an astute man in addition to having nice arms. “Not a cheating bastard.” She smiled easily. “So why did you and your ex-wife divorce? Or is that too personal a question?”
He spun his cocktail glass in a full circle, like he was opening a combination lock. His jaw was tense, but a half smile appeared. “Have I told you I like how direct you are?”
“Yes.” And I just did it again. Did you notice, Sal?
“Good. Uh, so the divorce.” He picked up his glass and set it back down again. “Short version is she wanted me to be someone else—more successful, richer, you name it. No matter how much more I did, she continued to put me down. I felt like I’d never live up to her expectations. So,” he said, his lips tight, “I told her I couldn’t do it anymore. Go find someone who makes you happy, because I sure as hell don’t is what I said.”
“Oof. I’m sure that went over well.”
“We ran out of tissues, and she resorted to using a dish towel. She didn’t want a divorce. Or at least, if we were going to divorce, she wanted to be the one to initialize it. Control issues or whatever.” He took a hefty swig of his jalapeño margarita.
“People suck.”
He sat back and laughed—a wholehearted burst. There was something empowering in knowing she had caused it.
“People do suck. Except us.” He looked her in the eye.
“Damn right.” She lifted her glass to his and offered a smile. What would his ex-wife say about him? That he was a worthless sloth with no upward mobility? Hmm . . . But he’s an accounting exec at Stone-May, she mused. Well, maybe he found his way after breaking free from the one who was unknowingly holding him back.
Then again, he could be a sloth. It didn’t matter. He was only a means to an end.
Shifting in his seat, he went for a casual tone. “Speaking of people who suck, how’s the ex? Is he still pestering you?”
“I don’t think so.” She frowned but said nothing more.
“What do you mean by that?”
She took a slow, intentional sip of her drink. It was important to appear unsettled by the question. Setting her glass back on the table, she attempted a smile. “I’m sure it’s nothing more than a strange coincidence, but I’ve had the feeling that someone is following me.” Laughing, she said, “I’m sure it’s just my imagination.”
He sucked in a breath, causing his shoulders to rise up to his ears. It made him look very masculine, like a linebacker. Would he like that comparison? Probably so. “Tell me what’s happened.”
Peering at him from beneath her lashes, she said, “Promise you won’t think I’m crazy?”
“I promise.”
“Yesterday after work, I had to run some errands at the Coffee Cart shopping center.”
“Okay,” he said, nodding.
“When I was in the market, I kept seeing a guy who was dressed in black jeans and a hoodie. He literally appeared in every aisle I was in. It didn’t bother me. Sometimes that happens, right? Like you’re on the same path. But when I was in the parking lot, a car started to back up. I thought the driver saw me because I was a big target with my cart, but he obviously didn’t, because he bumped into me.”
“What? Oh my God!”
“It’s fine. He wasn’t going fast. It really was just a bump. But then the guy in the hoodie was right there. He grabbed my arm,” she said, gripping her upper arm with her good hand. “He acted like he was trying to help me, but it felt like he was trying to knock me over. And then the driver got out of the car.”
Sal’s eyes were dark with worry, and he inched forward in his chair. “I don’t like the sound of this at all.”
“The driver apologized, but it felt like they were surrounding me. I don’t know. It was all so weird.” She shook her head. “All I could do was plow past them with my cart. He tried pulling me back, but I twisted and pushed the cart away from me.” She laughed. “That got the attention of another woman in the lot. She grabbed the cart and came over to help. By then, the guys were both gone.” She waved a hand. “Anyway, it was probably nothing.”
Sal’s arms were now crossed, and the look on his face reminded her of a frustrated television police officer. “I’m having a hard time understanding