Stay With Me

Chapter 1 Eli Brooks leaned his head back and swallowed a sigh. “It’s fine, Mom. I’ll swing by the bank later this afternoon,” he said into his phone. “I’m sorry to ask again so soon,” his mother said, probably for the fifth time in the last five minutes. “No need to apologize, Mom. How’s Ryan?” he asked, biting back the frustration rising inside and trying to shift gears in the conversation. “He’s fine,” she said quickly. A horn honked nearby and Eli glanced over to see a car backing out of a parking space, the driver clearly not bothering to notice another car passing by. He bit back a laugh when he saw the other car simply veer around and keep going. The minor distraction helped him get through this call without his annoyance showing. He genuinely didn’t mind giving his mother money to make ends meet, but he’d been getting suspicious lately that his father had moved back in due to the frequency of her requests for help. After a few more minutes of stilted conversation, he managed to get off the phone. With a shake of his head, he started his truck and put it in gear. He glanced over to the passenger seat to make sure he hadn’t left the bolts in the hardware store. His mother’s call had come in while he was in line, distracting him. He rolled slowly through the parking lot. It was summer in Diamond Creek, Alaska, which meant the town was swarmed with tourists, and RV’s and campers crowded the roads and parking lots, limiting visibility and generally contributing to plenty of driving mishaps. He stopped to wait for a giant camper as the driver backed up. After several failed attempts of the camper to successfully back out, Eli put his truck in park and climbed out with a sigh. He’d have to serve as the back up guide for the driver, or he’d be here all day. * * * Jessa Hamilton stared at the photo in her hand and swallowed against the tightness in her throat. She kept pulling this photo out and looking at it, as if she looked enough, something would be different. Yet, nothing changed. Walls blackened with smoke, charred furniture and nothing else recognizable. Only she knew what had been contained within its walls. Hot tears pressed against the back of her eyes, and she took a gulp of air. Her name was called, and she quickly slipped the photo in her purse and stood. She walked up to the small pick-up counter and grabbed the coffee with her name on it. Once she sat back down at her table, she took a sip and glanced out the windows. The view here was simply breathtaking—a picturesque bay sparkled under the sun with mountains rising tall on the far side. A glacier lay in a valley between two peaks, glowing translucent blue and almost mesmerizing her. The sheer beauty took her mind off the ashes of her life she’d left behind. After a few more minutes of coffee and soaking in the view, Jessa felt able to drive the last leg of her journey. She slung her purse over her shoulder and walked outside into the parking lot, her coffee cup warm in her hand. It was early summer in Diamond Creek, Alaska and the air had a definite chill to it. Her small blue truck was waiting for her. She climbed in and sighed. Right now, this truck was the closest thing she had to home. It held everything she owned, which at this point was the clothes she wore, a small bag of clothing, and a toolbox that contained her beloved paintbrushes and art supplies. She ran her good hand over the dashboard and gave it a loving pat. “Okay Blue, we’ve got a few errands, a short drive up the mountain and then you can take a break for a while.” She started the engine and put the truck in gear. She had to maneuver carefully with her left hand, which had been injured in the same fire that burned up the apartment she left behind. With a quick glance behind her, she started to back up when she felt a thump. She whipped her head further back and saw a black truck to the far corner of her line of sight. “Oh hell. Really? Did I really just back into someone?” she wondered aloud. “Sorry Blue, just gave you a little bump there. Here’s hoping we didn’t hurt the other truck.” She laughed to herself, realizing she talked to Blue more than just about anyone. She took a deep breath and rolled the truck forward before putting it back in park. Another deep breath and she climbed out, prepared to face the music of an irate driver. She prayed she’d left nothing more than a small dent in the other truck. When she walked to the back of her truck, she saw a man leaning against the corner of the black truck and immediately lost the ability to breathe. The man in question had dark brown hair and green eyes that locked onto her the moment she looked up at him. He wore a denim jacket over a navy blue t-shirt and faded jeans that were so worn, the soft fabric molded over his muscled thighs. A pair of scuffed brown leather boots completed the ensemble. His shoulders filled out his jacket, and she caught a glimpse of his muscled chest and abs in the gap where his jacket hung open. His thumb was hooked in a pocket. Her brain fuzzed and her pulse galloped. Desperate for air, she managed to force her lungs into gear and take a few gulps. “Hi, um, I think I backed into you. I’m really sorry. I thought I looked, but I obviously didn’t look enough. Is there any damage? Let me get my insurance card and…” The man pushed away from the truck, shaking his head. “No need. Your bumper took the hit,” he said, gesturing to Blue’s rear bumper. “My bumper’s so beat up, I probably wouldn’t have noticed anyway.” Her eyes seemed stuck. She just stood there and stared at him. When he arched a brow in question, she finally managed to tear her eyes away and look at her bumper. The corner of Blue’s rear bumper bore a round dent. The knot of tension in her chest loosened slightly. She’d been carrying the little ball of tension for so many weeks now, she was used to it. Any easing of it was a pleasant surprise. She took a breath and looked back at the man, her pulse rocketing again when she met his green gaze. “Well, that’s not too bad. Blue can live with it,” she said, gently patting the bumper. “Blue?” “My truck. Her name is Blue,” she offered in explanation. “If that’s how you name trucks, I guess you’d call mine Dusty,” he said with a chuckle. His eyes bounced from her truck to her. “You from Washington?” “Good guess.” “Not a guess. Your license plate,” he said, gesturing to it. “Oh, right.” She couldn’t seem to think of what else to say, not when this way-too-sexy man had her tongue-tied and her thoughts fuzzy. “If you’re planning to get that dent banged out, my friend has a mechanic shop just down the street.” Normally, she would want to get the dent taken care of, but normally she wasn’t flat broke. She shrugged. “I’m not sure when I’ll have a chance to do that.” He nodded slowly. “Well, if you decide to get it fixed, Dan does good work. Can’t miss it. It’s the shop down the road, says Auto Shop outside.” “Just Auto Shop?” “Yup. Dan keeps it simple. What brings you to Diamond Creek? Long drive from Washington. Well, long drive from just about anywhere outside of Alaska.” Jessa was doing her damnedest to get her pulse under control, but her pulse appeared to have a mind of its own. Aside from the fact that she couldn’t seem to think clearly around this man, the last thing she wanted was to think about what brought her to Alaska. She took an unsteady breath and called upon her manners. “I’m here visiting family for a bit.” “You have family here?” “My brother, Gage Hamilton, runs Last Frontier Lodge. My other brother, Garrett, moved up here last year. He’s married to Delia. I think her maiden name was Peters.” “Delia Peters is right. I’ve known her for a while. I do some business with Gage and met Garrett once or twice. Everyone in Diamond Creek is damn happy about the lodge being open again. I’ve been up there a few times to ski myself.” His green eyes crinkled at the corners. “Suppose I could introduce myself. I’m Eli Brooks.” He held a hand out. Her arm moved of its own accord, lifting and placing her hand in his. His palm engulfed hers, the calloused surface and warmth sending shivers followed by heat rushing through her. Once her hand was in his, she froze again. After a long moment, too long to be polite, he slowly loosened his grip and released her palm. Another few beats passed before he spoke again. “Don’t suppose you’ll tell me your name?” Her cheeks heated. “Oh, oh, right. Jessa Hamilton.” Right about now, she wouldn’t have minded if a hole opened up in the ground to swallow her. Cliché or not, she would have liked somewhere to fall in and hide. Eli was doing nothing other than being polite, and she could barely hold a conversation with him. “Nice to meet you, Jessa,” Eli replied with a slow smile. “If you’re here for a bit, I’ll probably see you around. Diamond Creek’s pretty small.” Her belly fluttered and her heart gave a little kick. What the hell was going on with her? She’d backed into Eli’s truck, and now she was all but drooling on him. She realized she was about to enter into another long moment where she should say something. That’s how conversation worked. One person said something, the other person listened and formulated a reply. If this were a game of tennis, she would have definitely lost because she couldn’t manage to swing her racquet. She gathered her scrambled thoughts and forced herself to speak. “Nice to meet you too. I’m sorry about bumping into your truck. It’s been a long few days of driving. I’m glad your truck’s okay.” Eli grinned. “No problem. Like I said, I probably wouldn’t have noticed if you had.” He stepped away and opened his truck door. “See you around,” he said with a quick wave. She watched while he drove away. A gust of wind blasted from the direction of the bay, blowing her hair wild.