they ignored my raised hand. And when Amy tried to help, saying she’d ask the question for me, the one she actually asked hadn’t been the question I needed. Instead, she was asking about Justin and why he was still in Nebraska.
I woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. Emma stood next to me, licking my arm to wake me up. I must have been talking in my sleep. I rubbed her head, then patted the bed next to me, scooting closer to Greg so I could make room for her. She jumped up and cuddled. I kissed her head and whispered, “Do me a favor and chase all the bad dreams away tonight, okay?”
Chapter 16
I woke alone in the bed when my alarm went off. By the time I got downstairs Emma was in her dog bed sleeping and Greg had already left. I picked up the note from the table. I unfolded it and read it aloud: “‘Emma’s been fed. Don’t let her tell you otherwise. I hope to see you tonight but I may be late. Go ahead and eat without me.’”
Emma glanced at me, then at her bowl with a hopeful whine. I shook my head. “Sorry girl, Greg ratted you out.”
I made some toast for breakfast and added a banana. I was hoping eating something at home would keep me from grabbing a cookie or two during my shift. Then I poured my walking cup full of coffee and left the house to go open the store.
Aunt Jackie had reviewed my street fair plan with minimal notes and changes. She’d liked almost everything. Which was so unlike her, I almost decided to close the shop and go down to Harrold’s train shop to see if she was okay. But it was still early. She might not appreciate my early morning humor or visit.
I started coffee and my commuters started showing up. I enjoyed chatting with them, mostly because I knew they’d be in and out. I’m not much for long conversations with strangers. By the time that rush was over the shop was dead. I ran through the chore list Aunt Jackie left me, then went back to the office to pick out an Advanced Reader Copy to spend the rest of my morning with.
I heard the bell go off right as I was deciding between two books. I took both out with me and Neal Cole was standing at my cash register. On the wrong side of the counter.
He dropped his hands and grinned. “Hey, there you are. I’ve been waiting out here for a while, so I thought I’d come knock on your office door.”
What a liar. Walking over, I stood between him and the register, setting down the books. “Sorry, customers aren’t allowed back here. Health department orders.”
He held up his hands. “Oops. Sorry. I didn’t realize I was breaking the law.”
“What can I get you?” I watched as he backed out of the area. The cash register wouldn’t work without a key and I had that on a stretchy on my wrist. We typically only had one person on staff at a time, so it was policy to keep the key with us to make sure that no one ran off with the day’s profits while we were bringing out more cheesecake.
“Coffee, black.” He pulled out a five and glanced at the menu board. “A large to go.”
“Coming right up.” I wasn’t going to confront him about the lie, but at least I knew what kind of man he was now. And sometimes having that information was all you needed to know about someone. “We really had fun at the painting event last week.”
He snorted. “Meredith puts on a great party, doesn’t she?”
Odd response. I slipped the sleeve on the cup and tightened down the lid. “Too bad about what happened to Nan later. You said you knew them? How well?”
“I didn’t say I knew them.” He pushed the five closer to me.
I rang up the charge and opened the register. “Actually, you did. You told Greg and me both that you met at the winery. Was that why Nan came back to the studio after everyone left?”
“You ask a lot of questions for a coffee girl.” He held out his hand for his change and I laid it and the receipt on his palm.
“I like to know where I stand with people.” I smiled. “Tell Meredith I said hi.”