Page 23 of Fatal Witness

She smiled. “I guess I’m tired, and I have a long drive ahead of me.”

“Understood.” Evelyn sat forward. “I sat in on your morning workshop yesterday. You did very well.”

“I didn’t see you.”

“That was on purpose. I seem to make you nervous when you’re teaching.”

That was an understatement. Dani looked up as the waitress set two glasses of water in front of them. “Thank you.”

The waitress took out an order pad. “Do you know what you’d like?”

Dani hadn’t even thought about food. Before she could ask the girl to come back in a few minutes, Evelyn said, “You can’t go wrong with the loaded Southwestern omelet with sausage and a pancake on the side.”

“That sounds good. And coffee,” Dani added.

Once they were alone, Evelyn said, “The students loved your workshops.”

“I’m glad.” Dani’s mind drifted back to her conversation with the Russell County deputy.

Evelyn said something else, and Dani nodded.

“So that’s a yes?”

She blinked. Somehow she’d missed something. “What did I just say yes to?”

“Making this an annual event.”

That was high praise, and a smile spread from inside her chest to her lips. “I’d love to do that. Need to check my calendar first, though.”

“We’ll work it out. Now, do you want to tell me what has you so distracted? And don’t give me any of that ‘it’s a long drive’ drivel.”

She should’ve known she couldn’t hide anything from her mentor. Trouble was, she’d never shared with Evelyn that she didn’t remember her early life.

“Does it have anything to do with Keith?”

Her breath caught in her chest. “What makes you say that?”

Evelyn gave a noncommittal shrug. “He’s very protective of you, to put it mildly.”

“He raised me after my parents died, so I guess that makes him feel like he has the right to offer advice. I owe him a lot.” Danisat back as the server brought their coffee. Why did she feel the need to defend Keith?

“His protectiveness goes much further than advice,” her friend said when the server left.

“What are you talking about?”

Evelyn emptied a packet of sugar in her cup and slowly stirred it. “We’ve never discussed this, mainly because you always change the subject when it concerns Keith.”

“He’s been very good to me, and I always felt disloyal talking about him behind his back.” Presently, Dani wasn’t certain she still felt that way.

“I’m sure he conditioned you to feel that way—controlling people have a way of manipulating others.” Evelyn sipped her coffee and raised her gaze when she set the cup on the table. “Haven’t you ever wondered why I only asked you that one time to apply for a teaching position at the University of Cincinnati?”

It had crossed her mind, but Keith had convinced Dani that at twenty-two, she was too young for that much responsibility, and that Evelyn offered the job out of kindness, hoping she’d say no.

“I thought you were just being nice.” That’s what Keith had said.

The older woman shook her head. “No. I thought it would do you a world of good to get out from under Keith’s thumb. Plus, you were so talented for one so young. You would have been a great asset to the university.”

Dani sipped her coffee and set the mug down. “Why didn’t you ever bring it up again?”

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