Page 23 of Splintered Memories
Her face softened. After a short pause, she grabbed my hand. “Okay.” She nodded. “Let’s go.”
Iregrettednothing.
Lark and I managed to sneak out the back door of the bridal shop while August was still standing outside. For the first time in days, I was able to relax.
Something about knowing that August was mere feet away literally all the time made me feel like I was constantly on guard. As if he’d see too much of the things I’d carefully hidden away inside myself.
I leaned back in a soft leather armchair with a sigh. My hands curled around my coffee, soaking in the warmth. I’d already devoured my chocolate croissant, even though the two of us had only been sitting in the loft area for five minutes.
Latte Pages was the epitome of cozy. The shop was two stories, the second open to the first in a U shape so that even though we were seated on the top level, the cafe at the front of the building was completely visible to us. I’d had my eye on the front door, just in case a certain marine turned bodyguard came in looking for me.
“Why don’t we come here more often?” I asked.
Lark sipped her iced coffee. No ice, of course.
She lifted her shoulders. “Things have been a little busy for the both of us.”
I nodded my agreement. Lark had only been back in Ember Hollow the last six months after nine years away, which was right around the time everything started to get crazy in town again. Her return had coincided with the Shadow Stalker’s reemergence after a long hiatus.
Lark and her fiancé, Reid, had spent time trying to find the serial killer themselves, only for Lark to get kidnapped and almost killed.
She had survived, but in the process of her investigation, it was discovered that the Shadow Stalker was Lark’s biological father. Unbeknownst to her, Lark’s mother had been one of the Shadow Stalker’s first victims—and the only one who’d gotten away from him.
Yes, things had been a bit of a whirlwind. Lark had been on the journey to healing from her past and dealing with her parentage, all while planning her wedding.
I’d been working my tail off making videos about the Shadow Stalker and his victims, determined to spread awareness so that one day, he’d be caught.
Because no matter how much security I had or how many personal bodyguards, as long as the Shadow Stalker was out there, this town wasn’t safe.
Lark’s phone dinged with a notification. She pulled it out of her pocket, her mouth hardening as she read the screen.
“Oh, no.” Her shoulders slumped, and her eyes met mine. “Reid is home sick. He thinks he has that stomach bug I had.”
I grimaced. “Yikes.”
She stood from her chair, tucking her phone back in her pocket. “I need to get home. If Reid’s feeling bad enough to leave work, it’s got to be bad.”
My bottom lip puckered in a pout. “You’re leaving me?”
“I’m so sorry!” Those big brown eyes widened. “Are you…going to be all right?”
I let out a long sigh. “I’m fine. Go, take care of your man.”
She pressed her lips together, glancing around at the rows of bookshelves that surrounded us. “Maybe you should go find August now.”
I didn’t want to find August. I wanted to soak in my solitude for a little bit longer. But I also didn’t want to worry her. “I’ll find him soon,” I promised, and took another sip of my coffee.
She hesitated, like she wasn’t sure if she believed me. When her phone dinged again, she shook her head and gave me a wave. “I’ll see you soon.” She headed toward the stairs. “Stay safe!”
I watched her hurry down the steps and onto the main floor. She was running by the time she got to the front door and disappeared behind it.
I touched the end of my braid, curling the tuft of hair around my finger, trying not to think about how nice it would be to have someone so worried about me when I was sick. Someone who would drop everything and rush right to my side.
Shaking my head, I sat up straighter in the chair. Those were silly thoughts not even worth entertaining. I was about to take another sip of my drink when a familiar voice sounded behind me, making my heart stop.
“Do my eyes deceive me, or is that my little Emy-Su?”
I whipped my head around so fast, my neck literally cracked. The man standing behind my chair had his hands tucked into the pockets of his tan dress pants. His hair had more silver in it than I remembered, but that smile was the same. Warm and bright and surrounded by a good amount of salt-and-pepper scruff.
