My throat went dry, and it took several tries before I could swallow. I shook my head and returned to my vehicle. It’s a grocery store, Adri, you know—where people buy groceries. I tried to tell myself that Colton wasn’t involved with the diamonds, but my pounding heart disagreed. He probably wasn’t working alone if it was him. I jerked my head around, surveying the parking lot for an accomplice. I needed to get out of here. I started the engine, took a deep breath, and headed for my shop.
On the way, I told myself to calm down. Colton was a delivery man who liked Lorea, that was all. I called Tony and grumbled when it went to his voice mail. If I was being watched or if my vehicle had been bugged, I couldn’t leave him a message, but I really needed to talk to him. I decided to call the police station directly. After waiting on hold for a few minutes, the secretary came back on to say that Tony was unavailable and would I like to leave him a message? I declined and ended the call.
Where was he? I told myself that if I couldn’t reach him on his cell by that afternoon, I’d stop by the station on my way home and track him down.
It was hard not to look suspiciously at every corner and trash can behind my building. My nerves were already frazzled, so when a black streak ran past me, I screamed. Telling myself to quit being jumpy didn’t help, and when I saw what had scared me, I felt like an idiot.
The black-and-white kitten who had been my trash-digging companion waited by the shop door. He meowed and rubbed against my legs as I unlocked the building. His fur looked soft and clean, but he was skinny. I wondered how he had ended up behind my shop. He cried and gave me the same look that cats have perfected to get what they want. “Okay.” I relented and picked him up. He immediately began purring, and I rubbed behind his ears. “You’ve definitely missed a few meals,” I said to him as I walked inside.
A mini-fridge and microwave stacked in the corner of the back room made up our “employee lounge,” and I rummaged around in the fridge, sorting through Lorea’s leftovers. The girl never threw anything out. The cat perked up, his whiskers twitched, and he squirmed in my arms. A Styrofoam box with last week’s burrito from the La Paparilla Mexican restaurant would do. I went back outside and set the leftovers and the kitten down. He pounced on it like it was a scurrying mouse, and I laughed when he made grumbling noises as he chowed down.
I read the notes Lorea had jotted down on the instruction manual for the new surveillance camera that had been installed. It was digital and efficient, which pretty much ensured that the bad guys wouldn’t come back because why would I be that lucky? My computer hummed to life thirty seconds after I pushed the button, and I started checking the details of my task list for Sylvia’s bridal shower.
“What is that cat doing out there?” Lorea demanded as she came in lugging a dress bag. “And why are you feeding him my leftovers?”
I tilted my head to see around my widescreen. “He volunteered to save you from food poisoning. You know leftovers aren’t good after three days.”
“Hmmph. I have a strong stomach,” Lorea countered. “You’re the one telling me I need to eat.”
“Look, I’ll buy lunch today. You choose. Just have it delivered.” I hoped we would have time to stop for lunch.
Lorea grumbled as she unlocked the closet holding Natalie’s dress. She hung the bag on a rack next to the gown, and her mood immediately improved. “What do you think?”
I couldn’t resist checking the hem line. “It’s beautiful. This dress is perfect for her. And you did a great job on the hem.” The sheer frills hung gracefully over the skirt and trailed to the floor.
“So how was your weekend in Rupert?”
“Too short. I always have to remind myself why I decided to move here when I’m getting ready to leave.”
Lorea stopped fussing with the gown for a moment. “Angels sent you my way. Don’t ever doubt that.”
“Thank you.” My throat felt thick with emotion, and I tried to think of something to lighten the mood. “You’ll never believe what I did Sunday night.”
“What? Another date with Dallas?”
“Well, that too.” I could feel my cheeks heating up as I thought of the “date” Dallas and I had on my living room couch. I wasn’t going to share those details with Lorea yet. “I went running, and I saw ‘the hottie.’ ”
“Oh, you still need to get a picture of him for me.”
“Turns out you’ve already seen him.”
Lorea stood up and grabbed my arm. “You know who he is? Did you talk to him?”
I struggled to keep a straight face. “You ready for this?”
“Um, yeah. Is he available?”
I thought about that for a minute, how Luke had confided in me. “I guess so. ‘The hottie’ is Luke Stetson, divorce attorney.”
“You’re kidding.”
I pressed my lips together and raised my eyebrows.
“The jerk lawyer? Did you recognize him?”
“No, he recognized me.” I didn’t tell her how I thought he was going to kill me for the diamonds. “I was just going to do my usual run-by admiring, but he stopped and told me he wondered why I had looked so familiar. Then, get this—he apologized.”
“No. Freakin’. Way.”
I laughed. “Way. And it was a sincere apology.”
Lorea narrowed her eyes. “Did you tell him where to go?”
“Actually, I’m thinking about forgiving him.”
“He must have had his shirt off again, huh?”
I knew my cheeks were pink, but I didn’t care. “He said he has a difficult time with dating.” For a moment, I thought about telling Lorea the truth behind Luke’s apology, but I swallowed the secret and kept his confidence.
“So he asks you out and then
