" Milo chirped.

"You got bags at home," Shane groused.

"I'll keep these ones in my car." Were they already bickering like an old married couple? It was Milo's turn to blush.

"Still such a shame about the shelter," Jessie Mae sighed as she finished ringing everything up. "I've heard that finding a home for the leftover dogs isn't going so well and the foster fur parents can't keep them all long term. I don't know where they're gonna go."

"Why did the shelter close down?" Milo asked while shoving a bundle of carrots and a can of beans into a bag.

Jessie Mae's eyes lit up as she told the story. "They ran out of money. Someone didn't just mismanage the endowment, they were stealing from it."

"That's horrible." Milo's heartstrings weren't just tugged, his heart was nearly yanked outright from his chest. Those poor dogs. Innocent souls who loved unconditionally and gave their loyalty without question.

In-between Milo and Jessie Mae's chatty conversation about the shelter's misfortune, Shane had a lot to say about proper bagging technique. He kept mumbling about how heavy things had to go on the bottom and non-perishables needing their own separate bags.

Milo indulged Shane's pickiness and carefully packed the bread on top of the eggs. He glanced out the store's window to watch Pumpkin. It made his heart hurt…until he realized how to fix it.

He could help. He had the means to do it and the desire to make things right. Milo wouldn't be one of those newcomers who came into town and only took. He'd give back as well.

"We'd like to make a donation too," Milo declared. The wheels in the back of his head began to spin fast.

"We?" Shane's voice might have been gruff, but the way his lips began to curve upward was soft.

"Yeah, us," Milo echoed and mirrored back the smile. "Shane, I'd like you to build something for me."

Shane gave Milo a curious look. "Whatever you want, sunshine."

Whatever they did from that day forward would be done together. Milo knew who he wanted, he wanted Shane, and he knew what he wanted to do with his big bag of money.

What he built wouldn't just be for him and Shane.

It was for the whole town.