Page 44 of Crossing Paths
When Molly spoke, Norah let out a relieved huff of air. This was why Molly was in charge of the business and Norah was happy to just be a research monkey in the background.
After a glance around the diner to make sure there weren’t any nearby eavesdroppers, Molly fixed Dash with her bossy big-sister look and asked, “Are you clear on the story in case he contacts you?”
Although he tipped his chin in a nod, Dash looked annoyed. Norah figured it was because he was being ordered around until he spoke. “Norah’s dating Davies.” His expression grew evenmore thunderous. “BruiserDavies. My employee. Who drives around inmycar. That I’m paying for. I barely know Norah, and only as a member of my gym. That it?” It seemed it wasn’t Molly’s questioning that had rankled but that Dash was still irrationally hostile about her imaginary boyfriend.
“Pretty much, yeah.” Giving him an approving look, Molly asked, “Did you let Davies know? Is he willing to play along?”
Still looking immensely grumpy, Dash grunted an affirmative. “If Mills contacts him, Davies’ll confirm our story.”
“Perfect.” Appearing satisfied, Molly continued, “Cara and I also might have implied that you’re stalking Norah because you want to steal her away from Bruiser, but you can save that card in case the whole coincidental just-happened-to-be-running-by thing falls through.”
Except for crossing his arms over his chest, Dash didn’t outwardly react to that nugget of information.
“Okay!” Molly slapped the table lightly. “One thing down. Let’s talk about that slimy weasel Zach Fridley next.”
“He’s been arrested, but he’ll likely make bail tomorrow,” Cara said before waving a subtle hand toward the approaching server. They waited until Taren had unloaded their drinks from her tray and had walked out of earshot before picking up the subject again.
“Can you keep tabs on that situation?” Molly asked Cara, who nodded as she took a drink of her water. “Let us know when he’s out. I have a feeling he’s going to be annoyed with us.” Turning to Dash, Molly added, “Especially you. Be prepared for retaliation, possibly from two idiots named Dane Sanders andEddie Cord. He likes to send his minions to do his dirty work.”
Dash just gave Molly a slight nod, looking less bothered by the fact that there could soon be any number of people out to get revenge on him than he was by Norah fake dating Davies.
Molly’s mention of Zach’s dislike of getting his hands dirty made Norah frown in thought. “Why do you think he broke in?” she asked, immediately gaining everyone’s attention, which made her try to inhale and talk at the same time. The sound that came out was almost a quack, and she quickly cleared her throat as she felt heat creeping up her neck. “Rather than sending someone else I mean? And why did he come alone? He was with Mom up until just a few days ago. Think they started fighting again?”
Both her sisters appeared thoughtful as they considered that. Dash seemed…more intense than usual? Maybe? Although she was getting better at reading his expressions and body language, she still felt like she couldn’t tell what he was thinking most of the time. Glancing back at her sisters, Norah saw someone entering the diner. Her eyes widened as she recognized the woman, and she bit back a panicked squeak that wanted to escape.
“Could he ha—” Cara, who was oblivious to the horror that had just arrived, started to say, but Norah interrupted.
“Cara,” she hissed under her breath, drawing her sister’s startled gaze. “Switch places with me! Hurry!”
To her credit, Cara didn’t hesitate, quickly sliding out of her seat. Before the swap could take place though, Laken Albee spotted them. With an enthusiastic wave and huge smile, she made a beeline toward their table.
“Too late,” Norah sighed, settling back into her chair next toDash. “Thanks though.”
Cara took her seat again, twisting around to see what had caused Norah’s panic. “Ugh.”
“What is… Oh.” Molly had turned to look as well. “That woman again? What’s her deal? Is she stalking you too?”
“Stalking Norah does seem to be the rage recently,” Cara said quietly so that a quickly approaching Laken didn’t overhear.
Norah just sighed.
“Who’s that?” Dash asked, his scowl firmly back in place.
“Someone who used to bully Norah back in high school.” Molly positively growled the words.
“Junior high,” Norah corrected weakly, knowing there was going to be a horribly uncomfortable confrontation in just a few seconds. “She outgrew it by high school. I’m giving her a chance to show that she’s changed.”
Despite her denial, Dash looked at Laken with an ice-cold gaze. Norah thought it was interesting how his indifference appeared even more intimidating than his usual scowl.
“Norah!” Laken cooed. She came right up to the table, either braver than Norah had thought or oblivious to the three people who wanted to rip every strand of hair out of her head. “I’m so glad I ran into you! I wanted to get together again, but I forgot to get your cell number.” She finally glanced around the table, but her smile didn’t waver. “Sorry if I’m interrupting. How about I join you?”
She turned as if searching for a chair to pull over, and Norah held back a groan. If she didn’t do something, Laken was going to be murdered.
“Sorry, but this is a business meeting,” Norah rushed out.
“Aren’t these your sisters?” Laken gave a trill of laughter that made Norah wince. “You still live with them, don’t you? Doesn’t that makeeverymeal a business meeting? You need some relaxation time. Remember, all work and no play makes Norah a dull girl.”
Molly opened her mouth to say something, and Norah hurried to give her leg a warning kick. It wasn’t a hard bump, but Molly still appeared shocked enough by the uncharacteristically aggressive move from Norah that she didn’t say a word.
