down enough to face the world, we exited the office. No one in the
bustling garage seemed at all aware of our recent activities.
Cayne caught my eye and
winked adorably as we made our way out onto the gravel drive.
“So, I’ll make sure the
car gets fixed today. Do you need a ride to the diner?”
“No, that’s alright,” I
said. “It’s a nice day to walk.”
He looked up at the
glaring sun and gave me a quizzical look. “If you say so.”
“I need to refocus
before I can start serving lunch to the good people of Hallow River. The walk
will help me clear my head.”
He laughed. “Makes sense.
How about I pick you up after your shift?”
“That sounds great.”
Aware others were
watching, I lifted up onto my tiptoes and gave him a peck of a kiss on the
cheek. I strolled down the drive, turning once to find him watching me with a
satisfied smile. Little did I know that our nightmare was about to begin.
Chapter 10
“Hey, girl!” The diner
was in a mid-morning lull. Cami was wiping down the counter over the pie case.
She eagerly waved me over. I hopped onto one of the stools and looked around
the room. A smattering of customers sat chewing their meals and chatting under
the lazily spinning ceiling fans.
“Seems pretty quiet
today. How is everything going?”
“Quiet is right. It was
boring as hell until you got here.” She scrubbed at a spot on the counter with
her washrag. “I’ve spent the morning listening to clacking dentures.”
A fly buzzed around her
unruly mess of curls. She batted her hands in annoyance and then slapped at the
fly with her washrag when it landed on a napkin dispenser. “It’s like a damn
nature preserve in here.” She dropped the rag onto the counter as the fly buzzed
away.
“So, anything exciting
to report?” I asked. “Did Mr. Pinkles melt into a peach smear on the linoleum? Did
the Times restaurant critic stop by to sample our delectable chicken-fried
steak?”
Cami giggled. “Oh!” she
exclaimed. “There was one thing!” She fished around in her pockets, removing
several pieces of gum and three different tubes of lip gloss.
“Ah. Here it is.” She
held out a page of her notepad that had been torn in half and folded. “This guy
came by asking about you.”
Anxiety crept into my
chest. My heart beat faster.
“Good-looking, probably
in his 40s,” she continued. “Salt and pepper hair. Expensive watch. Seemed
friendly enough. Anyway, he told me his name, but I knew I’d forget it, so I
made him write it down. Here you go.” She held the paper out toward me. “He
said you two go way back. How do you know him? I’ve never seen him around here.
Is he from New York?”
I stared at the paper
like it was a burning coal. I finally took it from her, gingerly pinching it
between my index finger and thumb. I already knew what it would say before I
opened it. Cami blinked expectantly at me. I carefully unfolded the paper.
Granton Langley , it said in the smooth script that I recognized. He had
the nerve to draw a heart underneath his name. That bastard. My throat felt
like it was about to close. I couldn’t breathe or swallow.
“Did he, um,” I started
to croak out a question once I regained some measure of control over my vocal
chords. “Did he say what he wanted?” I shoved the paper into my dress pocket to
hide my trembling hand.
“No, he didn’t.” A
shadow of concern passed over Cami’s face. She was must have sensed my
discomfort. “Brinley, who is he?” She scrunched her eyebrows together in an
expression of uncertainty.
“Oh, nobody.” I faked a
smile, hoping to appear breezy and nonchalant. “You were right. He’s just
somebody that I knew back in New York. No big deal. I wonder what he’s doing
all the way down here.”
Cami’s forehead
smoothed, the worry lines instantly erased. Her glossy lips curled upwards in a
cheery grin. “How exciting! Well, I told him that you normally work the
afternoon shift. He said that he’d
bustling garage seemed at all aware of our recent activities.
Cayne caught my eye and
winked adorably as we made our way out onto the gravel drive.
“So, I’ll make sure the
car gets fixed today. Do you need a ride to the diner?”
“No, that’s alright,” I
said. “It’s a nice day to walk.”
He looked up at the
glaring sun and gave me a quizzical look. “If you say so.”
“I need to refocus
before I can start serving lunch to the good people of Hallow River. The walk
will help me clear my head.”
He laughed. “Makes sense.
How about I pick you up after your shift?”
“That sounds great.”
Aware others were
watching, I lifted up onto my tiptoes and gave him a peck of a kiss on the
cheek. I strolled down the drive, turning once to find him watching me with a
satisfied smile. Little did I know that our nightmare was about to begin.
Chapter 10
“Hey, girl!” The diner
was in a mid-morning lull. Cami was wiping down the counter over the pie case.
She eagerly waved me over. I hopped onto one of the stools and looked around
the room. A smattering of customers sat chewing their meals and chatting under
the lazily spinning ceiling fans.
“Seems pretty quiet
today. How is everything going?”
“Quiet is right. It was
boring as hell until you got here.” She scrubbed at a spot on the counter with
her washrag. “I’ve spent the morning listening to clacking dentures.”
A fly buzzed around her
unruly mess of curls. She batted her hands in annoyance and then slapped at the
fly with her washrag when it landed on a napkin dispenser. “It’s like a damn
nature preserve in here.” She dropped the rag onto the counter as the fly buzzed
away.
“So, anything exciting
to report?” I asked. “Did Mr. Pinkles melt into a peach smear on the linoleum? Did
the Times restaurant critic stop by to sample our delectable chicken-fried
steak?”
Cami giggled. “Oh!” she
exclaimed. “There was one thing!” She fished around in her pockets, removing
several pieces of gum and three different tubes of lip gloss.
“Ah. Here it is.” She
held out a page of her notepad that had been torn in half and folded. “This guy
came by asking about you.”
Anxiety crept into my
chest. My heart beat faster.
“Good-looking, probably
in his 40s,” she continued. “Salt and pepper hair. Expensive watch. Seemed
friendly enough. Anyway, he told me his name, but I knew I’d forget it, so I
made him write it down. Here you go.” She held the paper out toward me. “He
said you two go way back. How do you know him? I’ve never seen him around here.
Is he from New York?”
I stared at the paper
like it was a burning coal. I finally took it from her, gingerly pinching it
between my index finger and thumb. I already knew what it would say before I
opened it. Cami blinked expectantly at me. I carefully unfolded the paper.
Granton Langley , it said in the smooth script that I recognized. He had
the nerve to draw a heart underneath his name. That bastard. My throat felt
like it was about to close. I couldn’t breathe or swallow.
“Did he, um,” I started
to croak out a question once I regained some measure of control over my vocal
chords. “Did he say what he wanted?” I shoved the paper into my dress pocket to
hide my trembling hand.
“No, he didn’t.” A
shadow of concern passed over Cami’s face. She was must have sensed my
discomfort. “Brinley, who is he?” She scrunched her eyebrows together in an
expression of uncertainty.
“Oh, nobody.” I faked a
smile, hoping to appear breezy and nonchalant. “You were right. He’s just
somebody that I knew back in New York. No big deal. I wonder what he’s doing
all the way down here.”
Cami’s forehead
smoothed, the worry lines instantly erased. Her glossy lips curled upwards in a
cheery grin. “How exciting! Well, I told him that you normally work the
afternoon shift. He said that he’d
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