Page 21 of Haunted

Despite the dark, gloomy skies overhead, there was a smile plastered on my face when I left the shelter after taking a quick shower; thanks to the gorgeous federal agent who’d taken up residency in my every thought. It was obvious he had money, which in the past would’ve meant running as fast as I could in the opposite direction. Logically, I knew it wasn’t fair to lump all wealthy people in the same category as my maternal grandparents; who’d been more concerned about their social status than their own flesh and blood. But in my limited experience, money represented power; the kind which made the wealthy believe they were somehow better than everyone else on the planet. Or in the case of Chase McArthur, it afforded him the ability to ruin the lives of anyone who crossed him.

The only proof I had was a strong gut feeling he was behind my expulsion from school. It was all too coincidental. First, the attack, which was swept under the rug bycampus security as a miscommunication. Then less than two weeks later, I was escorted off school grounds by the same officer.

Nope, I didn’t believe in coincidences.

Keaton Clarke was different though. I couldn’t tell you how I knew for certain, just that I did. From our first interaction, he’d gone out of his way to make sure I was safe, even offering up his own bedroom. There was something about him that called to me on a deeper level; some kind of inexplicable attraction between us. I should steer clear, but curiosity had me wanting to know more about my mysterious FBI agent.

Over Easy was, once again, filled to capacity as I strolled through the door a little before ten. The small diner was a favorite among the locals and college students alike, mostly because everything we served was fresh and homemade, rather than the prepackaged garbage other places sold.

“Morning, Sweety,” Betsy singsonged, while carrying a pot of coffee across the room.

“Good morning.”

“It is indeed.” Shirley appeared at my side. “Henley, meet Jade. Jade, this is Henley.”

The woman was about my age, with long wavy, deep brown hair she’d pulled back in a low ponytail at the base of her neck. Her chocolate-brown eyes held a hint of apprehension in them as she reached out to take my outstretched hand.

“Nice to meet you,” I offered.

“Same.”

“Jade is our newest waitress. I figured you could show her the ropes.”

“Awesome. Let’s get started.”

Within fifteen minutes, it became glaringly obvious Jade had never waitressed before, however, she was a fast learner. It only took one near-spill for her to understand the importance of spreading the drinks out on the carrying tray evenly. Balance was everything.

“Have you lived in Huntington long?” I asked when we sat in an empty booth to take our afternoon break.

Nodding her head, she responded, “For a few years.”

It’d been the same all morning; short, clipped answers. I didn’t get the impression she was trying to hide anything, more like she didn’t know how much of herself to give away.

Folding my hands in front of me on the table, I took a chance. “I moved here after my mom died to go to school. Those plans have been put on hold for the time being, so…”

“It’s just me and my little brother, Jett, now,” she said quietly.

“Where are your parents?”

Jade unwrapped her silverware and began to nervously shred the napkin they were held in. Tiny bits of the paper floated to the table as I waited to see if she would answer or tell me to mind my own business.

“They should never have had kids. Sometimes, I think the only reason they did was for the tax deduction.”

“You don’t?—”

“No. It’s fine. Truly.” She swallowed roughly. “On my eighteenth birthday, I found a note on the kitchen counter saying Jett was my responsibility now, along with paperwork giving me guardianship over him.”

“What the hell?”

“Yeah. Like I said, they should never have had kids. Anyway, I called our grandma—our mom’s mom—and she drove all night to come get us. We packed up everything wecould, then came to live with her here. She died last year. Heart attack.”

“Damn, Jade. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be, I’m not. Jett is my whole world, even when he’s being a little shit.”

We both laughed. Looking at the clock on the wall, I started digging into my chicken Caesar salad, realizing we only had fifteen minutes left until our break was over. Jade did the same.

Once we finished, it was time to get back to work, however, while we cleaned off the table, another question came to mind.

---