Free Black Water Creek by Robert Brumm

rivers. Kelly quickened her pace to keep up and regretted her decision not to take two trips instead of trying to haul all the cleaning supplies down to the cottage at once. The plastic bag handles dug painfully into her fingers and her arms burned from the weight.
    Kelly fought back a yawn. Between her shifts at the store all week and trying to spend as much time with Keegan as possible, she was worn out. Not to mention, she hadn’t been sleeping well. Ever since the nightmare earlier in the week, it felt like she kept waking up a dozen times a night.
    She also felt terrible about missing a call from one of her aunt’s church friends. Kelly decided to stop avoiding her phone so she had turned it on that morning. She was welcomed by a voicemail left three days ago by her aunt’s friend, telling her about Sarah’s funeral. It was yesterday and she’d missed it. Kelly tried to convince herself it was okay since she barely knew the woman, but she still felt guilty as hell.
    In the meantime, she hadn’t done a thing in days to get the cottage ready. Since it was Saturday and she had the whole day free, her mission was to clean the place up, top to bottom. Ed and Sue were beyond nice and hospitable but she knew the sooner her and Keegan got out of their hair the better. The last thing she wanted to do was overstay her welcome after all they’d done to help.
    She finally reached the front door and plopped the heavy bags down on the front step. Keegan busied himself by kicking the leaves blanketing the ground around the house as Kelly fished the keys out of her pocket.
    It almost seemed colder inside than it was outside. She started up the propane heater in the living room like Ed had showed her earlier. It was a big, noisy metal box sticking out from the wall that didn’t exactly add to the ambiance of the room, but when she heard the whoosh of the flames kick in she instantly felt warmer. Until then, she was ready to work up a sweat with a little hard work.
    The cell phone in her pocket started vibrating almost as loud as a regular ringtone in the quiet house. She checked the display and recognized the number from the diner where she had worked before leaving town. Why would they be calling? She let a couple of rings pass before finally flipping it open.
    “Hello?”
    “Kelly? It’s Nancy down at Barry’s.”
    “Oh, hi.”
    “I haven’t seen you. Last time we spoke, you agreed you’d drop off your uniforms. I’ve still got your last check, too.”
    “I’m so sorry, I totally forgot about it. I’m not in town anymore , actually. I had to move away suddenly. It was…sort of an emergency.”
    “You didn’t take the uniforms with you, did you?”
    “ They’re still at my old place.” Kelly took a chance, hoping for some woman to woman sympathy from her old boss. “With my ex-boyfriend.” Nancy was silent for a moment before answering.
    “Okay, I understand.” He r voice took on a softer tone. “They were getting pretty old anyway. One of these days I suppose we’ll have to get new ones and bring the girls into this century. I’ve still got your last check, though. Want me to just pop it in the mail?”
    “That would be great, Nancy. Thanks.”
    “No problem. Hold on while I grab a pen and you can give me your new address.”
    Kelly bit her lip. It was a stretch, but what if Don knew she had a last check coming? What if he’d stop by the diner and ask where they sent it?
    “Okay, ready.”
    “Uh…it’s 815 Washington Street.” She continued to give Nancy the address to The Electric Connection. “That’s where I work now.”
    “No problem, I’ll send it in the mail.”
    “Thanks again, Nancy.” Kelly hung up, glad to have some extra money on the way but still feeling uneasy. What were the chances Don would ask around at the diner?
     
    *****
     
    A few hours later, Kelly was up to her elbows in Comet, scrubbing every inch of the bathroom. The kitchen was already spotless and the bathroom was