Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 133531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 534(@250wpm)___ 445(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 534(@250wpm)___ 445(@300wpm)
“The sun is coming up, Rory, and you need to sleep,” Gideon said. “I’d like to see you again.” He stood up.
She noticed he did so slowly, under the pretense of screwing the caps on the water bottles and shoving them into his backpack. There was definitely something wrong. She folded the blanket and handed it to him. He stuffed it inside the pack and shouldered it before walking with her back to the street.
“I’ve got to work for the next three nights. We’re slammed. Brad, my boss, wasn’t expecting business to pick up so fast. That means all the bartenders are pulling extra shifts.” She’d taken more hours because she didn’t really have much of a life outside of work. No family to go home to. Now she regretted that she hadn’t taken a night or two off when she could have.
“When’s your next day off?”
“In three days.”
“I know a restaurant right on the wharf. It’s a little hole in the wall. It’s between your apartment building and my home.”
She hesitated. She really wanted to say yes, but there were times when someone called in sick, and Brad really relied on her.
“What is it?”
They were right in front of her apartment building. She punched in the security code. “I want to go, and I’m going to say yes, I’ll go, but if my boss has a problem, he’ll call me. I’m always the backup.”
“I understand, Rory. The man is getting his business up and running, and you’re his best bartender. That was evident when I was there. It’s natural he relies on you, although he should give you a night off. Even if your boss called you in last minute, I think you’d be able to make it. If not, no worries. We’ll reschedule.”
He was so nice. He didn’t seem upset that she had to work. She was hearing even more musical notes surrounding him, and she liked every one of them.
“I’ll need your cell number,” he said before she stepped inside. “And I’ll give you mine.”
She had never given her number to any man other than her boss. Rory had to control her breathing when she sent her number to him and accepted his. Once the lobby doors closed and locked, she watched as he turned away and began to walk down the street. A dark SUV pulled to the curb alongside him just as she started to turn away.
Javier jumped out of the passenger seat, stripped the backpack from Gideon and tossed it onto the back seat. She couldn’t see the driver. He helped Gideon into the front seat. There was a brief exchange between the two. At one point when he was helping Gideon into the vehicle, he had his arm around Gideon and looked as if he were partially lifting him. It could have been her imagination. Gideon couldn’t possibly have been that injured. He hadn’t shown signs of any real pain. She would have heard it in his music. Or felt it. Still, it worried her. She turned and went up to her apartment to write.
* * *
“Good grief, Rory,” Sally said, fanning herself. “That man is the hottest thing ever. Does he have a brother? I really need to hang out in your bar.”
“He looks a little intimidating to me,” Cindy said. “I was glad you sent the photograph and told us where the two of you were going. That was so smart, Rory. If more women did that when they went on their internet dates, there might be far fewer disappearances.”
“I wish I could say I was the intelligent one,” Rory confessed. “I was too busy staring at his muscles. He’s got them everywhere. If he moves, his muscles move. But it isn’t just his body. He’s fascinating when he talks. He’s soft-spoken and kind. He was the one who suggested I take his photograph and send it to a friend, along with his name and where we were going to be, so I would feel safe. I liked everything about him.”
“He probably expected you to say no, you didn’t need to do that,” Pam said. “Most women wouldn’t. They would be embarrassed, and most men would know they wouldn’t follow through.”
“Had I acted like such a ninny, I’m certain he would have insisted,” Rory said staunchly. She was certain.
“Where does he work?” Lydia asked. She reached down to sort through a box of large crayons and gave the red one to Ellen so she could color the big pony in the book she had on the table.
Rory frowned. “Honestly, I didn’t ask him. I should have, I guess. Sheesh.”
Why hadn’t she asked him what he did for a living? That was a logical question. She hadn’t asked him about his injury either. That made no sense. After watching the SUV pick him up and the way Javier treated him, she was a little worried.