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“You’re right. We are literally grasping at straws without any clues,” Amanda said, her eyes unfocused, but Gene could see her gears working.
“I can bring our last yearbook. Maybe we’ll find her there,” Liam suggested, but then his face fell. “But if she’s a freshman, she won’t be in it yet.”
“That’s good thinking, Liam. Bring it anyway,” Amanda said. “She may also be a runaway, and from the way she looked that night; probably a recent runaway.”
“We can check the shelters,” Gene suggested, needing to infuse hope back into Amanda’s eyes.
“Yes!” Jo pointed at him, agreeing. “I can do that when I drop off our baked goods donation tonight.”
“We’ll go together. You don’t know what she looks like,” Amanda said.
“You supply food to the shelters?” Gene asked, admiration in his voice.
He knew she volunteered, but he didn’t know they donated food, too.
“Homeless folks need sweet treats, too. We bring them once a week,” Amanda said. “We also sponsor little libraries in the centers. Jo makes sure they have access to books for all ages.”
Gene smiled, his eyes locked on Amanda. “That’s commendable.”
“We do what we can,” Amanda said humbly, but her cheeks turned almost as pink as her dress.
They all went silent as Jo glanced at Amanda, then to Gene, before turning to Liam, and pulled him away with her into the kitchen.
“Liam, I need your help to get something down.”
That move left Gene alone with Amanda, and a couple of customers who were, for once, minding their own business.
“Thank you for the pie,” Gene said, smiling. “I’ll enjoy it tonight.”
Amanda’s cheeks reddened even more.
He frowned. “You okay? You’re not feeling feverish, are you?”
“Oh, hush. You know what you’re doing,” Amanda said under her breath, but there was a twitch at the corners of her lips she could barely hide. Gene smirked in triumph, but it died fast. “I meant what I said. We need to pause whatever we started last night.”
“We barely started anything.”
She shrugged. “Maybe once you’re certain about my head, and I get some answers about this girl…”
“Right.” Gene wasn’t sure if there was more to say. The lady had made up her mind, and she was probably right not to get involved with him. What could he give her but perhaps some fun time while he was around?
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Gene picked up the pie box, ready to leave, though his heart was dragging his feet.
But before he reached the door, his eyes caught on a framed map of Lake Lanier and the surrounding area on one of the cafe’s walls. He walked to the map and studied it closely. A few seconds later, Amanda came to stand next to him, looking at the map, too.
“What is it?” she asked curiously.
Gene pointed to the area on Browns Bridge Road. “This is where you saw her, right? Where you crashed.”
“There about,” Amanda agreed.
He traced his fingers over the surrounding area and woods.
“If your gut is right about the girl being a runaway and terrified about something, she may not seek help at a shelter. The nearest one is here.”
He pointed at almost dead center of town. “That’s a long way to walk.”
