Shelter in Garnet Run by Roan Parrish

Author:Roan Parrish [Parrish, Roan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Monster Press
Published: 2023-12-02T18:30:00+00:00

"River?"

Cassidy had a hand on their shoulder and was peering at them intently.

River surfaced.

"Are you okay? What happened? You feeling all right? Can I do something?"

Snow seeped through the knees of the jeans River had chosen so carefully for their date.

They looked up at the night sky. Stars winked in the velvet darkness, high above the trees and the ice and the man who was crouching next to them, eyes full of empathy.

CHAPTER 15

Cassidy

Something was wrong. Cassidy had enjoyed River’s concern until he realized it was panic. River had stared blankly at the ice, eyes gone far away.

"Hey," Cassidy said softly. "Let’s go back to the truck. It’s pretty cold out here."

"You wanted to skate," they said flatly.

"I’m good. How about we have some snacks?"

River nodded and dragged themself up.

"Sorry," they said miserably. "I was thinking about my sister."

Cassidy slid into the driver’s seat and turned the key one click to get some heat. His mind was racing, gathering all the bits of information he’d just witnessed and attempting to piece them together.

"We should have just gone to dinner," River said flatly.

Cassidy opened the bag of kettle corn and held it out to them. They took a handful, ate it, and only then seemed to realize what they’d consumed.

"Damn. That stuff’s good."

Cassidy smiled, relief calming his nervous system.

"Yeah, it’s addictive," he agreed. "When I was little, every Christmas my aunt and uncle would send us these huge tubs of popcorn. You know, the kind divided into three sections, with cheddar popcorn, buttered popcorn, and caramel corn? I would eat the caramel corn and the buttered popcorn together to get the sweet and savory in one bite. My brother and sister thought it was gross, but it’s basically kettle corn."

"Family is so weird," River said, staring out the window. "Who decided that the way we’re supposed to prove we love each other is by sending one another huge tubs of corn?"

"I don’t know. Probably catalogs."

"Catalogs were like online shopping before online shopping existed, huh?" River said.

Cassidy flipped them off good-naturedly.

"Hey, I’m not that much older than you."

"I dunno," River shrugged. "You’re pretty old."

Cassidy was thirty to River’s twenty-one.

"Does it bother you that I’m older?" he asked.

"Huh? No," River said, like it had never occurred to them.

"I wonder if you can still get those tubs of popcorn."

"We could anonymously send tubs of popcorn to everyone we know," River said. "Hmm, now I’m rethinking; popcorn is a great gift."

"Well, you just solved all my holiday gift list problems."

"What, you didn’t lovingly pick out handmade gifts for all your dearly beloveds at Craftmas?" River joked.

"Yeah, in all my free time, when I wasn’t in my booth, rescuing cats from the tops of trees, or puking my guts out," Cassidy said.

River grinned. "Did you know you were on the news? Shirtless."

Cassidy groaned and nodded.

"Yeah, you’re the like seventh person to inform me of that. A lady at the gas station asked if she could set me up with her daughter yesterday."

"Well, you’re an eligible bachelor;

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