Page 55 of Waitress at the Shadow Ridge Inn
“Rose thought he might be an ex or something,” she said, clearly fishing for info.
I struggled to keep my expression neutral and unaffected when I shook my head. “Not one of mine.”
“Good, because Steve’s a good guy, and I like you two together.”
“I do too,” I agreed. “What did Rose tell him?”
“That no one was here by that name, which was true at the time, I guess. That doesn’t mean someone else didn’t say something though.”
I exhaled and shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.” I opened my eyes, rolled my shoulders, and got to my feet with a feigned groan, even as my mind was screaming,Run!“I’m going to make one more pass through the lounge, and then I’m going to take off. Something tells me tomorrow’s going to be even busier.”
“It’s Halloweenanda full moon,” Shannon agreed. “We’re doomed. Hey, Case?”
“Yeah?”
“If you’re in some kind of trouble, we’re here for you. You know that, right?”
“Thanks, Shannon. I appreciate that. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
I knew to the depths of my soul that my stalker had found me. I’d always known this was a possibility. That, one day, he would catch up to me.
That was why I’d kept moving.
But I’d become complacent. I’d let my guard down. I’d allowed myself to be selfish, and I’d put everyone here in danger.
I came off as standoffish and distant, but in truth, I’d come to care about these people. Yes, they were nosy. Yes, they could be pains in the ass, but that was what family did, and truly, the motley crew of misfits at the Shadow Ridge Inn had started to feel like a family to me. I wouldn’t let them wind up in the crossfire.
To keep up an appearance of normality, I made another pass around the lounge, as I’d said I would. I scanned each and every face in the crowd, looking for a fortyish man with dark hair, dark eyes, and an intensity about him. Physically, there were several who fit the bill, but I didn’t believe any of them were my stalker. None of them was alone. None of them expressed undue interest. The skin on the back of my neck remained prickle-free.
The kitchen was closed and had been for a while, so there wasn’t much to collect from the tables besides a few empty plates and tips. While I smiled and thanked people and wished them a good night, my mind was trying to figure out what I was going to do next.
My number one priority was not putting anyone in harm’s way.
An extremely close second was ending this madness once and for all. I’d already been working on that, but this asshole had just accelerated my timeline.
The irony wasn’t lost on me. I’d told myself I was done running, and yet that might be the only way to accomplish both goals.
I stacked the trays in the kitchen, hung up my apron, and took several deep, calming breaths. I hated thinking that this might be the last time I was here. Of leaving without saying goodbye. But what choice did I have?
The lot was still pretty full despite the late hour. I scanned over it, left to right, front to back, half-expecting him to be there, waiting and watching. Small groups of people were hanging around, having come out to grab a smoke or chat before they headed out for the night. From the skunky smell lingering in the air, it wasn’t just cigarettes and vapes they were smoking.
Good news: no lone stalkers in sight.
Yet.
I held my keys in one hand, and in the other, my thumb and forefinger were prepped and ready to fire the pepper spray in my pocket. I didn’t think I’d need either with people around, but I was on high alert. I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other and appear calm.
“Casey.”
My name, called out from the darkness, nearly gave me a heart attack. I jumped and looked off to the right, where Lou was stepping away from a trio of biker types—regulars at the inn and some of the nicest men I’d ever met.
He eyed me critically. “You all right there, darlin’? You look a little tense.”
“What do you expect, sneaking up on someone like that?”
He grinned and held out a joint. “This might help.”
Given the way I felt as if I was about to jump out of my skin, it was tempting, but I shook my head. “No thanks. One hit of that right now, and I’ll be asleep before I get out of the parking lot.”
