Page 5

“Thank you, miss, everything looks delicious. Won’t you tell me your name? In case we need something extra, then I’ll know who to call for.”

Her heart stopped. His eyes turned from blue to yellow, the pupils elongating. The energy around the table changed, becoming heavy and charged.

Panic and warning bells sounded in her mind. What the hell was wrong with this guy?

“There a problem?” Jeff and Eugene got up from their stools.

The thing about Jeff and Eugene was, while they acted like marshmallows, they looked like they belonged in a biker gang. Both were covered in tattoos and piercings, with heavy riding boots and jackets. And let’s face it, growing up gay in the seventies in rural Kansas, you had to be tough to survive. Clarissa thanked her lucky stars their intimidating demeanor was enough to make the blonde man pause for a beat, his grip slackening for a fraction of a moment.

Seizing the opportunity, she slipped her hand from his grip, taking several steps backward. The door of the kitchen swung open.

“I suggest you boys eat your food before it goes cold,” Adam said.

The blonde man’s lip curled and he snarled.

“Alister,” another man at the table commanded, “leave it.”

Tussling his long hair, Alister leaned back in his chair, then winked. Clarissa startled. His eyes were blue again. Had she imagined it? Surely they were glowing yellow not moments before.

“Why don’t you go in the back, we could use some extra hands. I’ll keep an eye on the front for ya.” Adam glared at the table.

Without a second glance, she scurried off.

The table finished their food and packed up to leave without further incident. Alister came up to the counter to pay. When Adam handed him the receipt, he looked up. Even though Clarissa was on the far side of the kitchen, his brilliant blue eyes locked with hers. The way he looked at her made her feel violated, as if he saw more than any normal human should.

“I do hope to see you again.” He smirked.

Two

Clarissa

The roar of the engine cut off and Clarissa hoisted herself from the car. She looked over her shoulder at the driveway again. Empty.

She’d been looking behind her since she left Donna’s Diner. The intense blue eyes of Alister, coupled with his ominous last words, hung over her. Her nerves were frayed; anxiety bubbled in her stomach. On the drive home, she’d been so wound up she yelped in fright when a car on the perpendicular street honked.

But her worries had been in vain. No one followed her and she hadn’t seen the green SUV since the group left the diner. With a heavy sigh, she trudged up the steps into the double-wide. It was white, rusty, starting to fall apart, and her home for the last twenty-seven years. She had a lot to do before she went to Jeff and Eugene’s bar.

“Aunty,” she called out, “I’m home.”

“Maddy, is that you?”

“No, aunty, it’s Clarissa. Maddy’s daughter.”

She knelt in front of the recliner. Her aunt had shoulder-length, dark brown hair, light hazel eyes, and the same heart-shaped face and full bottom lip as Clarissa. At first glance, with her sharp gaze and plump rosy cheeks, no one would suspect Rachel was sick.

Rachel squinted, then looked startled. “Of course you are, I knew that. I was testing you.”

“Did I pass?”

“With flying colors.” Rachel smiled, her face bright and alert. “Now tell me, how was your day at school? You had a math test today, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I did. I think it went well.” She kept her response generic until she knew which era Rachel was talking about.

“Good. You inherited your mother’s brains. Good thing too, my brother was dumber than a bag o’ rocks.”

“Thanks, aunty. Are you hungry? How about I make us something to eat. What do you feel like? We have the stuff for rice and beans or spaghetti.”

“Spaghetti sounds wonderful! I can make the garlic bread.”