Crash Into You by Cara Ellison

soon.”
                  She mumbled something then drifted off.   Mark shut the curtains to the bright sunlight, cloaking the room in soothing darkness.  May looked up at him as he passed, but she didn’t move from Lauren’s bedside.
                 
    Mark drove back into Spanner, parking directly in front of Carrie’s Apothecary.   As he walked inside, he glanced back to the pharmacy, and was relieved that Carrie herself was not on duty.   If she saw him with prescriptions for one Lauren Spanner, she would be unable to keep that bit of intelligence to herself.  Gossip would wildfire through the town.   He didn’t particularly care, but if Lauren was hiding out from some crazy cop, he thought it best to show some discretion.
                  Thankfully, the pharmacist on duty was a youngish guy Mark didn’t recognize.  He didn’t blink when Mark slid the scripts across the counter.
                  While the pharmacist was in the back, Mark glanced out the window and saw the new sign for Glacier Outfitters across the street.  His friend John Jenkins had recently bought the storefront and launched the new retail store after six years in Whitefish.   At his grand opening party earlier in the summer, John had declared that he was back in Spanner for good.
    Sp anner attracted world-class fly-fishing, hiking and mountain sports, and the town had was starting to respond to the lure of tourist dollars.  It was too remote to ever be a major hub of activity, but folks passing through were happy to splurge on new waders or carabineers to wile away an afternoon in a cold mountain stream or on some sheer mountain face.  Definitely a smart move to open up shop here.  And fortuitous for Mark because the store undoubtedly sold clothing, which Lauren needed.
    After Mark paid for the medications, he crossed the street.   Bells jingled over his head as he opened the door.  A familiar face looked up from the front register.  “Well I’ll be,” John Jenkins drawled.
    A smile broke across Mark’s face as he recognized h is old friend.  He could not remember a time when he didn’t know John.   He felt bad he hadn’t been out to see him since the grand opening.
    John laughed and walked around the register to shake his hand.  “What the heck are you doing here? I thought you’d probably sneak out of town before the snow comes.  How long are you in town for this time?”
    “I’m not sure,” Mark replied. “Probably through Christmas.”
    “I heard you were over at the cabins a couple weeks ago.  You fixing them up finally?”
    Mark wasn’t surprised that John knew he’d been working on the cabins at Starlight Lake.   In a small town like Spanner it was impossible to keep a secret. “Yep, I had half a mind to try and revive the property.  You interested in some heavy lifting?”
    “Sure, absolutely.  Let me know when you’d like a hand.”
    “I’ll do that,” he promised.
    “You need anything specific or are you just here to say hello?”
    “A bit of both, actually.”
    “Well, find whatever you need and we’ll catch up when you’re done.”
    Mark took a long look around the new store.  John had really made this place pretty fancy.   New top-of-the-range North Face jackets were in stock, as well as luxurious fleece pullovers and pants for mountaineering,  and trail running shoes.  The sports equipment selection was as robust as any he’d find at REI in Falls Church, particularly the fly-fishing and skiing selections.  “Look what you’ve done to this place,” Mark said.
    “I hope Spanner is big enough to support it,” John said, looking thoughtfully around the store as if seeing it for the first time.
    That was a question Mark had too, but the town was definitely growing.  Earlier this spring, some Hollywood movie sensation bought a mega-ranch in the foothills.  Mark assumed celebrities were like cockroaches: where there was one,