Page 1 of Juan

Chapter one

Amber Murray waited in line behind two young men as they unloaded four cases of beer and a plethora of chips, cookies, and other snacks. She smiled to herself. A party at the lake, or on one of the river tributaries, was definitely in the offing.

Her phone dinged with a text, and she shifted her basket to her other arm. Pulling the device from the back pocket of her shorts, she brought the screen to life.

Juan: How’s the setup going?

She and Miguel Rodriguez were running a lemonade stand during today’s Youth Day Parade. Last year, they raised just over a thousand dollars for the Hedy Experience, a group Miguel’s daughter, Olivia, a teacher at the high school, ran. This year, they hoped to hit $1,500.

Amber: Not there yet. Will keep you posted

Juan: It’s busy down here already

Like many of his brothers in the Falcon’s Rest Motorcycle Club, Juan had been co-opted into volunteering for one thing or another throughout the day. Youth Day had started as a single day over eighty years ago but now spread over all three days of the Memorial Day weekend. Locals, both those who lived in Mystery Lake and those who’d left but still called it home, packed the area. A sort of homecoming weekend for the entire town. The event organizers and businesses spent all year planning, but no one ever complained. With the winter snow melted and the full summer not yet upon them, it was the only weekend that the locals claimed for themselves. This was only Amber’s second, and she already loved the tradition.

Amber: Good, more chance of hitting our goal. You all good?

She inched forward as the young men shifted from unloading their cart toward the card reader.

Juan: Parking lot is almost full. We’ll be closing it up and handing the cash over to the treasurer. Will head to the Hedy float after that to see if they need extra hands. Call if you need help. Or anything

Gratitude mingled with a little bit of awe rolled through her. She escaped a living hell just over a year ago, landing in Mystery Lake not long after, thanks to Juan and his brothers. While always grateful for what they’d done to help her, sometimes her life now seemed too good to be real.

Amber: We’ll be fine

Juan: Then you won’t need to call, but if that changes, call. Sí?

“What are you doing with all this?” the checker asked, reaching for her basket filled with fifteen bunches of mint. She pocketed her phone without answering the text and set the basket on the conveyor belt. To some, the question might sound nosy, but Craig had a son in culinary school, and she ensured that all fifteen members of Falcon’s Rest had three hearty meals a day. She had a lot of menus and a frequent need to dart out for last-minute items. She and Craig knew each other well.

These purchases weren’t for the Falcons, though. “Miguel was worried we wouldn’t have enough mint for the garnish, so I offered to grab what I could find.” She smiled as Craig scanned the first, then counted the rest. “I wiped out your supply, I’m sorry to say,” she added.

His blue eyes crinkled with a smile. “All for a good cause,” he replied, gently adding the bunches to her tote.

And it was. Not only would it raise money for the project that encouraged girls to consider studying STEM, but generations of people had grown up looking forward to the delicious, refreshing drink when the stand was originally run by Olivia’s grandmother. When she passed away, the tradition died with her. Amber and Miguel brought it back last year, and now those who’d enjoyed it as kids reveled in revisiting the sweet childhood memory, while creating new ones with the young people in their lives. A richness of a different sort.

As the machine processed her payment, she and Craig chatted idly about the events and the crowds. Then tucking the receipt into her purse, she slung the tote over her shoulder, promised to drop off a cup of lemonade to Craig when the crowds allowed, and headed out.

Pausing under the shade of the overhang, she pulled her phone back out. To find four more texts from Juan.

Juan: Da?

Juan: Oui?

Juan: Yes, Juan, I’ll call if we need anything

Juan: I’m fresh out of other ways to say that. My Pashto is rusty

She laughed. While all fifteen of the Falcons were good men, there were a few she was closer to. Juan being one of them. His steady, confident presence in her life over the past year had given her reason to trust him, and he’d never given her cause to regret it. Marley and North were the other two. Marley’s laid-back approach to life and penchant for late-night chats and tossing out esoteric questions had reminded her how wonderful curiosity could be—a perspective she’d lost during the violent years of her marriage. And North had spent hours with her in her garden, his gentle approach to nature, to life, feeding and healing her soul.

Amber: We’ll be fine, but thank you for the offer

Juan: I don’t think that’s how you spell, “yes, Juan, I’ll text if we need anything”

Her lips twitched. She knew when she was beat. Not a bad battle to lose, though.

Amber: Yes, Juan, I’ll text if we need anything

Juan: Good girl