Page 25 of Home Team Advantage
That made Kieran’s lips quirk. “I can live with that. Just don’t break her heart or anything.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”
“Fair enough. Let’s head down to BodyWorks and work on a schedule. Oh, and I’d hide those cookies if you hope to have any left by the time we get back.”
Chapter Fifteen
ANNA
“How many are we picking up today?” Anna asked.
“Three,” Elsa replied. “Millie, Esther, and Janice. Blanche and Mary Rose will meet us there.”
Anna did the math, taking into account the adjustable seating accommodations of the adaptive van. The front passenger seat was already out for Elsa’s wheelchair, as was the seat right behind it, which would accommodate Janice’s scooter. Millie and Esther were mobile enough to sit in the standard seating directly behind the driver and the third-row split bench.
“Then, we’re good to go.”
Once Elsa’s wheelchair was secured in the passenger area, they set off to pick up the others. Anna’s duties had expanded to include chauffeuring not only Elsa, to and from her appointments, but her friends as well for group activities. Anna didn’t mind. They were an entertaining bunch. Bonus: while they were being pampered in the spa, Anna would be able to run some errands—something she could accomplish quicker on her own.
“Join us, Anna,” Millie coaxed once Anna herded them into the posh building.
“No, thanks. You ladies have a good time. I’ll pick you up in a few hours.”
Anna made sure the woman at the front desk had her cell phone number just in case, then stepped out into the crisp air.
It was barely spring, but Pine Ridge seemed eager to move ahead with the program. The sun was shining, the sky was a beautiful blue, and the temperature was unseasonably warm for late March. The only evidence of the recent snowfall were the large piles created by plows in parking lots, but even they were disappearing rapidly.
Filling her lungs with the fresh air, Anna used the free time to run errands and learn her way around the downtown area. She picked up Elsa’s refills at the pharmacy. Got some stamps at the post office. Made a quick stop at the jeweler to drop off Elsa’s favorite watch for cleaning and a new battery. Tasks complete, she had the rest of the afternoon to herself.
Anna set a course for the public library. As stoic and beautiful as it was on the outside, with its old stone and carvings, it was even more so on the inside. High ceilings, stained-glass windows, and towering shelves as far as the eye could see.
She took a moment to absorb the silence and instant sense of peace as the door swung noiselessly shut behind her. It wasn’t particularly crowded. Most people didn’t want to spend a beautiful day within the confines of a library, especially when the internet gave them the world at their fingertips. Anna felt just the opposite. For her, public libraries provided a kind of privacy and anonymity that smart devices did not.
She found an open computer with no problem, one far enough away from the central desk and the smattering of other occupants that no one would be looking over her shoulder. She made sure her phone was in silent mode, then set it face up on the table so she’d see the screen light up if anyone tried to contact her.
Turning her attention to the screen, she opened an incognito window and began to type, her fingertips tapping lightly on the keys. She started with well-known national news sites and scrolled through headlines, opening up random articles in new windows. One on the climate crisis. Another on high-protein, low-fat recipes. And of course, the requisite feel-good animal story.
Her true interest came last. With another discreet look around, she clicked into the story she really wanted to read. Familiar names appeared under images of familiar faces.
They’d changed over the years. Time had added lines and exaggerated features, but their eyes were the same. Cold and soulless. A chill rippled along her spine as those dark, piercing orbs seemed to stare right back into hers.
Paul DiGiorgio. Sal Santini. Constantine Delvecchio. The faces she still saw in her nightmares. And more recently, in national headlines, under Political News. She searched the images, looking for one person in particular. Praying she didn’t see him there.
She zoomed in, scanned left to right, back to front. She was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when her eyes doubled back to a familiar figure. He was dressed in a black overcoat with a black hat pulled down, only the lower half of his face visible, but even under the beard he’d grown, she’d know the set of that jaw anywhere.
He was still alive.
A figure appeared in her peripheral vision, approaching from the side. Anna quickly clicked away from the image, returning to the heartwarming story about a rescue dog.
The man drew closer at a relaxed pace, slightly favoring one leg. Around fiftyish. Receding hairline. A little on the heavy side. Her first thought: he’s a cop.
She forced herself to calm down. She’d done nothing wrong. Not here anyway.
His eyes met hers briefly, and he smiled, but there was nothing friendly about him. A chill went through her, along with a sense of foreboding. Anna stopped breathing for a moment.
“Do you mind?” the man asked in a low, rough voice, indicating a seat across the table and two seats to the left.
Yes, she did mind. There were plenty of seats available at other tables. Why did he have to sit at hers?
