Page 96 of Safe With Me

“No fight. Everything is great with Mike.” I pushed a smile across my face. Something about her question had me on the defensive, even in the scattered state I was in. “I just miss him, I guess.”

I missed him and was so worried about him. When I’d let my mind drift there for more than a minute, the alcohol churned in my gut as if it was about to come back up.

“Ah, the days of a new relationship. All that romance and sex. Good thing it burns off fast, or else no one would get anything done.” She chuckled to herself as she headed to the back.

Her dismissive smile bothered me. She’d been nice enough the night of the festival and when I’d come in alone and panicked before Mike had met me to take me home. I’d thought it was my odd behavior since it wasn’t normal for anyone to freeze up before a walk to their car.

Both she and Mike had reiterated they were and had only ever been friends, despite what people had assumed about them over the years. I’d caught a weird stare from her at the coffee shop yesterday and had shaken it off, attributing it to what I’d told her about my ex and why I’d been so creeped out that night.

How she’d had to point out what was keyed into my car and now the way she’d been almost gleeful about possible trouble with Mike didn’t sit right with me. Maybe their purely platonic relationship was a little one-sided, but I trusted Mike, and I had too many things to worry about before I pondered that today.

“Claudia, one of the customers wanted some pretzels, so I just made a bunch,” Brandon, one of Claudia’s bartenders, set a steaming tray on the bar.

“See? There you go.” Claudia set a napkin in front of me and grabbed the biggest one. “Eat your feelings until your man comes to pick you up, my beautiful cousin.” She tapped my chin.

I really loved her. And hoped I wouldn’t have to leave her and everyone else I’d grown to care about in this town.

“Whatever is bothering you, I hope it’s going to be okay,” Amber said, still studying me as I ripped off a piece of pretzel.

“It will be. Thank you.”

Faking it until you made it didn’t apply when you were being followed and harassed, but if I didn’t want anyone to look me over like Amber was, I had to try a little harder.

“There they are,” Claudia said, beaming over my shoulder. “The two loves of my life,” she said, heading out from behind the counter just in time for her six-year-old son, Jason, to rush her with a hug.

“How was the lake?” she asked him, ruffling his black hair and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Good!” Jason chirped. “Keely and I had a floating contest. She won, but only because I saw a fish swim under us and jumped.”

“Understandable. I only like fish on my plate, not when I swim.”

“Spoken like a city girl,” Jude said, still in uniform, as he came over to Claudia and gave her a quick kiss.

“Thanks for picking him up on your break. He can hang out with me and Lila for a little while.”

“Pretzels!” Jason’s eyes, dark with long lashes like his mother’s, lit up when he spotted the tray.

“After you get those wet clothes off you, kiddo. I’ll take you in the back so you can change.”

“Okay,” he grumbled and followed Claudia to the back rooms.

“Doing okay?” Jude whispered, a mix of concern and sympathy pulling at his features.

“I guess. Claudia brought me here so I wouldn’t have to travel anywhere by myself. Which isn’t sustainable if I want to work and have a life.” I uttered a humorless laugh.

“You will. We’ll get whoever this is.”

Before I could ask him what he’d meant by “whoever this is,” Jason came barreling back toward his father.

“See you later, babe,” Claudia said, giving Jude a kiss with enough intention that I had to look away. When I turned back around, a wide smile lifted Jude’s usually flat lips.

She’d come here and found a new, happy life with someone she loved. I wanted that.

I had that.

If any of this escalated, and I had a terrible feeling it would, I’d have to move in with Steven for at least a little while.

My apartment in Kathy and Terry’s house felt much more like home to me than the one I’d left in Philly. I’d feared the unknown when I’d arrived in Kelly Lakes, but if I moved now, even if it was temporary, I’d be devastated.

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