ALMOST HEAVEN

Chapter 2

Thursday morning found Laurel and fellow ranger Pam McClintock driving through the park doing patrol.

"Earth to Laurel. Where are you this morning? I just asked for the second time if you wanted to ride down to the river and check out the camping area?"

"The camping area, sure, that's fine."

"Where's your head at?"

"Do you know Clyde Logan?"

Pam looked over at her with a grin. "Owner of Duck Tape?"

"That's him."

"I know he sure is pretty. A group of us here go to Duck Tape after work on Fridays. You know, you should join us. So, I don't really know him but I know who he is. Where did you meet him?"

"At the Save Mart yesterday morning. I've got a date with him on Sunday."

"Good for you. He seems like a nice guy. He's pretty tight with his family. He's got an older brother and sister. They're at the bar a lot. He's like a lot of the locals around here, his family has been here forever. Lots of coal miners, that sort of thing. I don't know much else about him. Oh, he makes a mean chocolate martini."

"Yuck, seriously, Pam? A chocolate martini sounds disgusting."

"Don't knock it till you've tried it. It's damn tasty."

Laurel had hoped that Clyde would text her on Thursday. About what, she didn't know. It was foolish, she knew. Clyde didn't strike her as a man who would just send idle texts. Besides, she could always text him, couldn't she? She knew she wouldn't. But she couldn't stop thinking about him.

It was at lunch time on Friday when Laurel felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She was sitting in the main office of the park eating her lunch. She thought it was probably Pam or Ray, the other ranger she was working with today, telling her they'd be by to pick her up after lunch. She checked her phone and suddenly her heart was beating faster. It was Clyde.

'I hope this is not a bad time. But I wanted to ask you to come by the bar tonight.'

Laurel stared at the message, wondering if she should wait to reply so she didn't seem so damned eager. She decided she didn't care.

'I could come by. What's up?'

A couple of minutes went by.

'I want to see you. It's going to be busy here tonight but I just want to see you. Besides, you can see just how crazy it gets here on a Friday night.'

Laurel smiled. 'I'll be there.'

'Good. Looking forward to seeing you.'

"You look like the cat that ate the canary, Laurel," her boss said as he came through the break room for more coffee.

"Maybe, Bob, just maybe."

As she was getting dressed to head over to the bar, debating between another tee shirt or a cute tank top, she heard the ding that let her know she got a text. She went into the kitchen to pick up her phone.

'I just wanted to let you know that my brother Jimmy and my sister Mellie will probably be at the bar tonight.'

She wondered what that meant. 'That should be okay, shouldn't it? I'd like to meet them.'

"Reserve your judgement until you actually meet them.'

'Ahh, okay?'

'See you soon.'