up. A man rushed by holding his hat so that it wouldn’t fly away. It hadn’t been that windy when we’d entered the place just a few minutes before. How had it picked up so quickly? Not to mention that the hairs on the back of my neck were sticking up. Finally our food arrived and I prayed that it would distract from the strange sensation. I tried to ignore the feeling and focus on the delicious food in front of me.
As I lifted another forkful to my mouth, I sensed a gaze on me. I glanced over and spotted Jane Howe walking toward me. Another visit from this woman? Twice in one day was two times too many. I wondered if I could hide behind the menu but remembered that the waiter had taken them away. Maybe Jane wouldn’t notice me. With any luck, she’d keep walking and we could avoid another awkward conversation.
I glanced down at my plate and prayed that she’d keep on walking. No such luck.
“Hello,” she said cheerily. “Lovely evening for a romantic dinner, huh?”
I tried to avoid locking gazes with her, but she wasn’t backing down. We were in a battle—she wanted me to acknowledge her and I wanted to ignore her. With much reluctance, I placed my fork on my plate and looked up. I could have pretended I didn’t recognize her, but I wasn’t that good an actress. She’d know I was lying.
“Yes, it is.” I faked a smile.
“I was just walking by and thought, wow, this place looks delish. So I thought I’d come in for some takeout. I’m looking forward to a relaxing evening in before my big work day tomorrow. At Cooper’s.” She smirked.
Yeah, I got it. She worked at Cooper’s. If she thought I felt guilty for not hiring her, well, she was wrong. I still stood by my decision not to hire the woman. Whatever mistake Cooper made, that was all his puppy.
“Can you tell me what’s good?” Finally she glanced over at Callahan.
I’d hoped she’d go away before I had to introduce them. The less we talked the better off I’d be.
“Oh, I am so sorry to disturb you.” She stared at Callahan and I knew I’d better introduce them before I looked like an evil witch.
“This is Callahan Weiss, he’s my boyfriend. He owns Full Cup.”
I wondered why she hadn’t applied at his shop. Maybe she had and he hadn’t mentioned it, although they acted as if they’d never seen each other.
“Oh, I’ve heard wonderful things about your coffee and pastry. I’ll make sure to stop in real soon.”
I bet she would. Everything about her made my stomach twist… her voice, the way she walked, the way she looked at people. Maybe I had been burnt by the recent events, but I didn’t think she could be trusted. Jane still stood next to our table, but I didn’t speak, hoping that she’d take a hint and go away.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Callahan said.
“My name is Jane Howe.” She stuck out her hand as if she expected him to kiss it. “I can’t wait to try that coffee.”
Callahan shook her hand gently. “Well, thank you, I hope you like it.”
“I’m sure I will.” She winked.
Ugh. She was so obviously flirting with him. How rude, but whatever. As long as I didn’t have to deal with her as an employee I was happy.
“Well, I’ll see you around, Larue.” She sashayed off, tossing me a wave over her shoulder.
Callahan took a sip of his wine and watched me over the edge of the glass. When he set the glass down, he said, “Well, that was a little odd. Are you friends with her?”
I let out a sigh. “No. She’s working for Cooper now. It’s odd. She just popped up looking for a job the second after I told Mindy I needed someone to work the bookstore.”
“That is odd.” He set his glass down.
“I thought it was too much of a coincidence, so I told her I wasn’t looking for anyone. She proceeded to walk right across the street and Cooper hired her.”
“That’s even stranger.”
“I just get a bad vibe from her.” I glanced over to where she stood.
Callahan touched my hand. “You’re still on edge from what you’ve been through. She’s probably okay, just a little strange. There are a lot of odd people around, you know that.”
Did I ever. This town attracted them. It must be something in the water.