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Chapter3
Ruth
Thursday night rolls around and I work later than I planned, only realizing after nine that I was late for the book club that really isn’t always a book club.
I sigh and straighten my back, my hand in the small of it. “Damn, my back hurts.” I’m tired all the time and I have a feeling I won’t be able to go on much longer without doing what my brother suggested and getting an employee. It just makes me nervous having someone all up in my business. And being responsible for another person. I’m barely capable most days of keeping track of myself, let alone another person.
And then there’s the bookkeeping and all the other shit that goes along with it.
It just sounds like a helluva lot of hassle to me.
I walk out to the car, jumping when I hear a car start close by. I feel my heart stop and then start again, racing like a runaway horse.
“It’s just someone else working late. Stop being such a chicken,” I grumble. But I don’t waste time getting into my car. I stare out into the dark and goosebumps trail up and down my arms. I can feel eyes on me. Hot, angry and frightening eyes. I want to turn the car on and drive away. But I feel frozen, like a bunny facing a wolf. Like there’s something out there watching me and waiting for me to be distracted. Waiting to rip my damn throat out.
I gulp and jerk the key, starting the car. All the way there I still feel like an angry soul waits for me in that dark night.
When I reach Stacy’s I practically sprint in the door, like a child running into the house, afraid of the dark. I lean against the wall by the door, hiding along it. Not wanting to be exposed in front of the glass windows. Afraid that whatever’s waiting for me out there might lose patience and make their way in the door. Might destroy all of us.
Amanda eyes me warily. “What the hell is going on with you?”
“N-nothing. I’m good. I think there was a mosquito trying to come in the door.”
Her eyebrows raise and she studies me like I’ve got two heads. “Sure. A mosquito. Well, they are bad this time of year,” she agrees.
“Right.” I smile. “And nobody likes bugs in food right?”
She nods and hauls me away from the safety of the wall. I pull back for a second and when she shoots me annoyed look, I let her lead me to a table that’s by one of the front windows. I draw in a deep breath, feeling my heart jump. I glance out into the dark, my imagination running overtime. I swear I can see glowing eyes in the dark. Can practically feel a hot breath on my throat.
“Hey!” She snaps her fingers in front of me. “What is wrong with you tonight? Is something out there?” Her dark chocolate eyes search the glass, squinting.
“No. No. It’s nothing. I’m just jumpy tonight. I had a nightmare last night and it’s sticking with me.”Yeah, it is. And it’s practically a mirror image of tonight. I work late and then a dark figure comes out of the darkness and takes me.
I shiver and give her a lopsided smile. “I’ll be fine. It’s just one of those ones that sticks with you.”
“I hate that when that happens.” She nods and then smiles. “I heard Hattie snookered you and Tate into helping plan the summer festival.”
I shoot her an aggrieved look. “Yeah, thanks for the heads-up on that one.”
She chuckles. “You let me know when you come up with a way to stop Hattie from doing exactly what she wants to do. And I heard that you didn’t say no.”
“How the hell was I supposed to do that? He was there too. And he wasn’t any happier about it than I was, but neither one of us managed to tell her no.”
“Yeah. That’s why she’s a good mayor. Nobody can tell her no. She gets stuff done that nobody else could.”
“Terrific,” I huff. “It’s also how so many people vote for her. She never has any competition. I almost want to run for mayor just to put her on notice. Her shenanigans have to stop.”
Amanda shakes her blond head, her chocolate eyes wide. “I don’t think you want to do that.”
“Why not?” I growl, grabbing a drink that Harvey puts in front of me when she sits next to me.
“You’ve seen her trying to get something out of you. But you haven’t seen her in fight mode.” She leans closer and whispers breathily, “it’s freaking scary as hell.”
A shiver chases up and down my spine. Yeah, I don’t need any more hassle. I’ve got enough to keep three people busy.
“That’s alright. I’m too busy with the shop to run for office anyway.”
She nods jerkily. “Keep it that way.”
