Ride With Me (Paige and Jace) novel Chapter 63

CHAPTER 38 1

CHAPTER 38-1

The first thing I noticed was the silence.

+25 Point

Lawson Customs was never completely quiet in the morning. Even before the first customer arrived, there was usually the soft hum of fluorescent lights, the refrigerator in the office, and the familiar buzz of the air compressor coming to life as I unlocked the workshop.

That morning there was nothing. I climbed the stairs from my apartment carrying a travel mug of coffee, unlocked the side door, and reached for the light switch beside the entrance.

Nothing happened and I frowned and pressed it again. Still nothing.

“That’s strange.” I said.

I walked farther into the workshop, set my coffee on the nearest workbench, and tried another

switch. The garage remained dark and a knot formed in my stomach.

The roller door still operated manually, so I lifted it just enough to let the morning sunlight spill

across the concrete floor. The familiar workshop slowly came into view, but something still felt

wrong.

I stepped outside and every building across the street had power. The bakery’s lights were

glowing. The hardware store had already opened. The café next door had customers sitting near the windows. Only Lawson Customs sat in darkness.

Ben pulled into the parking lot a few minutes later and climbed out of his truck with his usual

backpack slung over one shoulder.

He looked at the open roller door before looking at me.

“Morning.” He said.

“Depends.” I said and he glanced around.

“No power?” He asked.

“Not a single thing.” I said.

He walked inside, flicked a switch, and looked back at me.

“Well, that answers that.” He said.

“I was hoping the lights just forgot how to light.” I said.

“I don’t think electricity works that way.” He said.

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CHAPTER 38 1

“It would’ve been nice.” I said.

+25 Points

Mia arrived moments later, and the smile on her face faded the second she noticed the dark

workshop.

“Please don’t tell me we’re closed.” She said.

“I’m trying very hard not to.” I said and she immediately pulled out her phone.

“I’ll call the power company.” She said.

“I’ll start ringing today’s customers.” I said and Ben nodded.

“I’ll check the switchboard.” Ben said.

Within minutes the three of us had fallen into a routine. Nobody panicked. There wasn’t time.

I phoned customers scheduled for later in the afternoon and explained there might be delays. Most were understanding. A few offered to reschedule. Others insisted they were happy to wait.

Meanwhile, Mia spoke with the electricity provider before returning to the workshop.

“They’re saying there isn’t an outage in this area.” Mia said as I looked up.

“What?” I asked.

“They’ve got power everywhere else.” She said.

“So why don’t we?” I asked.

“They’re sending someone.” She said and I sighed.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” I said.

The first customer of the morning rolled into the parking lot before I could think about it any

longer.

An older man climbed off his motorcycle and smiled.

“I’ve got an appointment.” He said.

“You do. We’ve had a little problem.” I said as I forced a smile and he looked toward the dark

workshop.

“I can see that.” He said.

“I’ll understand if you’d rather reschedule.” I said but he waved a hand dismissively.

“I’ve waited three weeks already. I can wait another hour if I have to.” He said.

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CHAPTER 38 1

His patience eased some of the tension in my shoulders.

“Thank you.” I said.

+25 Paint

Word spread surprisingly quickly and several customers arrived expecting delays, yet almost

everyone chose to stay.

Some wandered across to the café for breakfast while others stood around talking motorcycles

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