Shantel hadn't planned on coming to the gas station this early, but her grandmother's car needed fuel, and her caffeine-fueled nerves needed something mindless to do.
So she set out and in less than ten minutes, arrived at the gas station. It was just a corner stop with aging pumps, a small convenience store that sold everything from stale sandwiches to windshield wiper fluid, and a parking lot where townsfolk liked to loiter like it was their local town square.
She stepped out of the car with her hair tied up in a lazy knot and a hoodie pulled over her casual shirt.
And as she stood by the pump, the morning air clung to her skin, causing her to pull her hoodie tighter around her neck, just as the wind sliced through the small town like it was trying to strip the last warmth of autumn from the air.
She'd nearly finished fueling her grandmother's car when she saw his car.
Damn! What was he doing out so early in the cold?
