Page 3 of Fortune's Control
How did he know I was from somewhere else? Chuckling, I scanned the small town and realized how. A strip of grass separated the street in front of me. A live oakshaded two matching park benches. A fire station on one side and shops on the other formed an oasis in the town square.
Since my car was stuck until the morning, lodging was the next problem to solve. First, those benches called, reminding me that my feet deserved a rest.
I walked, managing a whole dozen steps, when my purse strap caught on a tree branch, ripping out the stitching and sending the contents flying into the street. I blinked and set my purse on the ground.
“It’s fine. You can get another. It’s a purse.” I grabbed the lipstick and powder compact first. “There’s a purse in every store. You can get another.” I stuck my wallet and peppermint tin back in the purse next.
The receipts covering the ground were a little embarrassing. I grabbed those before they could blow away. Where was my phone?
“Cell phone, you did not walk away.” I considered further. “I understand if you tried.” My recent phone calls were not enjoyable.
“Is this yours?” my stranger asked. He handed over my phone, tucked in its glittering pink case. “I was up the block and saw it fall.”
My cheeks burned at my sexy, would-be rescuer noticing me. “Thank you for finding it.”
He studied me. “You must be here for the antiques weekend. I’m Shane, by the way.”
What antiques weekend?
“Lilah. It’s short for Delilah, but only my mother calls me that. Is there an antiques weekend?”
“Regularly, with some worse than others.” His friendly expression faded. “You’re not here to go antiquing, are you?”
I shook my head.
He wavered, unsure whether to label me a damsel in distress or an indecisive tourist. How many women did he meet who were both? Still, my problems were not his, and I wouldn’t burden a stranger.
“I have one small request. Could you point me toward the nearest hotel?”
His face softened again. Shane licked his lips and took a quick breath. “The one in town is full, but you’ll find several options in Gainesville to pick from.”
I gave him a smile brimming with false bravado. “Well, that’s not far, is it? Thank you again, Shane.” A twenty-minute drive might as well be twenty years. I wouldn’t reach Gainesville with an empty gas tank.
*****
I plopped onto a nearby bench and put my head between my knees. There was no hotel, my car was a four-mile walk, and I was hungry.
“Brilliant, Lilah. Pretty pictures online don’t make this town the answer to your problems.” It solved my most important one: Wilson Skane couldn’t find me here.
I wiped my face and took several calming breaths. It would soon be dark, and I needed shelter before that happened. Once, I could brush off a night spent outdoors or trek back to my car without worry.
Now, his face towered over me when I slept.
“Come on, Lilah, you’ve got this. You’re strong.” Liar. I didn’t feel courageous at the moment. Idealistic me pictured driving into town and checking into a quaint hotel with kitschy furniture. Instead, I ignored the gas gauge and didn’t bother making a reservation. Two regretfuldecisions.
“Running away was a smart decision. No one knows I’m here.” No one except Shane and Emma.
Emma. I promised to call her. Like phones everywhere, mine fell to the bottom of my purse, buried under its other contents. I tapped the screen, and my finger slid over the shattered glass. It didn’t turn on. I shook it and attempted an emergency reboot with no luck.
I covered my mouth to hold back a frustrated laugh. My arrival in Fortune’s Creek didn’t feel fortunate.
Two options remained: spend the night in an abandoned shed or hike back to my car.
The hike won. I sat there, willing my legs to pull me up and start moving. The sun had long since disappeared over the horizon, and its last glowing twinges would soon fade, changing the sky from a dusky purple to a denim blue.
Streetlights clicked on, holding me in a pale yellow glow. I glanced around, seeing no one. There was only me and the night sky.
Panic hit as I took several shallow breaths. I wasn’t hiking back to my car, not that night or anytime soon. I needed to get inside. Moths flew toward the streetlights, attracted to the security they offered. I was jealous.
