the door, Jana’s sitting back down at my table.
‘What was that?’ she asks clearly shocked.
‘I don’t know. He looked lost, so I went and offered to help him out. Then he told me his brother usually did the shopping. His name is Cash. Do you know him?’
‘I don’t know him, but I know of him. His parents died when he was young, and his brother had just turned eighteen. After that, they moved up to a cabin in the mountains so his brother could take care of him.”
Even though his brother was crazy smart and graduated college before he turned eighteen, he was super paranoid of the government and thought that everything was the government’s way to get him. So he kept to himself, didn’t go to doctors, didn’t talk to people, and no one saw Cash for a long time. His brother even homeschooled Cash. After Cash learned how to drive, he started bringing furs and items down to the shop. It’s the one where Emelie and Jenna’s husband meet up. Maybe once or twice a month. But he’s never come into any other store in town.’
All that seemed to line up with what he told me.
‘Why hasn’t he ever come into any other stores?’ I ask, wanting to find out more about him.
‘Well, his brother, Harvey, took care of most everything here in town. Though he would come into the grocery store and stock up on certain things, he’d never really talked to anybody. I have to say he didn’t seem like a nice person. Just over a year ago, he was diagnosed with cancer. With his paranoia of doctors, he’s refused treatment.
So, Cash took care of his brother. While he was looking after his brother, Phoenix would come in and do his grocery runs for him. But his brother died not that long ago, and sooner or later he’d have to come into town. I don’t know much more than that, but I’m glad you were able to help him.’
‘All those furs up at the store are his?’ I want to know because I’ve been in there and admiring them before. He makes handmade coats, and blankets, and the items are absolutely beautiful.
‘Yeah, those are all his, but he doesn’t do it for the money. Not only was his brother crazy smart, he was also some kind of financial genius. He had a patent on a few items and then sold them off and collected royalty checks every month. I’m guessing those would go to Cash now. Rumor has it that he’s now worth a few billion dollars. But you know how the ladies around here like to gossip,’ she shrugs her shoulders.
Then she gets called by one of the employees. When she added the last part about the gossip, it was her way of telling me not to believe everything I’ve heard. From past experiences, I’ve learned firsthand around here that stories that are passed on from one person to the next and often get exaggerated.
A blonde girl who looks vaguely familiar steps up to my table.
‘I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but were you just talking about Cash? Was he just here?’
I can’t help thinking that where there’s money. There’s always going to be people around.
‘Yeah, he was here, and he just left.’
‘Well shoot. If I had known he’d been here, I’d have helped him out,’ she says.
Then with a far-off look on her face, she gazes out the door. Then she shakes her head and smiles at me.
‘Shoot, I’m being rude. My name is Emelie,’ she says, holding out her hand to me as a giant walks up and stands beside her. Then it all clicks into place.
‘Axel’s wife, right? We haven’t met, but I’ve heard about you.’
‘That’s right, this is my husband Axel, and it doesn’t surprise me that you’ve heard about me. We don’t make it into town as much, so it’s no wonder that we haven’t run into each other before now.’
Then she turns to her husband and explains what we’re just talking about. While the man doesn’t say anything, his face says everything. Mostly that he’s glad his friend was getting out and into town and that someone was there to help him.
‘You’re new in town, right? We should grab some lunch sometime. Next Thursday we’ll be back to drop stuff off at the shop,’ she says when she turns back to me.
‘Well, I’ll be here if you have time to stop by.’
‘Perfect! See you next week,’ she says before turning back to look at her husband.
‘You ready to head home, little one?’
She nods, and he wraps his arm around her waist as they leave. You can see how utterly in love they are, and I hope to find that someday.
After editing for a few more hours, I finish and send it back to the author. Then I answer a few emails before the cafe is ready to start closing up. I place my dinner order along with an order for my neighbor, who is the sweetest little old lady. She doesn’t get out much anymore, so I often bring her food and do her grocery shopping for her.
Jenna helps me carry the stuff to her car and we stop by the community garden and pick some of the ripe vegetables and check on a few things before she drops me off at home.
As I warm up mine and Mrs. Tipton’s dinner, I can’t stop thinking about Cash. Is it possible he’s never really been in a grocery store? I didn’t want to pry and make him uncomfortable. But the more I learn about him, the more I want to invite him to come and hang out with me. I really hope he takes me up on it, as I’d like to get to know him. But my guess is if he’s like any of the other mountain men, he’s just going to keep to himself. Then I’d only see him every once in a while when he comes into town to get supplies. Yet there is just something about the way that he made my heart race and how I felt utterly comfortable around him.
Not that I need a man in my life, but Cash wouldn’t be a bad way to go. Once dinner is warmed up, I take it and head over to Mrs. Tipton’s house. She’s already waiting on the porch. Because there are so few months of nice weather here, that anytime she can, she likes to eat outside.
‘Girl, if you moved any slower, you’d be walking over here and finding a skeleton in this chair instead of me. I’ve been waiting on this meatloaf sandwich all day long.”
After giving her some of my haul of her favorites from the community garden, I set the food on the table in front of her.
‘So, what’s the new gossip in town?’ Even though she doesn’t make it into town much anymore, she still likes to be kept up to date. But I also know there are people constantly on the phone with her giving gossip and the latest news.
‘The Bailey girls got busted for hiding a dog in their garage. Apparently, it’s been there for a few weeks and their parents just found out.’ I go on to tell her the story as it was told to me by the cashier. She had overheard it from one of the other ladies in town. Once I asked if anyone ever had a direct source to the gossip and Mrs. Tipton just laughed at me and said that’s not how gossip works.
‘Mrs. Tipton, you grew up here in Whiskey River, right?’
‘Born and raised!’ She raises her chin, proud of that fact.
‘So, you would know everyone in town?’ I ask, not quite sure of what I want to know.
‘Of course. Who are you asking about? Met some guy?’ She raises her eyes brows waiting for me to spill.
‘There’s a guy who lives up on the mountain, Cash. His brother just died?’
Her smile drops and I know instantly that she knows who I’m talking about.
‘Yeah, I know him.’
I take a moment to think about what I want to ask and decide to ask the one question that has been on my mind ever since talking to Jana.
‘What happened with his parents?’
It’s like a dark cloud passes over her as she looks past me onto the road.
‘That brother of his was crazy smart, you know. He sold a patent at sixteen and was a millionaire by the time he was eighteen. But he wasn’t all there in the head.”
He was a hard child for his parents to handle. For a long time, he was an only child. But when he was eleven, his mother got pregnant, and that’s when Cash was born. I remember that they were good people and always there for their kids at all the events. Cash was so proud of his brother, you know. Always wanting to be there when Harvey filed his patents.’
A small smile crept across her face.
‘On night his parents and Cash were coming home, and it was raining. His brother stayed behind. As they were coming over the mountain, his father lost control. The car rolled over the side of the mountain, and their parents died on impact. Cash was asleep in the backseat buckled in his car seat and that thing saved his life. His brother had just turned eighteen, so he became his guardian and lived with him.’
She takes a drink of her wine and still has a far-off look in her eyes.
‘I knew his parents and went to church with his mother. They were the kindest people you would have ever met. Good God-fearing people. I tried to reach out to his brother and help them out, but his paranoia got worse and we saw less and less of them. A few times, his brother ran people off with a shotgun, so we all stopped trying. The next time any of us saw Cash was when he started driving and visiting Jack’s shop. He’s kept to himself, and I don’t think anyone has tried to reach out to him outside of the guys on the mountain and their wives.’
‘Today he came into the grocery store. He looked so lost, I asked if he needed help and he let me help him get the stuff on his list. Even though he didn’t talk much, he let me talk. I got the impression it was his first time ever in a grocery store.’
‘My guess is you would be right. His brother did all the shopping and for a long time Cash never came off that mountain. He’s a smart boy, not like his brother, but in his own way. He can figure things out on his own real fast and he’s proven it.’
Thinking back, I remember watching him when he first got to the store. He stood and looked around and saw what other people did, and he fit right in. A little awkward but it was cute, and he let me help him, so he gets bonus points for that too.
‘I invited him to join me at the café any time he wants.’
‘That’s good. Someone should reach out to him, but don’t get your hopes up, and don’t be upset if he doesn’t show. Those men up on that mountain are there for a reason. They like to be on their own. Though they are good people, they’re just a different breed.’
‘I know. I also met Axel and Emelie today. She wants to have lunch with me next week when they are in town.’ I change the subject and get the conversation moving on a different path. Even if my mind is still on Cash.
I heard her warning loud and clear, but there is just something about Cash I’m not willing to give up on just yet.
