Page 45 of Colton’s Inferno

As far as Lucy knew, nobody in her family had ever sought out help for mental health issues. Oh, that didn’t mean there weren’t problems. After Derek died, her parents fought constantly. They blamed each other for his death. She was relieved when they finally got divorced. The thing was, neither of them could stay at the Five Steers. The memories were too painful.

And Lucy couldn’t leave. The memories were all she had of her brother.

Her father lived in Rhode Island and was married to his third wife, a woman whom Lucy had never met. Her mother worked in the kitchen at a yoga training center in Colorado. She came back to North Dakota twice a year—and that was because the center closed for deep cleaning.

“Tell me about yourself,” he asked, scooping another bite of chicken and biscuits into his mouth.

She certainly wasn’t going to tell him how her family fell apart after her brother died. Instead, she asked, “What do you want to know?”

He took another bite. “What’s your favorite TV show?”

“The weather,” she said.

He laughed. “No, really. What do you like to watch on TV?”

“Honestly, the weather. I live on a ranch in North Dakota. What’s going on weather-wise is important.”

“Point taken.”

“What about you? What’s your favorite show on TV?”

“Me? I’m a history documentary guy.”

“Favorite time period?”

“Right now, I’m bingeing a series on World War One. It’s fascinating.”

“I’ll tell my grandpa about it.”

“Are you calling me old?” he asked.

She laughed. “I’m not calling you anything. I’m just saying that you like the same thing as an eighty-year-old man.”

“Maybe your grandfather likes the same things as a thirty-year-old,” he said with a smile. “Did you ever think about that?”

“Point taken,” she said, echoing his words. Since they were obviously playing get-to-know-you games, she asked, “What did you like to do as a kid?”

“Back when I was growing up, we used to play this game. We had to name two things we didn’t understand but wish we did.”

“I bet that started a lot of conversations,” said Lucy.

“You’d win money on that bet,” he said. “You want to go first?”

“Oh, that’s a hard one.” She shoved two French fries into her mouth and washed them down with the last swallow of soda. “I can’t think of anything.”

Ruth approached the table, carrying a fresh drink. “Here you go,” she said, setting the glass on the table.

“I need your help,” said Lucy.

“Anything,” said Ruth.

“What’s one thing you don’t understand but wish you did?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” said Ruth. “Why are brides on those dress shows always so mean? They’re getting married to a great guy. They have a loving family. They’re buying a pretty dress. What gives?”

“Good question,” said Aiden. “And I don’t have the answer.” Then, to Lucy, he said, “But that’s cheating. You can’t ask people for help.”

She liked his silly game. “You never said anything about rules,” she laughed.