Page 2 of Jaxson

Tillie was all alone in the world as her parents had died a few years ago, one after the other, of heart failure, and he knew it had completely destroyed her. That was where Belle had come in, and of course the rest was history.

She was a well-loved member of Higher Ridge. The town absolutely adored her, and she had become somewhat of a social media star. She’d built her own sewing channel from scratch after she was fired from the doctor’s office. He did hear that several patients had gone into the doctor’s office, and she’d not been able to handle it. One had a broken ankle, and that had caused her to pass out. Another was a kid who impaled himself on something, which resulted in her throwing up. She was a great woman, but when it came to blood and injury, she didn’t have the stomach. This was when her parents were still alive, and did everything they could to convince her she had to invest in herself.

Not that Jaxson would ever tell anyone, but she was amazing. He was not into crafts or sewing, or anything like that, yet he had sat back and watched all of her videos over the last ten years. He looked forward to them. In fact, one would be released tonight, as she had a regular schedule of twice a week, and sometimes they even got a third if she was able.

He pulled out of his thoughts as his cell phone started to buzz. He picked it up, seeing an alert for an appointment he needed to get to in the next fifteen minutes. Even though he could sit in the sheriff’s parking lot and wait for Tillie to come out, he had responsibilities.

Reluctantly, he turned his truck over, put it in gear, and left his spot, wanting nothing more than to stay and watch Tillie.

****

Tillie Short never went out, let alone on a Friday night, but for some reason, she decided to enjoy the warm June evening. Belle was at her feet as they sat outside the only bar in town, The Old Miller, owned by Tom Miller, and had been for generations.

The bar was busy, and she could hear the music filtering outside. She had a glass of orange juice with just a wedge of lime. She always liked this drink, and she never drank any alcohol. Her and alcohol never mixed well. She figured it was just another quirk of her funny stomach.

It had been a productive day as she filmed going to her local fabric shop. It did wonders for Kate’s online business. A few years ago, Kate had confided in her that if business didn’t turn around soon, she would have to close. It had seemed sewing and crafts were a dying business. Tillie asked if she could film a shopping trip, advised that Kate consider moving her business online, and the rest is history.

They had also become very good friends. Kate was given the fabric shop from her mother, and it had been in the “red” when she got it. It was why her mother gave her the shop in the first place. Tillie was more than happy to help. Since she was a little girl, crafting, knitting, and sewing brought her the most joy. She figured it was one of the many reasons she didn’t get on well with her peers.

She liked a lot of different things. By the time she was a teenager, rather than shop, she’d look through a patterns catalog, choose what she liked, and spend the entire summer creating herself a new wardrobe.

If her parents had been able to afford it, she would have loved to go to fashion school, or something to do with design. As it happened, they were not able to afford it, and she refused to take out loans. Instead, she finished school and actually started her own channel on social media, which gradually grew. Her parents were so supportive, even turning the garage into her filming space.

This was where she lived now—in her parents’ old home. After they passed, everything had been given to her, and her parents had each left her a video, ordering her to make it her own space. She could no longer live in their memories, but it was a place to make it hers. She missed them every day, especially when she was having doubts. Her mother always had this way of making things seem trivial, and she constantly had never-ending faith in her.

Tillie took another drink of her orange with the dash of lime, and she noticed Belle’s head had perked up.

She looked around and watched as none other than Jaxson Ridge approached. “Hello, stranger,” she said.

He was the grumpy electrician, plumber, and odd-job man. If there was a job needed, he was the man to call. Although, most people complained about his gruff manner. She knew he was the best man for every job.

“Hello, I did not expect to see you here, so I had to come and check with my own two eyes.”

This made her laugh. “Is it such a shock to see a woman socializing?” she asked.

“Not at all, but you, well, that is shocking, isn’t it?”

She laughed, and Belle walked over to Jaxson, gave him a sniff, and seemed to be happy with him. “Don’t mind her.”

“She’s all good. I speak dog.”

This made her laugh.

Belle nudged her hand, and she patted her lap, to which her dog jumped up, gave her face a nudge, and then settled onto her lap. She looked across the table where she was sitting as Jaxson took a seat.

She knew he was the town bad boy. The rebel. Everyone complained about him, but she honestly didn’t see it. Whenever they talked, he was always the sweetest man she had ever met.

“Do you mind?” he asked.

“Not at all. I’m surprised you’re all alone. I thought you were dating someone.”

He let out a groan. “Everyone seems to think I am dating someone, or something like that.”

She couldn’t help but giggle. “And you don’t like that?”

“Would you, if the rumors followed you everywhere?”

“I figured you would be completely used to it by now,” she said. “You’re the type of man that gossip follows.”