Page 42 of Christmas in the Shadows

“Same here. I saw your car and decided to see if you were close.” Tex paused. “How are you doing today?”

“I heard something.” Chelsea glanced around. “Are you hungry? Maybe we can grab a bite to eat and talk.”

The thought of doing so thrilled him entirely more than it should. “That sounds perfect.”

They walked inside the Ridge Runner Café, and the scent of bacon greeted them. He hadn’t thought he was hungry, but now that the tantalizing scents of fries and toasted bread floated around him like the spirit of Christmas temptation, all he wanted was to eat.

They were seated at a corner booth, and a friendly waitress named Debbie waited on them. He ordered a club sandwich with candied bacon, and Chelsea got a winter salad with cranberries and grilled chicken.

Once the waitress disappeared and as they waited for their food, Chelsea turned to him. “Well? Do you want to go first or shall I?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have that much to share. Patrick was just about to open up to me when he got a phone call from work. They needed him back in the office.”

Chelsea frowned. “That’s too bad.”

“Tell me about it. Did you have more luck?”

“Maybe. I talked to the girlfriend of one of the football players. She suspects the team is doping and that they’re getting their drugs from Dr. Day.”

Tex raised his eyebrows. “I wondered about that possibility, but I hoped it wasn’t true. But we can’t prove it, and I doubt anyone on the football team will own up to it.”

Chelsea nibbled on her bottom lip. “Maybe. I’ve been thinking about it since my talk with Sofia. There is one kid on the football team who doesn’t tend to fit in. Every time I see him, I think he looks guilty—like maybe he knows what’s going on, but his conscience is bothering him. I wonder if I could get him to talk.”

He leaned closer. “You know what the stakes are, don’t you? There are people willing to kill to keep this quiet. If this is the conversation you overheard and someone now feels threatened, then that explains why someone broke into your home then later attacked you. I don’t think you should keep pushing this, Chelsea.”

Tex was honestly concerned about her.

He wasn’t sure if Chelsea would argue. If she’d insist she could defend herself.

But her gaze remained soft. “I know. I don’t want to get in over my head either. But I can’t look away. I have to do something. One way or another, this is going to end, and I don’t want it to be with me hurt. But I also don’t want it to be with one of my students being hurt.”

“I can see that.”

She raised her palms up in the air. “So what am I supposed to do?”

Before Tex could answer, their food was delivered. The sandwich and fries looked just as scrumptious as he’d imagined.

“Do you mind if I pray?” he asked.

Surprise—and approval—filled Chelsea’s gaze. “I would like that.”

He reached across the table for her hand, and Chelsea hesitated only a moment before slipping her fingers in his grasp.

He lifted up a prayer of thanks for the food and a prayer for wisdom as they tried to navigate this situation.

Half of him wanted to draw out the prayer a little longer just so he wouldn’t have to let go of her. But he didn’t do that. It wouldn’t be right.

However, as soon as he said amen and released her hand, he instantly missed the feel of her fingers in his. He lifted his sandwich and took the first bite. It was just as tasty as he’d hoped.

Before he could take his second bite, his phone buzzed. He glanced at it in curiosity.

When he saw the text message there, all the warm feelings he’d been feeling earlier disappeared like Santa on the day after Christmas.

Chelsea saw Tex’s face change as soon as he looked at his phone, and she knew something was wrong.

“Tex?” She put her fork down, kale and chicken still stabbed between the prongs.

Would he share? She wasn’t sure. Tex had always been private. Had anything changed?

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