by Jane Graves
“I don’t like it that she even said the words.”
“At her age, kids can change from day to day,” Kari said. “Hour to hour sometimes. I know it’s pointless to tell you not to worry because that’s what you do, but things really are going to work themselves out.”
She leaned in and gave him a kiss. Just the touch of her lips and the feel of her palm against his cheek calmed his nerves and cleared his mind. When she pulled away and smiled at him, he ducked his head and kissed her again, losing himself in the feeling, and soon he found himself believing every word she said. Maybe everything really was going to be all right.
The next day at Rosie’s, Kari went out of her way to keep her momentum going, to let loose on the job, have fun, be charming, and play with the kids. Bobbie sidled up to the men, practically doing pole dances without the pole. As they compared tips at the end of the day, Kari just about jumped for joy.
She came out five bucks ahead of Bobbie.
Bobbie looked horrified. “That’s impossible!”
“Oh, no,” Kari said. “Do you think I counted wrong?”
“What I think is that you told Marla to give you all the kids. Of course you get all the tips. That’s not fair.”
“You’ve never wanted the kids,” Gloria said.
“I do if that’s where the money is!”
“You’ve never made much money on tables with kids before. What’s going to change now?”
Bobbie looked a little bewildered at that, her brows drawing together angrily. “You’re right. The last thing I want is all the snot-nosed brats.” She glared at Kari. “Game on.”
The day after that Kari hit the ground running, smiling at everyone and making certain all her customers had a good time. She made a fuss over the babies, which wasn’t hard to do because she loved babies. She ran to take photos if tourists wanted them. Even during the busiest shift, she found she had plenty of time once she got into a rhythm. If she goofed and it delayed somebody getting their lunch, she gave the customer a good-natured apology and moved her tail to correct the error. And through it all, she kept a smile on her face.
Unfortunately, camera guy showed up again and started asking her a ton of questions. Since he wasn’t movie star hot, Bobbie didn’t horn in, even though this time Kari wished she would. I think he likes you, Gloria said, and when his questions got increasingly personal, Kari was starting to think she was right. She excused herself as quickly as she could in case he was working up the nerve to ask her out. She breathed a sigh of relief when he finally asked for his check and left.
As the lunch rush wound down but there were still plenty of customers in the restaurant, Kari had a crazy thought and ran with it. She asked a couple of kids if they could balance a spoon on their noses, then proceeded to do it herself. She held her head very still, rested the bowl of the spoon against her nose, and when it looked as if it was going to stay, she held her arms out with a flourish.
The kids clapped, which led everybody else in the place to turn around and look. Kari turned slowly, showing off the spoon as it dangled from her nose, and pretty soon people were asking for spoons so they could try it. As they did, Kari took a few orders and delivered a few lunches. Bobbie rolled her eyes and told her how stupid it was, but there was nothing stupid about the attention Kari got from the customers.
At the end of their shift, when Kari innocently reported seven dollars more in tips than Bobbie, Gloria said, “Gee, Bobbie. Maybe the last few days weren’t flukes after all.”
Bobbie opened her mouth, ready to object, but Kari jumped in. “No! Of course they were flukes! I got one really big tip today from a guy who drove his family here in a Mercedes SUV. I mean, how often do we see one of those around here?”
“Exactly,” Bobbie said.
“It didn’t have anything to do with the spoon thing,” Kari said. “That was kind of silly.”
“Of course it was silly. I mean, really.”
“After all, Bobbie’s been at this much longer than I have. I can only hope someday I’ll be as good as she is.”
Bobbie’s mouth moved, but no sound came out. Her face turned a funny shade of red, as if she was burning on the inside and the flames were trying to make their way out. Finally she just gathered up her money and walked away.
“Oh, my God!” Gloria said, her eyes wide. “That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I thought the top of her head was going to blow off!”
Over the next several days, Kari still had fun with the families, and Bobbie continued to all but disrobe in front of the men. But for some reason, Bobbie didn’t seem inclined to compare tips at the end of the day, and the snide remarks seemed to fall by the wayside. Kari didn’t care if Bobbie liked her or not, because she’d learned that liking was one thing, but respecting was another.
This meant Kari could make money. Never much money at a job like this, but enough to keep body and soul together without somebody else telling her what to do with her life. She never could have imagined a job like this one in a tiny little town could make her feel so free.
One evening she had the late shift, and she and Rosie were the last ones out the door. As Rosie drove away, Kari got into the Bomb. She stuck the key into the ignition. Turned it. Pumped the gas pedal. It made the same horrible grinding noise it always did, but this time it didn’t start.
She stopped. Backed off. Waited a few seconds and tried again. Still a lot of grinding, but the engine wouldn’t turn over.
She looked back at the café, but Rosie was already gone, and the place was dark. Unfortunately, all the other shops on the square were probably closed, too.
Nina. If she hurried, she might be able to go to the wineshop and catch her before she left. With luck, she’d have jumper cables.
Kari started to get out of the car, only to see a man standing along a brick wall near an alley between two of the shops. It was dark, and at first she didn’t recognize him. Then she realized it was camera guy. He just stood nonchalantly by the wall smoking a cigarette, paying no attention to her.
Then slowly he turned and looked over his shoulder.
At this distance, she couldn’t tell if he was looking at her or not, but she still felt a quiver of apprehension. Now that she thought about it, how many amateur photographers his age hung around a small town like this one for weeks on end? Whenever he came into Rosie’s, he was full of questions for her. Personal questions. She’d written him off as a guy who was probably interested in asking her out but didn’t have the guts to do it.
Now she wasn’t so sure.
Instead of getting out of the car, she locked the door, grabbed her phone, and called Marc. After three rings, he picked up.
“I have a problem,” she said.
“Problem? What problem?”
“The Bomb won’t start.”
“Crap. Are you sure there’s gas in it?”
“Yes.”
“Then it needs a jump. Hope it’s just the battery and not the alternator. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Marc, there’s something else.”
“What?”
“There’s a guy who’s been in the café a few times. He always asks to sit in my section. He asks a lot of personal questions. Now that I think about it, I’ve seen him quite a few times over the past few weeks. He told me he’s just an amateur photographer, but I’m getting a bad feeling about him.”
“What kind of bad feeling?”
“Like he’s watching me.”
“Then we need to talk to the sheriff.”
“The guy is here right now.”
“What?”
“He’s standing in that alley between the bookstore and the art gallery. I think he’s watching me. It’s probably nothing, but—”
“No. It’s not nothing. Go back inside the café.”
“It’s closed. Locked up.”
“Who else is still in the parking lot?”
“Nobody. It’s just me.”
“A
re you inside the car?”
“Yes.”
“Lock the doors.”
“I did. But Nina might still be at the shop. Maybe I could—”
“No! Don’t get out of the car! I’ll be there as soon as I can, but I’m also calling the sheriff.”
“The guy’s not doing anything wrong. What can the sheriff do?”
“Just stay put until you see either me or the sheriff. Do you hear me?”
“I hear you.”
Just then the guy looked over his shoulder again, and Kari’s apprehension turned into full-blown anxiety.
“Marc?”
“Yeah?”
“Hurry.”
Chapter 14
Marc leaped into his truck and hit the highway, trying to call the sheriff along the way. When he finally got in touch with him, he was working a traffic accident five miles out of town and couldn’t respond.
As Marc entered the city limits, he called Kari back to tell her he was almost there. She said the guy was still in the alley and he was still watching her.
Instead of pulling into the parking lot where Kari was, Marc parked his truck on the street behind the square three doors down from Rosie’s and got out, walking quietly to where Kari said the man was standing. When Marc came around the corner of the alley, the guy jumped with surprise. Marc grabbed him by the collar, spun him around, and shoved him against the wall. The guy’s eyes flew wide open with surprise, and then his expression settled into an angry snarl.
“Who are you?” Marc said. “And why are you following Kari?”
“Get your fucking hands off me!”
Marc had four inches in height and fifty pounds on the guy, so he saw no reason to comply with that particular request. “I asked you a question. You’ve been following Kari. Why?”
“It’s not a crime to watch a woman.”
“But trespassing on my property is a crime.”
When the guy swallowed hard and didn’t respond, Marc knew he’d found his trespasser.
“Let’s see some ID,” Marc said.
“I don’t have to show you shit.”
“Would you rather show the sheriff?”
“I’m not doing anything wrong.”
“There are stalker laws.”
“I’m not a stalker!”
“Prove it.”
Marc released the guy, and he took out his wallet and produced a business card. Marc blinked with surprise. “You’re a private investigator?”
“That’s right.”
“Who are you working for?”
Once again, the guy refused to answer.
“I asked you who you’re working for,” Marc said, with a heaping dose of malice in his voice.
“I don’t have to tell you a damned thing.”
Then all at once it came together for Marc, and he knew what the guy wasn’t telling him. And the very thought of it made his blood boil.
“Her father?” Marc said. “Is that who sent you here?”
When the guy lifted his chin a scant inch and narrowed his eyes, Marc had his answer. He couldn’t believe it. But after Kari’s father had tried to get her to marry a complete asshole and then cleaned out her bank account when she wouldn’t return to Houston, should Marc really be surprised?
“What did he hire you to do?” Marc asked.
The guy paused, clearly trying to decide how much to say. Finally he shrugged nonchalantly. “Nothing much. Just keep watch on his crazy daughter and report back.”
That son of a bitch. “What did you tell him?”
“That his daughter is keeping company with a certain vineyard owner who can’t seem to keep his hands off her. She graduated pretty fast from that cottage right up to the big house, didn’t she?”
If Marc had been angry before, he was livid now. Clearly that one night outside the cottage wasn’t the only time this guy had been at the vineyard. The very idea of this bastard spying on the two of them was more than Marc could take.
“Your assignment just came to an end,” Marc said. “I want you out of this town tonight, or you and I are going to have a talk with the sheriff.”
“Fine with me. I was getting tired of this shitty little town anyway. Though I gotta say I wasn’t getting tired of watching her.” He nodded toward Kari. “From what I could tell, you’ve been watching her plenty yourself.”
“You heard me,” Marc said. “Leave town. Now.”
“Sure. I’m out of here. But just between you and me, I know Stuart Worthington. And he’s not going to stop until his darling daughter is back in Houston and under his thumb again.”
The guy gave him one last go-to-hell look and sauntered off. Marc was glad Stuart Worthington wasn’t standing in front of him right now. If he was, he might just have to put his hands around his throat and never let go.
Marc watched the guy walk away, then turned and strode toward the Bomb. Kari got out and met him halfway. “I saw you talking to him. Who is he?”
“He’s a PI.”
She looked stunned. “A private investigator? Why would he be following me?”
“Because your father hired him to.”
“Oh, no.”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Was he the guy outside the cottage that night?”
“Looks that way. He’s probably been your father’s eyes and ears in this town ever since the asshole got back to Houston and told him you refused to come back with him.”
“You mean he’s been watching me the whole time?”
“He’s been watching us the whole time.”
Kari closed her eyes. “I’m sorry, Marc. God—I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“No. It is. Ever since I showed up on your porch that night, I’ve been nothing but a problem for you. You had to give me a place to live. A car to drive. Then there was that mess with Angela. And now all this with my father. I wouldn’t blame you if you put me on that bus to Houston, and this time you made sure I stayed on it.”
“No. I don’t want you on any damned bus to Houston.”
For some reason, tears filled her eyes.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“Nothing. I just—”
“Just what?”
“Thank you,” she said.
“For what?”
“For wanting me here. I don’t know where I’d be right now if it weren’t for you.” A tear trickled down her cheek, and she wiped it away. “I’ve never had a job that my father didn’t give me or didn’t help me get. I’m not proud of that, but it’s the truth. The job at Rosie’s—I know it’s not much, but I did it myself, and that means something to me. I know you’re still helping me with everything else. But eventually I’ll stand on my own two feet. I promise you I will.”
“I know you will,” Marc said, leaning in to give her a kiss. But what he didn’t tell her was that if something else happened, something insurmountable, something so hard to handle that she needed his help, he intended to be right there for her. No matter how hell-bent Stuart Worthington was on getting his daughter back to Houston, Marc had news for him. He’d do everything in his power to ensure Kari stayed right where she was.
The next Sunday morning, Kari sat on the deck with Marc, feeling the cool September breeze swirl around them. Kari flipped through her Kindle while Marc scrolled through one weather app after another, and it occurred to her that she’d never felt so happy to be anywhere in her life. The dogs were in the yard, doing what dogs did—running, sniffing, fake growling, and rolling in the grass together.
“You know Brandy’s in love with Boo,” Kari said. “What do you think? Are they too young for a real relationship?”
“I just want to know why good girls always fall for bad boys.”
“Boo is not bad!”
“He barfs on the floor. Knocks over trash cans. Gnaws on chair legs. Shall I go on?”
“But he’s good at heart.” Kari leaned in and gave Marc a kiss. “So what’s the
weather report?”
“Clear skies for the next five days. There’s a storm front brewing in the west, but it’s supposed to swing north.”
“Isn’t it about time for harvest?” Kari said, hating to ask the question. Harvest meant everything was going to change for all of them, so she wasn’t looking forward to it.
“Yep. I have the crew scheduled for the first of next week.”
And right after that, Marc would be leaving. That meant their time together could be measured in days now rather than weeks.
If only he would stay…
That thought came into Kari’s mind, and just as quickly she sent it packing. No sense hoping for something that was never going to happen. Instead, she needed to be enjoying every moment they did have together.
“Do you realize in all the time I’ve been working at Rosie’s, you haven’t been there during one of my shifts?” she said.
“Is that right?”
“That’s right. Why don’t you come over for lunch tomorrow? I’ll have Marla seat you in my section. I’ll show you how I can sling hash.”
“Rosie doesn’t serve hash.”
“Must you be so literal? And I promise not to dump coffee in your lap.”
“Now, there’s a selling point. ‘Come to Rosie’s. We won’t give you second-degree burns.’”
“Bring Brandy,” Kari said with a smile. “I have a dog biscuit with her name on it.”
Marc nodded toward the dogs, who were lying together in the sun, panting happily. “I’ll have to check her schedule. She may already have a date.”
Kari couldn’t wait for Marc to come to Rosie’s. She felt so good these days about her job. Yeah, it was still hard, and she was still exhausted at the end of every shift. But she found out that when she stuck with it, it got easier, and she had actually started to enjoy going to work.
But she enjoyed going home to Marc even more.
At noon the next day, Marc parked his truck in a space on the square so he and Brandy could head to Rosie’s. As he started to get out of the truck, his phone rang. When he saw Angela’s caller ID, his heart skipped a few beats. He hadn’t heard from her since the disaster the other night, and he wasn’t completely sure what to say to her now. He took a deep, calming breath and punched the button to answer the call.
