Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 60864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Rather than just doing a job because it was what I could get, going through the motions in a place where I could easily be overlooked and even more easily replaced, I felt like I was actually a part of something. Getting together at the end of dinner shifts for family meal went a long way in cementing that feeling for me.
The closest thing to a family meal I ever got at the breakfast place was snatching some bacon or eating leftover biscuits and gravy after a new batch was made. We never all got together and ate, and we were rarely acknowledged beyond the occasional thank-you or brief comment of praise from Mr. Murphy.
Now that Derek and I had made amends, I could see Ally was right. He was a really good guy who seemed to genuinely care about and appreciate the people there working for him. Every day there were moments when he made sure he recognized what we were doing and how hard we were working.
I knew if I could, I would be happy to stay there for a bit. They seemed to not think too hard about my need to be paid under the table and hadn’t pried about it. I was getting along with everyone and enjoying my shifts. I had even tucked enough money away that I was already seeing my savings grow to a point where I would be able to do some possible upgrades for my life pretty soon. Maybe get a small apartment rather than just renting the room. Things were going really well.
Which of course meant something was about to go really wrong.
It was a gorgeous day, and I’d figured out that walking to the vineyard didn’t take all that long. It was a nice way to get some fresh air and give my thoughts a chance to run around through my mind without me having to focus on work.
I had only done it a couple of times, but it was a trip I really enjoyed. I could see myself doing it as long as time and weather permitted. So far, I hadn’t had trouble with time at this restaurant. I didn’t mind so much getting up and heading out for my shifts. I looked forward to getting to the vineyard and seeing what the day was going to bring. Which always included an overview of the reservations we were going to have coming in that day along with a review and tasting of the special items on the menu.
Considering I was in California and accustomed to continuing to live my life through the Rhode Island winters, I had a feeling the weather wasn’t going to be much of a hindrance either. Unless the sky opened up and I was dealing with a storm, I was going to be just fine.
The other half of me taking the walk to work more often than driving was that my car was on its last legs. It was an old, run-down sedan I’d picked up as soon as I scraped together enough money, and it hadn’t had long to live then. Now every time I turned the key in the ignition, it was a crapshoot as to whether it was going to start up. Much like my laptop, it was a bit of a game of roulette. One of these times, it was just going to give up mid-trip. There was no point in pushing it when I could easily walk.
I had only left my rented room a few minutes before and was making my way through town when I noticed a car zip past the end of the road ahead of me. It instantly struck me as familiar. A second later, the car came back the other direction, like it had made a wide U-turn at some point down that road and drove down the road where I was walking.
As it drove past me, I realized that I did know the car. The second that sank in, I ran for the first place I saw that I could go to get off the sidewalk and out of sight. Ducking into the library, I stood with my back pressed to the corner of the vestibule for a few moments, trying to catch my breath and gather my thoughts.
Maybe it wasn’t what I thought it was. It was possible it was someone else. Logical and probable, even. It wasn’t like Jack was the only person in the world with a silver Audi. And the last time I saw that car, it was in Rhode Island, all the way across the country. I didn’t get a clear view of the license plate, so I didn’t actually know for sure that it was him.
Letting out a breath, I leaned out of the corner to peer out of the windows at the front of the vestibule. The Audi came down the street again, more slowly this time and in the other direction. It was definitely not just driving around. The person driving it was looking for something. Or someone.