The Pretender - Cora Brent Page 0,15

is the truth. And based on Ben’s quick answer and the way he broke eye contact, I don’t believe he’s telling the truth.

I take the bucket in the back to dump the dirty water into the sink. The floor is as clean as it’s going to get so I rinse off the mop and put everything back where I found it.

By the time I emerge from the stockroom Ben is no longer behind the counter. He’s got his shirt rolled up above his elbows and he’s messing with one of the self-serve coffee machines. I don’t want to notice his forearm muscles or the broadness of his shoulders but I do. In fact I come to a full stop and spend a few seconds looking him over. No matter his attitude, Ben Beltran looks damn good in jeans and common work boots.

I’m staring.

I’m know I’m staring and I can’t stop.

And when Ben turns around he sees that I am staring.

I clear my throat and shake the moment away. “So what did you really tell the McGills to get rid of them? I doubt they were really influenced by a few bags of potato chips.”

He shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. They’re gone.”

“But they did come in here looking for me?”

“Yeah, your name came up.”

My heart sinks a little bit. No one who knows the McGills would enjoy the idea of being on their radar.

Ben notices my distress. “Look, they won’t be bothering you.”

I’m curious. Ben’s a big, strong guy. But the McGill brothers are criminally evil. I doubt they’d back off just because he tells them to.

There’s no time for additional questions because the bell above the door jingles and Dee Cushing appears with a clipboard in his meaty hands. I’ve seen pictures of him in my father’s old yearbook, back when they were on the football team together at Devil Valley High. He’s gained over a hundred pounds since those long ago days but his face remains perpetually cheerful. He brightens even more when he notices me.

“Camden! Good to see you. Tell your old man we miss him at our Friday night poker games.”

I smile because Dee is a nice man. “I know he misses the games too. He’s just been working too much and doesn’t have time.”

Dee’s cheerful look fades slightly. “And how is Adela?”

“She’s happy to be finished with her latest round of treatments.”

Dee nods but now his eyes are troubled and the smile he flashes is unconvincing. “That’s good news.”

“I hope so.” I’ve lowered my head and I’m extremely aware that Ben is listening to every word being said.

Dee tries to lift the mood by referencing old times. “When you were little you used to come by almost every Saturday. You’d plunk down your quarters and demand two cinnamon candy sticks. And whenever me or Diane tried to slip in some extra candy you’d shake your head and refuse. You never wanted something for nothing. Diane would always carry on about how you were the smartest little girl she ever saw.”

Diane Cushing is another lifelong citizen of Devil Valley. She and Dee have no children of their own and she often used to babysit for me in those long ago sad days after my mother died and before my dad met Adela.

“Hey!” A light bulb goes off in Dee’s head as he looks to me and then to Ben. “I forgot you and Ben go to school together at Black Mountain. You must be friends.”

Ben speaks up before I have a chance. “Not at all.”

“Oh.” Dee is surprised but quickly recovers and smiles at me once more. “So what are you doing out and about today, Camden?”

I don’t want to say this in front of Ben but I swallow my pride. Quite literally. I feel it slide down my throat in a jagged lump.

“I’ve actually been out job hunting but I haven’t had any luck. Do you know anyone who’s hiring?”

Dee doesn’t respond right away. In fact he scratches his nearly bald head and gazes down at his clipboard as if he’s deep in thought. Finally he nods and looks up.

“You know what? I’m going in for knee replacement surgery next week. Diane’s nephew will be helping her manage the place while I’m on the mend and Ben over here picks up the rest of the shifts but we could use some additional help for a while. Paperwork, inventory, that kind of thing. If you’re interested I can promise twenty hours a week for the next couple of months.”

Dee’s