Page 5 of A Midlife Vanishing Trick

“Wait,what?”

“Adios!”

The line went dead.

The man reached her booth and took his seat across the table from her. “I hope I didn’t interrupt your phone call.”

Before Allison could respond, he spoke again. “What’s a pretty woman like you doing alone in a bar like this?”

She groaned inwardly. “That’s a line no woman’s ever heard before.”

The man wasn’t bad-looking, but he certainly wasn’t the type of guy she’d give a second glance. His dark gaze darted from her face to her chest and back, and she recoiled slightly.

“I’ve been watching you for a while,” he said. “I figured I’d come and say hi. My name’s Jeff.”

“Hi, Jeff.”

“Say, you’re Allison Reyes, aren’t you? Haven’t seen much of you in a while.”

Of course, he knew who she was. Pretty much everyone knew everyone else in this small town, especially if you’d been here a while.

She clutched her drink almost protectively. “I ... I don’t go out much. I’m mostly on the ranch.”

“Not much to do in this old town, so I get it.” He nodded, his gaze shifting again. He pointed. “What’s that?”

Her hand immediately flew to her chest, and she realized what he’d been referring to.

“Oh, it’s ... it’s a locket.”

Her fingers traced a path along the golden chain supporting the locket. She opened it. Sure enough, Stanley’s face was grinning back at her. It was a photo of him from their college days. Younger though he was, there was no mistaking those blue eyes and that dirty-blond hair of his.

Her heart gave a painful throb. The locket had been Stanley’s gift to her shortly after their wedding. He had one just like it,with a picture of her inside. Allison bit her lip. She hadn’t taken the locket off since her husband’s disappearance, not even once.

Moved on,she thought, resisting a scoff.Sure, Allison.

Jeff’s gaze drifted lower. “You got a man, Allison?”

She blinked at him, unsure how to answer that question. Technically, she still was married, although her husband was nowhere to be seen. “Uh ...”

“Nice ring you’ve got there,” he said as an explanation. “Got me wondering what you’re doing in here if you’ve got a husband at home. Unless ... you’re looking for something different,” he said, leering.

Allison could feel her discomfort growing. “Look, uh, I’m not really interested in—”

“Oh, come on.” Jeff reached out and placed a large, clammy hand on hers. “No need to go looking around anymore. You’ve found me, haven’t ya?”

She quickly withdrew her hand. Coming here had been a terrible idea. “Look, I’m just—”

“Everything all right?” said a woman’s voice.

Allison looked up. She hadn’t even seen the barmaid approaching. The woman was about her age, with flaming red hair pulled back into a hasty ponytail. She wore a blue shirt over denim shorts, and she held a tray laden with empty glasses in one hand.

The barmaid looked them over, her gaze settling on Allison. “Need anything? A drink, maybe?”

“Why don’t you go back to wiping the counter, Penny?” Jeff said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I’m talking to this pretty gal here.”

Penny frowned. “Doesn’t seem like she’s interested in talking to you. Seems to me like you’re bothering her, Jeff.”

“Of course not,” he replied. He turned to Allison. “Right?”

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