Drew didn’t show up at seven-thirty like he had every other morning for the past several weeks. Gretchen didn’t have any special events that day, and she could stand to open the shop a bit later than normal.
But it was so unlike Drew to be late that she worried. When he still hadn’t arrived by eight o’clock, she called him.
“Hey, are you okay?” she asked when he answered in a groggy voice.
“What time is it?”
“Eight.”
“Oh my—I completely forgot to set my alarm.” He sounded awake now. “I’m on my way out.”
“It’s fine,” she said quickly. “You don’t need to rush. Dixie doesn’t even have school today. Is everything okay?”
“I got called out on a job last night,” he said. “I’ll tell you about it when I get there.”
She hung up, and let her feet take her over to the farmhouse where she’d spe
