Another Epilogue

Marcus

Finally.

Time to go home.

As the Memorial Day weekend kicks off, so does the busy summer tourist season, and with that, my workload increases. Sure, owning the only residential snowplow in town during the long winter is exhausting, but that's nothing compared to summer. From working six days a week at the auto repair shop to running the tow truck, I'm about to embark on a five-month, four to five hours of sleep a night trek of madness.

Something about summer brings out the stupid in a lot of people.

It's pushing nine o'clock at night, and the streets of Pine Village are still active. As tourists move into the campgrounds and cabins at the Bluff Preserves National Park for weekend getaways and boating excursions, I'm reminded I still need to find another mechanic to hire at the shop. I love what I do, but as I approach my late thirties, I realize I can't do it all. With the influx of work, it can be hard to keep up.

Case in point: working until almost nine tonight to repair two boat trailer tires for someone in town for the weekend.

I pull onto Lowe Road, headed for home, when I come upon a disabled vehicle on the side of the road with their hazards flashing. The vehicle is right after the big curve, which is a terrible place to stop, considering you can't see who's coming around the bend. Sighing, I flip on my own flashers and stop behind the SUV. It's a big one, and by the way it's leaning, I'm certain it has a flat.

Reaching into the back seat of my old truck, I grab a neon vest and hop out. As I shove my arms into the vest, all thoughts of taking a nice hot shower being put on hold, I hear the high-pitched sound of a woman.

A woman in distress.

Catching movement ahead, I walk to the front of the SUV and find the most beautiful creature I've ever seen pacing back and forth, yelling into her phone. There's just enough sunlight left to catch her features, from her long, dark blond hair to her striking dark eyes.

"5G my ass! Why won't you work? Someone is getting fired over this."

"You've hit a dead spot. You gotta go about three or four hundred yards back up the road to get service, but even then, it's spotty at best." It's one of the reasons I love living out here.

The woman shrieks and spins around, holding her phone out like a weapon. "Don't come near me," she demands, her eyes wide and her manicured hand covering her heart.

I hold up my hands in surrender and take a step back. "All right, I'll just get back in my truck and leave then. Good luck getting ahold of someone to come help without walking about a mile in those ridiculous heels you're wearing. Oh, and when you do finally get your call to come through, they're gonna call me, since I'm the mechanic and tow truck driver here. Watch out for the black bears too. They're hungry this time of year. See you soon, Princess."

Just as I spin to return to my truck, I hear, "Wait." It's followed by a deep feminine sigh that does something strange to my insides. "I need your help."

Marcus and Ryan's story is coming in 2025. Preorder Pretty Wild now!