Page 14 of Dark Roads
“Yeah, but I don’t think there are more.”
“Can you push me on the swing?”
“Sure.” I ruffled his hair, which had been trimmed and styled neatly, making him look like a little accountant. He sprinted to his playground and I glanced back at Lana.
She raised the bag. “I picked you up a few products. They’ll bring out your gorgeous copper highlights.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” My face was already hot, but now it was fully lit. She was always so generous and kind, and here I was, thinking of ways to blackmail her husband.
“It’s nice having a girl to spoil.” She gave a little shrug. “I’ll put them in your bathroom.”
“Thanks.”
“Did you want something to eat?”
“I’m okay. I was going to ride into town later and drop off some résumés.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, I thought you were going to nanny…” She glanced at Cash.
“I was thinking maybe I could do both. You know, a few shifts at the diner would help me with tips and it gets me out of the house. Might be good for me.”
She quirked her lips into a smile, but it looked strained and didn’t meet her eyes. I wondered what Vaughn had told her. “Sure. We just want you to be happy.”
Another tense smile, then she spun around and disappeared into the house.
I pushed Cash on his swing. He flew up in the air, screaming,Faster!at the top of his lungs. I glanced back at the house andcaught a movement, through the bathroom window I’d forgotten to close, a swish of color. Lana, her cell phone to her ear. She was talking as she placed two plastic bottles on the counter, then she walked out of the room still talking into the cell.
Vaughn. She could tell him whatever she wanted. There was nothing wrong with working at the diner, and it wasn’t like he could force me to babysit.
Meanwhile, I’d come up with a plan to break into that shed.
The diner’s parking lot was nearly empty. A slow time, between lunch and dinner. Vaughn’s truck was nowhere in sight, but just in case, I parked my bike in the alley beside the dumpster.
When I pushed open the door, a few people turned to look at me. Some with curious expressions, others sympathetic. One man gave me a chin nod and touched the brim of his cap. I knew it was out of respect for Dad. He’d grown up in Cold Creek and was a wilderness guide for years, legendary for his skills. He’d outsmarted cougars, bull moose, and grizzlies, and once nearly froze to death in a snowstorm, but survived it all, only to die on a hairpin curve.
I ran my hands over my hair, wiping a few tendrils off my face, and hoped I wasn’t too flushed and sweaty from riding my bike in the sun. Most days I lived in T-shirts and jeans, but I’d made some effort and was wearing clean white shorts, a teal-blue shirt, my hair pulled back into a high ponytail. I’d even put on some lip gloss and mascara.
Just as I sat at the counter, Amber came out of the kitchen with two plates and smiled when she saw me. I reflexively smiled back and was surprised at the flutter in my stomach.
“Hi! I’ll come talk to you when I drop these plates off, okay?”
“Okay.” She was talking like we were friends or like she’dbeen waiting for me. I watched after her. Mason came out from the kitchen.
“Haywire. It’s nice to see you.”
“I was hoping we could talk about that job.”
He winced, the corners of his brown eyes squinting in a pained expression. “Sorry, kid. I can’t hire you. Vaughn doesn’t think it’s a good idea and I don’t need the hassle.” I could tell by the way he was looking at me that he was sorry for a lot more than a missed job, but it didn’t matter. Vaughn had won again. “Get you something to eat?”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to burst into tears in the diner, but my throat was so thick I thought I might choke. Amber came up beside me, looked into my face, and casually leaned her hip against me as though holding me up. The warmth felt good, the solidness of her body. The ache in my throat eased enough that I could get a breath. I blinked hard at the tears.
“Mind if I take a break?” Amber said to Mason.
“Yeah, sure. It’s slow.”
She smiled at me. “Want to get some fresh air?” When I nodded, she said, “Meet me in the alley. I have to get something.”
Outside, I waited against the warm bricks, studying the rusted green dumpster in front of me, flies buzzing around. Amber pushed the side door open and leaned on the wall beside me.
