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Malcolm moved over to the computer. “As you can see, Blake’s way with women left me in a bit of a pinch. If you decided to help out here for a while, it would be a big help.”
She hesitated as he printed out the check. Taking it from him, she collected the payment. Waitressing wasn’t what she’d had in mind, but the tavern itself was nice, and hanging out with Malcolm wasn’t a hardship. There’d be work, but they’d get to see each other more.
She grabbed another refill on the way back and nodded at Malcolm. “I’d appreciate the work.”
He grinned. “You’re hired. Now get back here and I’ll show you how to ring them up.”
Celia nodded and slipped behind the bar. Standing next to Malcolm learning something new felt like a balm to her earlier dread. One step at a time, she reminded herself, and paid attention to the up charge for cheese on the fries.
Chapter 10
WhenTrentonopenedthefront door to the condo, it was darker than usual inside. He’d been in such a rush to leave in the morning that he’d forgotten to flick the hall light on like usual. Still, Celia hadn’t seemed like the type to not leave a light burning for him, even if she did go to sleep this early. She also hadn’t seemed like the type to ignore his calls and messages, but he hadn’t gotten a reply to the few he sent. He’d decided to double his own dinner portion for lack of insight into what she’d wanted to eat. Since he was running so late, maybe she’d already had dinner, but the extra salad would keep until morning if so.
Juggling the bag of food and his briefcase, Trenton shut the door behind him. He blinked in the dimness, only slivers of the sinking sun reaching through the closed curtains of the balcony. With his hands full, he gave up on the idea of taking off his shoes in the entranceway, feeling a twinge of guilt as he ignored Emily’s old rule.
He managed the light switch in the kitchen with his elbow, placing the food bag down on the counter and his briefcase next to it. He needed to head straight for the courthouse in the morning, and wanted to review the case notes one last time, though the details were already on repeat in his mind. His work had the possibility of changing someone’s life, and taking a little more time to review facts always worked to their advantage.
There was no glass left in the sink. Whether she’d drunk the smoothie or not, she’d cleaned and put away the glass that had held it.
Trenton frowned at the still dim hall leading to the guest room. He took out his phone for a little more light as he left the kitchen and approached her room. No glow appeared under the closed door, so she’d turned any lamps off already. His hand hesitated on the knob, but he wanted to be sure, and so he eased the door open.
The guest bed was neatly made and empty. The room itself looked as it always had, except for the throw blanket hanging over the mirror. Not even her duffel bag was visible.
Trenton doubted she would have left for good without saying anything to him. One of his earliest calls to her had been about the spare key he’d forgotten to give her. When he flipped on the hall light and checked the vase on the side table, the key was still inside. He frowned at it. Maybe his voicemail and text had come too late, and she’d been locked out of the house.
He turned his phone in his hand, clicking on his most used contact and letting it ring.
The click was quick as usual, with a “Hey, hold on a second,” from Malcolm coming through. Splashes and the clink of glasses followed. “Here, two IPAs,” Malcom told someone on the other end before his muffled voice became clearer. “Hey, Trent, what’s up?”
“Sorry, I know you’re working. I was just wondering if you’d heard from Celia today? I don’t mean to hover, but—”
“Oh, she’s here,” Malcolm said.
“At the tavern?” The worry eased in Trenton’s stomach. She’d just gone to visit her cousin.
“Yeah, here.” The phone clattered and there was a muffled, “You need a break, anyway. Tell him what’s going on.”
“What?” Celia asked. It seemed like she pulled the phone closer, as her voice was louder when she came on. “Hello?”
“It’s Trenton.” The last of his tension faded. He used his shoulder to keep the phone in place to free his hands.
“Oh, are you already off work?” Celia asked.
Trenton laughed. “Already? The sun is gone for the day. How many hours did you think I worked?”
“What? But it can’t be that late.” A bump and shuffle sounded, and then a small gasp. “Wow, I didn’t realize. It looks like I missed a couple of calls from you too. Sorry about that, I had my phone on silent.”
“Don’t worry about it. I was calling to ask what you wanted for dinner, but I’m assuming you’ve eaten at Last Shot?”
“I haven’t really had time for that. The dinner shift has been busy for a Tuesday night.”
“It’s Malcolm’s ribs special. He only does it on Tuesdays.” Trenton paused with a salad in his hand. “Wait, did you say shift? Did Malcolm put you to work?”
“Yeah. Let’s just say my timing was right today.”
“Blake ran off another waitress, didn’t he?” Trenton sighed. His friend was a mess with women.
“I guess it’s common enough, then. Oh, it looks like one of my tables needs their check.”
