the note and read it aloud as I let Emma out the back. “‘Sorry, I had too much on my mind to sleep. I’ll call you and we can make plans to talk. Just remember that I love you, no matter what happens. Greg.’”
I set down the note and picked up my phone. We needed to talk, now. The phone rang and Greg’s voice came on the speaker. I waited for his voice mail to kick in and started talking. “Look, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but really, it’s not all that bad. I’m just overanalyzing things. You know I do that. And a Realtor came to the door last night about me selling the house. It’s got me kind of creeped out. So if you have a minute, call me. I need to hear your voice. Anyway, I, well, I ...” The beep cut off what I was going to say. I debated calling back and finishing the message, but I’d let him make the next move. If he didn’t call by lunch, I was going to the station right after my shift and confronting him.
With that part of my day planned, I tucked my notebook and laptop into my tote. Then I let a travel mug of coffee brew while I watched Emma hunting rabbits in the backyard. I liked to leave her out as long as possible on the mornings we didn’t run so she didn’t go hunting sofa pillows when I left for work. That dog had an addiction.
By the time I got to Coffee, Books, and More, I had expected a few customers waiting outside. Instead, there was a note saying the shop was closed due to extremely high pricing. I ripped off the notice from the door and unlocked it. Steaming, I went directly to the security cameras and replayed the video since the shop closed last night. Greg had insisted I upgrade my security system, and for the first time, I was happy I had.
When I saw the woman come up to the door and tape the notice, I paused the video. It was the artist, Tia. The one who’d patiently explained to me yesterday that she understood my side of the story. “Of all the crappy tricks.”
I dialed Greg’s number. Voice mail again. So I dialed the nonemergency line to the police station. A man picked up the phone. “South Cove Police, how may I help you?”
“Tim? This is Jill. Look, something happened at the shop, but I don’t know if it’s a crime or not.”
“Jill? What happened? Are you all right? Do I need to come over?” Tim’s voice turned from polite to worry. He was a good man.
“Could you? It’s kind of hard to explain over the phone, but I don’t want to drag you away from anything important.”
He laughed. “It’s been kind of dead here. I’ll lock up the place because I’m alone and be over in a few minutes. Maybe I can snag a cup of coffee when I get there? These night shifts are kicking my butt.”
“Of course. I’ll have the coffee on when you get here.” I hung up the phone before I comprehended what he’d said. He was alone at the station. So wherever Greg had gone last night when he couldn’t sleep, it wasn’t his office. Had this minor skirmish turned into a full-on battle? I needed to talk to him today before things got totally out of hand.
I went back out front, leaving the video player on the spot showing the culprit. Then I went about my morning routine. I started serving the regulars, and I could pick the ones who hadn’t shown this morning. Luckily, from my memory, it looked like I probably had lost only two or three customers today. If they didn’t come tomorrow, I’d see if I could reach them to explain the confusion.
One more problem to add to my list of worries. The day wasn’t even started and it was turning out to be horrible. I pushed away the negative thoughts. Deek would say I needed to change my aura to bright blue to banish the bad away. I closed my eyes and imagined a circle of bright blue all around me.
“Jill? Are you okay?” Tim’s voice interrupted my meditation.
I felt heat bloom on my cheeks. “I’m fine. Just trying to push away the negative energy. You caught me trying out the woo-woo.”
“My fiancée does yoga. She’s always telling me I need to breathe and find my