she rang it up, Sherry opened her denim purse to look for her billfold. “My treat,” she told Toby.
“Oh, no, I’ll get it.” Toby reached for a rear pocket of his shorts.
Sherry caught hold of his wrist.
He gasped and looked at her, his mouth drooping, his face turning crimson.
“I’m paying,” she said.
“But—”
“You’ve been nice enough to help me look for Duane. I really appreciate it, too. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I hadn’t run into you. So let me pay. Okay? Please?” She squeezed his wrist.
“Well…okay.”
Chapter Seven
“I guess I’ll use the john while we’re waiting,” Toby said.
“Okay. I’ll be right here.”
He hurried away, and Sherry remained standing near the front of the counter.
On the other side, the girl filled cardboard cups with ice and Pepsi while a young man was busy behind her preparing the tacos.
The girl snapped plastic lids onto the drink containers. “Your tacos’ll be ready in a just a minute,” she said, and pushed the drinks across the counter.
“Thanks. I’ll come right back for them.”
Sherry picked up the Pepsis, grabbed a couple of straws and went looking for a table. The gray-haired man stared at her.
Pick a table nice and far away from him.
She smiled at the young couple as she stepped past them, but they didn’t seem to notice. Their eyes were locked on each other.
Not wanting to intrude, Sherry picked a table a fair distance away from them. It looked clean except for the small wadded ball of a straw wrapper. She set down the drinks, placed a straw across the top of each, then returned to the counter for the tacos.
The man kept staring at her.
Finished with his burrito, he sucked on a straw as his eyes followed Sherry.
Not a bad-looking guy. Slim and rugged-looking.
But creepy, the way he wouldn’t quit staring at her.
Don’t choke on your drink, jerk.
At the counter, she found two plastic plates. One held a single taco wrapped in white paper. On the other were two tacos. Each plate was piled with tortilla chips.
She picked them up carefully and headed back for the table.
The guy was still watching her.
She frowned at him and he smiled.
A creepy smile, as if he had secret, nasty plans for her.
She looked away from him.
The way she was dressed, she supposed she shouldn’t blame him for staring. Not every night you get to see a gal wandering around in a cheerleader skirt and Hawaiian shirt.
I must look like a refugee from a pep squad luau.
On second thought, her costume probably didn’t matter to this guy: he seemed to be looking straight through her clothes as if he had x-ray vision.
She set the plates on the table, then turned her back to the man and sat down.
Maybe it’d be better to keep an eye on him.
Why bother? she asked herself. It’s not as if he’s going to try anything. Not inside a place like this.
I hope.
She tore the paper wrapper off her straw. As she poked the straw through the crossed slits in the lid of her drink, Toby stepped past her. She felt as if the troops had arrived. She smiled up at him.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Everything’s fine,” she said.
Toby sat down across the table from her. Unwrapping his straw, he leaned forward and whispered, “You wouldn’t believe what just happened to me in the john.”
“Oh, I’d probably believe it.”
“Something happen to you?” he asked.
“No. Not really. Just some guy in the corner who can’t seem to take his eyes off me.”
Toby sat up straight and gazed past Sherry’s left shoulder. “Him? The gray hair and blue shirt?”
“Yeah, but don’t stare.”
“What’d he do?”
“Nothing. Just sits there and…you know, watches me. Like he’s never seen a woman before.”
Blushing, Toby said, “He’s probably never seen one who looks like you.”
“Right. I’m one of a kind. My clone moved to Alabama.”
Toby laughed softly and sipped his drink. Then he said, “Want me to get rid of him?”
“No. Are you kidding? Just ignore him. Unless he tries something. Then you can wrestle him down and I’ll kick him.”
Laughing, Toby unwrapped one of his tacos. “I guess you’re kidding, huh?”
“Sort of.”
“You like to kid around, don’t you?”
“Sometimes.”
“Everybody in class thought you were hilarious.”
“Well, I try to keep things interesting.”
“You should’ve heard them telling Chambers about you. He’ll probably ask to have you back, next time he’s out.”
“Hope so.”
“Anyway, I’ll take care of this guy if he causes any trouble.”
“Let’s not think about ‘taking care’ of people, okay? Let’s just enjoy our meal.”
With that, she unfolded the white