Page 8 of A Seer and Present Danger

“He’s been staring at you. And if you ask me, he’s…” I fanned myself with my order pad, “…hot.”

She dropped her fists to her hips. “Piper. Did you talk to him? Did he say something about me? What’s going on?”

“I haven’t talked to him, Shelly’s working that table. Hey,” I said, “are you okay? What’s going on?”

“Look.” She touched my elbow and guided me over to a quieter spot mostly out of his line of vision. “He’s my…ex-boss. I used to work at his antique store, buying and pricing the rare items to take to auctions. It was good. Really good for a while. But then he just got so overbearing. Came up with ridiculous rules that never made sense. I think he might have been selling things on the black market.”

“Uh-oh,” I said. “That’s not good.”

“No, it wasn’t. But he must have figured out I knew. Every time I looked up, he was there, following me.”

“He was stalking you?” Time to put the brakes on my first impressions. If he was a stalker, there was nothing attractive about him at all.

He wasn’t good trouble. He was bad trouble.

“Do you think he followed you here?”

“Maybe, but maybe not. He travels a lot for his work—always looking to score another big antique to auction. This could just be a coincidence.” She chanced a glance over her shoulder. “I think it is. A coincidence.”

I didn’t believe in coincidence. There were too many gods and supernaturals who liked to mess with fate, time, and chance, for me to believe in coincidences like that.

“But hey,” she said, “you know everyone who comes through here. Is he a regular? Have you seen him before?”

I resisted the urge to look at him. I knew what he looked like. He was the dangerous sort of scruffy handsome I found hard to resist.

He’s also a stalker, I thought.

“I’ve never seen him.”

“Are you sure?”

“Oh, I’d remember him.”

“Good. Okay, so promise me you won’t talk to him. He’s not worth it. If we both ignore him, he’ll leave and that will be that.”

“I’ll tell Buzz about him. Or—better idea—we can call the police. They can make sure he moves along.”

“No police,” she said quickly. “I’m not in danger. I’m probably just overreacting. He’s just another customer, let’s treat him like one.”

“But if he does anything,” I insisted, “if you need me for anything, I’m here for you.”

“Thank you, Piper. You’re so easy.”

“Easy?”

“To like, of course.” She flashed me a smile.

“Hey, you. Waitress,” Kenny called, waving his credit card at me. “Where’s our check? I don’t have all day.”

“Shoot,” I said. “Gotta go.”

I hustled to Kenny. “Let me get that. I’ll be back in a second.” I took his card and rang him up.

He and Gail were already standing, Gail glancing impatiently out the window. “Can we get out of here? Hugo wants to talk.”

Kenny snatched the card out of my hand and started toward the door.

“Ladies first.”