Recipe for a Curse - Lissa Kasey Page 0,1

a mile or so from the main road; though far enough that he had no actual address. I wasn’t even sure he had power, and now that I thought about it, that worried me too. We’d hit single digits in the last week, dropping overnight below zero.

“It’s a bit of a hike from the road. You won’t be able to drive close at all,” Jim said. “Trees are too thick even when there isn’t snow. He’s probably hunkered down for the winter like he usually is.”

I tried to think back to last year, but I’d been new to the area, and hadn’t started the food bank runs yet. With the manor on holiday, and my new kitchen already stocked full, it wasn’t like I had a lot to do. I had a cooler full of food for the manor in the car, but it was just stuff I’d gotten on sale or in bulk to refill basics like flour, sugar, salt, a few pounds of steak, and a giant bag of rice. Taking the time to check on Rio wouldn’t set me back at all, and if it would stop the anxiety welling up in my stomach, that would be a bonus.

Of course, the thought that he might have gotten sick crossed my mind. Our small town has been very strict about mask guidelines, especially after a visitor showed up just before Thanksgiving bringing the virus with them. After a half dozen were infected, with the entire town up in arms and contract tracing, we’d shut it down fast. But maybe Rio hadn’t been so lucky. Maybe he had visitors over the holidays we didn’t know about. Which of course made me think back to our holiday party and how many people might have been exposed. The tables had been ten feet apart, windows open for ventilation, and masks required while people weren’t eating. Everything disinfected and sanitized to death. Zach worked hard to follow health guidelines to ensure the staff was safe even while feeding the community. The gift baskets we’d given out had provided at least a week’s worth of food. And since the staff had all been tested before and after the event, I hoped no one had it.

Though since it had been several weeks since Christmas, I thought it unlikely someone wouldn’t have displayed symptoms. Maybe Rio had been the unlucky one. That thought worried me even more.

“He doesn’t come down much in the winter,” Diana agreed. “It’s why we always let him take a little extra. He stocks up for the worst few months of the year. Poor guy still comes down in the spring looking like a skeleton.”

Rio hadn’t looked like a skeleton when he’d come to the holiday feast. He looked good. Wide through the shoulder, hair a bit long and wild, but clean and bright eyed. He looked of Greek or Italian ancestry but I didn’t know for sure. He had mentioned once to Zach that he’d been in the military, and used some sort of disability pay as his income. He’d grown up in New York City, that much I knew. I had tried not to be nosy, but couldn’t help watching him. He was pretty in a rugged way, like Zach was in a bear sort of way.

I’d probably made a fool of myself flirting. Being small, pretty, and the definition of a twink, I’d sort of naturally fallen into the fem boy habits I’d picked up working in the big city. Being flirty and cute used to bring in the guys like bees to honey. Didn’t work so well out here in the middle of nowhere. And I had to admit I was lonely.

Rio always smiled and nodded, at least appearing to listen. We’d never had long conversations, especially now that the virus scared most of us away from social situations. But I did try to make him feel like he wasn’t so alone.

Watching Zach and Sean over the holidays, seeing them glow with happiness, hold hands, or sit cuddled together near one of the massive fireplaces, had made me want that for myself. Maybe I’d make a trip into the city soon. Take a few days and see if I could meet some people. Though swiping left felt really hollow right now, when what I really wanted was someone to smile at me the way Zach smiled at Sean. Like I was their world.

I still didn’t feel safe randomly hooking up with someone. Too much illness around. And