it about now, today, that resurrected this specific moment in the past?
Who was in danger? Summer? Him?
He went completely still. Danger had a unique vibration. It also hid in the shadows and had a habit of not making its presence known until it was too late.
The concept of too late pissed him off. He was a tolerant and happy-go-lucky guy until shit got real. Getting stuck at the back of the line or being the last guy to know simply did not work for him.
Summer’s tension and her focus on danger lingered inside him. It was, in a weird way, a form of communication.
A whoosh of visuals flew past with supersonic speed. Some he recognized. Others—not so much.
He rose slowly. The room pulsed with moon spirit. Pressing a hand to his chest, Arnie felt the beating of his heart. There were forces at play. Things were in motion, but he still wasn’t any closer to understanding.
As he turned to leave, he looked around the room one more time. “I can do without the house, but this room is worth whatever bullshit comes my way.”
24
“Try the angel hair,” Summer told the bewildered Asian couple who was having a devil of a time ordering off the menu. “It’s more delicate than thicker strands of pasta.” She smiled at the woman, and added, “And it pairs nicely with chopped tomatoes and basil.”
With guidance, the tourist couple completed the order and graciously thanked her for explaining American-Italian food.
“You have more patience than I do,” the head waitress muttered when they were together at the wait station for their section of the dining room.
Lucy Beck was head waitress because she knew how to keep the customers happy, had a knack for soothing ruffled egos in the kitchen, and was willing to tackle any shift. Summer applauded the woman’s work ethic. Lucy’s only shortcoming was that foreign accents rattled her. Not having an ear for language wasn’t her fault, and her lack of understanding was not biased in any way. She was as easily flummoxed by a Southern twang as she was by halting English in an Asian accent.
“It’s not patience,” Summer explained as they tidied up the bussing cart. “You just have to listen carefully. I dial down everything else except the person speaking. Even if you don’t understand every word, there are enough clues to get started.”
They stayed busy until Lucy rushed off to pick up an order. Summer did busy work until all her customers had their orders, and she could stop to catch her breath.
Keeping a close eye on the time, she made a mental plan for all the things she needed to do at work and on the way home. Two large bags of laundry sat in the back seat of her car.
There wasn’t enough time to stop at the laundromat and make it to Sherman Oaks by six, so she’d have to do the laundry at home. It’d take longer doing it one load at a time, but there was nothing she could do. The wash had to wait, but she had enough of a time cushion to make a quick stop at Trader Joe’s and Walgreens.
Reaching into the deep pocket of her waitress apron, she extracted tonight’s tip money and ducked into a corner to count the bills. They didn’t cash out the credit card tips till the end of the night, so what was in her hand only represented a portion of tonight’s haul.
Wow. More than fifty in paper and easily as much from the credit tips. A hundred-dollar night! Yippee. Temp waitressing at Papa Leo’s took care of her and Ari’s weekly expenses.
Arianne. She visualized her beautiful baby girl, and her heart melted. At just three months old, her daughter was already stopping people in their tracks. Adorably round and chubby, Ari had a sweet disposition, pale skin, blond wisps for hair, heart-shaped lips, and startling clear blue eyes.
Eyes just like her daddy’s.
Double aching jolts left her gasping. Thinking about the baby made her boobs fill until they hurt. At the same time, in a place south of her belly button, a fiery ache of need reminded her how she ended up in her current situation.
She met a man. A man she knew for four days. Four special, perfect days.
And. Then. He. Left.
No farewell, no warning, and no explanation. One minute, she was underneath his powerful body as he drove her to ecstasy with mighty thrusts and shouts of what she thought was love, and the next,