Page 19 of The Lair

“You think?”

I let out a deep sigh and decide I don’t have the mental strength to beat around the bush today. “I’m considering turning in my two-week notice.”

“Okay,” she concedes. But she says it in that voice she’d use when one of us gave her an incorrect answer in math class that she didn’t want us to feel bad about. “Aren’t you happy at work? Is it your boss?”

When I first started working at The Lair, I told Jada about Travis’s grumpiness. I always made a point to remark how hewas never rude to me, just a bit stoic in general. But I haven’t complained about him in a while—haven’t even mentioned his name—so her assumption is surprising.

“It’s not Travis.” In a way, I wish Travis were the reason I was considering leaving this town. It would make things much easier. “Someone…”God. I can’t believe this is happening right now. “At the bar, someone recognized me today. A customer. At least I think she did.”

“That’s impossible,” my former teacher blurts out, as if the mere thought is insane. “It’s been what? Five, six years? And you look so different now, Allie. Did she say something to you?”

“She said she knew me from somewhere. That I looked familiar.”

I don’t tell her about my date with the toilet. The less I upset her, the better.

“All right. Let’s slow down,” she instructs, using that teacher voice again. “I thought you were happy at The Lair. In Bannport. Did something else happen?”

“No.” It’s the truth.

“And you want to run away because someonemighthave recognized you?”

I don’t miss the way she says “run away” and not “leave.” Not “move.”

“I saw it in her eyes, Jada. She knewwho I was. She was young, too, so she might know who my family is. Might know… everything.”

The thought of that stranger, of anystranger, having a front-row seat to my private life makes my stomach turn again. I haven’t felt this in a while, haven’t allowed myself to remember that my life will never belong to me again.

“Allie.” She sighs, sounding a little tired. “Listen to me—it’sveryunlikely that anyone would recognize you after allthese years. You’ve grown up, not to mention changed your appearance.”

“My face was all over the news. Jada, it was bad. I don’t need to remind you.” The more logical part of me wants to believe her, but… “Someone already recognized me not that long ago. Remember Nashville?”

“All right. It happened once,” she concedes.

“So, not that unlikely,” I mutter.

“Do you really want to uproot your entire life because of a woman who probably won’t do anything about it even if she actually recognized you?”

“I did it once. I could do it again.”

I could do it a thousand times if I had to. If I could leave behind everything I knew for a chance at a life worth living, I know I have the strength to resign from The Lair and never set foot in Bannport again.

But do I want to?

“That isn’t the point, honey.” She sighs again after she says it, which lets me know I’m in trouble. Well, as much trouble as I can get in with the absolute angel that is Jada. “Tell me something—do you feel at peace in Bannport with the life you are creating for yourself?”

The answer comes easily. “Yes.”

“Then here’s what we’re going to do,” she starts, always the beacon during my storms. “I’ll search in every corner of the internet, and if I find something about this, I’ll tell you. Once we know how serious this is or isn’t, you can decide what to do. But don’t overreact for now.”

What she’s saying sounds reasonable, but…

“What if it’s already out there?”

“I’ll start searching right now. I’m putting Paul on the task too,” she says. Her husband hates being online as much as I do, so the fact that he’s doing this for me means more than he willever know. “We’ll keep looking every day this week in case she decides to post something later. Don’t worry about it, okay? Stay offline.”

She doesn’t have to tell me twice.

I let out a shaky breath. “Thank you, Jada. I love you so much.”

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