Page 32 of Catch Me When I Fall

“Have you seen that woman before?” Rossy asked, standing on the other side of counter now, concern creasing his brows.

I shook my head. “No. Is she a local?” I asked.

“I’ve never seen her in here before,” Margo said softly, looking to Rossy.

He wasn’t looking at any of us. Instead, his warm eyes were focused on the windows.

“Is she still out there?” I asked in a rush, looking over my shoulder. I looked up and down the street, but she was out of sight.

“No, she got into a car as soon as she stepped outside,” he said, looking at me. "A very expensive looking car.”

Before I could think about it too much, Rossy turned to the customers, apologizing for the disruption. Once the customers were back to doing what they were doing, he turned back to us and began untying the to-go bags. “I doubt we’ll see her again, my darlings,” he assured, back to his normal self.

He handed me a to-go box and then Margo a to-go cup of soup. “Enjoy ladies. I’ll be in my office for the duration of the afternoon,” he said before walking away.

“Holy fuck,” Margo breathed from beside me, holding her soup to her middle.

“What?” I asked, looking at her profile.

“Rossy never goes into his office,” she whispered, meeting my eyes.

“Really?”

She nodded. “I’ve worked here for years, Cardinal. Trust me when I say that man hates his office. That’s why he’s always out here.”

I inhaled a deep breath, deciding to forget the last ten minutes of my life. It was time to focus on more important things—like the food Rossy got me from Marie’s. I opened the box and couldn’t help but do a little dance as my eyes landed on the sandwich and fries.

As I quietly ate my lunch behind the counter, I watched the customers stroll through the stacks, order coffee, and enjoy themselves.

When a new customer came in with a laptop bag, I watched as he walked over to the window seat and set his stuff down before going to order some coffee.

That’s when it happened; fear slithered underneath my skirt and up my legs alongside the feeling of dread, working in a tandem as they moved up to wrap around my neck. As I looked back to where the woman had once sat, the note from last week was the only thing on my mind, and by the time my shift ended, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

Chapter 9

Carrie

“Back again?”

I looked away from the water, twisting my torso, holding up my hand to block the rays of the sunset to find the same fisherman from yesterday and the day before that standing a few feet behind me. He was around my age, with a kind smile.

“Couldn’t help myself,” I told him honestly, looking back to the water. “It helps me clear my head.”

I heard his boots land against the wood of the dock as he made his way closer to me. For the last few hours, I’d been sitting on the edge, my feet dangling over the water, snapping pictures of the boats and seagulls. Now, though, I wasn’t watching it through my camera lens. I’d run out of space on the memory card thirty minutes ago, but I didn’t have the motivation to leave just yet.

From my peripheral, I saw his boots appear as he stood beside me. “I don’t blame you,” he said, laughing a bit.

I kept my gaze on the horizon, watching the dark water. “I’ll be gone in just a minute,” I promised.

“Don’t own the dock, miss. You can stay as long as you want,” he replied, his voice smooth.

I looked back up at him to find him staring out at the water. “Did you catch anything today?”

He barked out a laugh, looking down at me as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Not as much as I should’ve,” he muttered.

“There’s always tomorrow,” I told him.

“There’s always tomorrow,” he repeated softly.

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