AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Can’t sleep,” I reply groggily.
“You can never sleep.”
“It’s true. How are you holding up here?” I take a quick look around the store. It’s in good shape. Nothing that seems to be in dire need of repair.
“Everything is good. Business is great this time of year,” she says. “But I’m not ready for spring break. It’ll be so busy.”
With a chuckle, I nod. “I’m sure it will. You’ll let me know if there’s anything I can—”
The door opens behind me, and I turn to see who’s coming in so late. I do a double take before I recognize the thick blonde braid draped over her shoulder and those round blue eyes staring up at me like a deer in headlights.
“Ronan?” she shrieks, standing frozen in the doorway.
My brow furrows as I turn toward Daisy. I glance behind her, waiting for a boyfriend or husband, hoping that she’s not walking into a downtown gas station alone at two a.m.
But there’s no one. Not even a car parked out front.
“Daisy?” I ask, confounded to see her here at this hour.
“What are you doing in a gas station?” she asks incredulously.
I glance down at my watch. “It’s two in the morning. Are you here alone?”
“Um…” she stammers. “I need hot water for my tea, and Sherie lets me have it for free.”
I spin around and stare at Sherie with confusion, then back at Daisy. “Making tea in the middle of the night?”
“It’s chamomile. It helps me sleep—Wait, why am I explaining this to you? I can go wherever I want,” she adds with her head held high.
My jaw clenches, and I force myself to breathe before snapping at her for being so naive. “Why can’t you make hot water at home?”
Daisy’s eyes dance back and forth between me and Sherie. Then she composes herself. Shoulders back, as if she’s forcing herself to be strong. “None of your business.”
It’s almost cute the way she says that with her soft, breathy high-pitched voice. Or at least it would be cute if it wasn’t so goddamn frustrating.
She brushes past me and walks directly to the coffee station, grabbing a large cup and filling it with steaming hot water, then covering it with a plastic lid and holding it to her chest as if to steal its warmth.
I watch in silence, trying to piece together this random turn of events. I mean, I like when people surprise me, but this girl is throwing me off at every turn.
“Night, Sherie,” she says. Then she turns her serious eyes on me, glowering at me as she says, “Night, Ronan.” With that, she marches out the front door without another word, leaving me staring at Sherie with far more questions than answers.
Daisy is right. It’s none of my business. But since when has that ever stopped me?
Sherie shrugs at me and I know she’s not about to disclose any of the girl’s secrets. So I turn toward the door and watch Daisy crossing the dark parking lot toward the street, alone.
What the fuck?
My feet move on their own. I’m practically chasing her out the door and across the parking lot. She’s huddled in a thick sweatshirt and a pair of tight black leggings that leave very little to the imagination when it comes to the shape of her ass.
I’m at a loss for words as she strides alone toward the city park. She can’t be going there, can she? She’s getting dangerously close to a shifty-looking white van parked under a giant oak tree. What on earth is this girl up to?
“Daisy,” I call from across the street. She turns toward me just as she reaches the white van. Her expression is tense, lips pressed together and shoulders raised up as if she’s nervous.
“What?” she replies, sounding exhausted.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
“Good night, Ronan. Just go home.” With an exasperated sigh, her shoulders sag away from her ears, and I can’t believe what I’m seeing when she pulls open the sliding door of the van and climbs into the back.
