Rowe had taken her in. Ronnie had run after her, still in his pajamas. He was a gangly kid. All arms and legs and big sad eyes. Everyone teased the hell out of him, but he’d sworn if she was leaving then he was, too. She was his sister, after all. He couldn’t let her go alone, but he’d asked her to reconsider because the next night was mac and cheese night. He loved mac and cheese.
Another deep breath quelled the rising tide of emotion. She didn’t need this. Ever since that day in the cemetery, it always seemed close to the surface, as though her subconscious knew that her other tasks were over and now it was time to deal with all that ugliness that lay beneath.
Well, it wasn’t over. She had to stop dreaming about Macon Miles and find out the truth. If there was one thing she’d learned it was that even the sweetest of surfaces could hide something nasty. Soon she’d have enough money saved to hire the private investigator again and she would try to get the real reports, try to force them to tell the truth.
She was simply keeping an eye on Miles in the meantime. She wasn’t falling for him. Nope. That would be stupid and she wasn’t stupid.
She turned, ready to go back to work. Ally gasped as she came up against a hard chest.
“Hey, I was hoping to catch you alone.” Timothy stared down at her. He was a good half a foot taller than she was. He didn’t move back or give her any space at all.
She felt the hard metal of the trash bin at her back. God, she hated being crowded. “I need to get back to work.”
His hand came up, blocking her from moving to her left. “I think they can spare you for a few minutes. I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”
He was a perfectly made man with movie star good looks. Tim had fashionably cut blond hair. His face was quite lovely, but she’d always seen the hardness beneath his pretty exterior. He was a man who sneered instead of smiled, who only seemed to find humor at the expense of others. She’d heard him making fun of Macon when he stumbled one day, calling him a one-legged wonder.
Yeah, she didn’t like Timothy. Her instincts told her to fight. She should push the asshole back and tell him she would rip his balls off if he touched her again.
But he was important here at Top. He was a European-trained chef and she was an easily replaceable waitress. She was well aware of how the world worked. If he wanted to, he could likely get her fired in a heartbeat. Sean would be sweet about it, but he couldn’t take an unskilled laborer over a man who studied in France. From what she’d heard, he’d given Timothy a nice signing bonus when he’d agreed to work at Top. Sean was invested in this man. She had to be careful.
She inched to her right. “That’s nice, but some other time. Deena needs me to help out with setup.”
His other hand came down and she was trapped. “I think she’s fine. She can certainly spare you for a few minutes. I’ve been watching you.”
Yes, she was well aware. She’d been able to feel his lecherous stare like a spider crawling slowly across her skin. “I can’t imagine why.”
He moved in closer, until he was close enough for her to smell the liquor on his breath. God, she hated that smell. “I think you can.”
Her stomach dropped. As much as she liked her job, she wasn’t willing to let this idiot paw her over it. “Not really. I need to go back inside now.”
He didn’t move an inch. “I think you’ve been sending out signals.”
Why did guys have to be jerks? “The only signals I’ve been sending out are for you to back off.”
His lips curled up in that sneer he was always sporting. “So you want to play hard to get? I can understand that as long as you understand that the ending is going to be the same. I’m more than ready for you, sweetheart. Let me have a taste.”
She was done. It was time to fight her way out. She brought her hands up, pushing against his chest. “Let me go.”
He pushed back, proving how weak she was. “I will. Once I’ve got what I want.”
Tears started to blur her vision. She hated this feeling.