Chapter Eleven
CHAPTER ELEVEN
She was glad she’d kept expectations low about anything changing between her and Owen because when she showed up for her shift, his face morphed into his usual made-for-Keeley frown. By the way he acted, the events of the night before last never happened. Fighting the melancholy left over from interactions with her dad, she stowed her purse—keys carefully in her purse this time—tied on her waist apron, and hit the floor.
Three hours later Keeley took the last stool at the end of the bar, arching her back as she settled onto the seat. It felt like she’d been moving at a dead run for every one of those hours.
Owen’s Mid-Week Minis were a popular draw for Happy Hour, and it had brought in a sizable after-work crowd who’d devoured the mini pizzas with their drinks. They’d hit the lull between Happy Hour and dinner, and she could finally take her half-hour break. At least being busy had boosted her mood.
Owen slid a plate of the mini pizzas and a glass of cranberry juice in front of her. “Eat.”
That was exactly why Owen confused her. He’d been all gruff and grumbly since she started her shift, but then felt compelled to put food in front of her.
“ Why are you feeding me?”
“ I don’t want you passing out from hunger.”
“ Right.”
He busied himself checking supplies in the well. She didn’t think he was paying attention to her until he raised his head and skewered her with his typical grumpy glare. “Is the douche with a man-bun bothering you? That why you were upset when you came in?”
“ Who’s the douche with a man-bun?” Then it clicked. “Oh, you mean Jaxon. He spends a lot of time on that man-bun, I’ll have you know.”
He waited. “Well?” he finally asked.
“ Well, what?”
“ Keep up, princess. Is he bothering you?”
“ No. I mean he was, but I blocked him on my phone.”
“ He being aggressive?”
“ Not particularly, more manipulative than anything. I don’t understand why he wants to get back together so badly. I thought he’d already moved on.”
“ You’re selling yourself short.” He filled an order, then returned. With arms braced, he leaned on the bar. She struggled not to sigh. “That’s not why you were upset.”
She shifted her focus to her glass, using the tip of her finger to wipe at the condensation on the side. “No, it’s Dad. We were having a good time this afternoon. I’d gotten some vintage records and was playing them on an old record player of his that I found in the attic. We were singing along to the Rolling Stones, then his mood flipped on a dime, and he’s yelling at me because I won’t let him call a friend who’s been dead four years.”
“ Fuck.”
“ That sums it up pretty well.”
Owen used a towel to wipe the bar. “You and Abby are doing your best, and the records were a good idea. Even though it didn’t end well, it was still a good idea and he was enjoying himself until he wasn’t. Take the wins where you can.”
Her phone vibrated with a text from Sawyer. He’d created a group text with her and Owen. She read the message.
Sawyer: Fernando admitted to being dropped off at EM parking lot. Won’t ID driver. Instructions were to steal K’s purse. Driver was to pick kid up half hour after bar closed. Payment of three hundred dollars if he had the purse.
Keeley: Did he admit to knowing me?
Sawyer: Yeah, he knew you.
Owen slipped his phone back in his pocket. “That attack wasn’t random, you were targeted.”
“ It seems like, but I still don’t understand why. I don’t see how this has anything to do with my tires.”
He shook his head. “There’s a connection. Not understanding what the connection is doesn’t mean there isn’t one. Starting now, Easy Money house rule is no one is to go out of this building alone. You don’t take the trash out, and you don’t walk to your car alone. The rule applies to everyone, but I’m most concerned about you. If I’m not here, you get one of the others to walk out with you.”
Orders came in and Owen got busy.
She studied him contemplatively. Maybe she was slow, but evidence was starting to mount that maybe Owen’s contradictory behavior was because he was conflicted.
Throughout her shift she’d watched him moving behind the bar, his gaze constantly sweeping as he clocked incoming customers, kept tabs on the dudes at the back table who’d grown progressively louder, and kept tabs on her.
Because he did. Others noticed too. She’d been catching up with her parents’ neighbor Janey, who’d come in with a coworker from the bank. She introduced her friend as Sherry. As a teenager, Keeley babysat Janey’s three sons. Since the boys were doing well in high school, the oldest graduating as salutatorian, it was nice to hear the little heathens had adapted to civilization. “You and Doug did a good job with those boys.”
“ Thanks, sweetie. How are you doing? Are you dating anyone? ”
“ Nope. I’ve been busy, but I should get back into the game. It’s hard to work up any enthusiasm though.”
“ I don’t think you’d have to look too far. I think someone is smitten.”
“ Oh? Who?” Keeley glanced around. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for, maybe someone with emoji hearts floating over their head.
Janey and Sherry had both burst into laughter.
“ Owen’s had his eyes on you ever since we came in. He pays attention to everything that’s going on, but he pays special attention to you, my girl.”
Sherry fanned herself with her hand. “That man’s one tall drink of water.”
Watching him as he ran the blender, Keeley agreed.
At some point since Sunday, he’d gotten a haircut and it looked good. Shorter on the sides, tousled hair longer on top.
She’d seen him shirtless twice now, and could attest that his lean build had been bulked up with muscle that rippled and flexed as he moved.
The evening of the attack, when all he’d worn were sweatpants riding low on his hips, she’d greedily watched him whenever she thought he wasn’t looking.
Strong, broad shoulders tapering to a lean waist, he was a study in the perfection of the male form. She was surprised he hadn’t followed the trend of getting inked. He’d been in the Marine Corps, and he’d been a cop, but his skin remained unmarked except by the bullet scar near his shoulder.
“ I think that special attention goes both ways, don’t you, Janey?” Sherry asked, her voice teasing.
Cheeks burning, Keeley had smiled brightly. “Okay, ladies, what can I get for you tonight?”
After Janey and Sherry had finished their meal and left an overly generous tip, Keeley’d done some watching of her own, trying to see Owen’s behavior through their eyes .
And time and time again she found his gaze locked on her. Usually, he was scowling, but what if that scowl reflected more than basic grumpiness? What if he didn’t actually dislike her? It was an intriguing thought, but did she really want someone who wasn’t happy about wanting her?
She chewed her bottom lip in contemplation.
Looking at the past week objectively, Owen had decidedly put himself in her orbit. Maybe it was because of his friendship with her parents. He certainly appeared invested in her safety.
There’d been that moment after tackling Fernando when he’d cradled her face in his hands. Her heart gave a heavy thump remembering the feel of his calloused palms, the gentle stroke of his thumb over her cheek, the look in his eyes that was anything but disinterested.
Munching on a tasty mini pizza with caramelized onions and mushrooms, she eyed him speculatively. If he did have feelings for her, what if she cleared the air between them? Maybe there could be something there and her tiny crush could actually bloom into something real.
There was only one way to find out. All she had to risk was humiliation and never being able to face him again.
Before she could put her intention into words, her phone buzzed and she pulled it from her apron pocket to read the text. Her eyebrows went up when she saw the name. “What the heck?” she muttered.
She tapped to open the text, frowning as she read the message.
“ Everything good?” Owen sipped from his glass of soda water.
“ More like everything’s weird,” she replied. At Owen’s questioning look, she said, “Pam Demaris texted to say she’ll be in Sisters this weekend and thinks it’d be fun to get together for lunch.”
Owen braced his arms on the bar, gaze riveted on her face. He possessed an extra something that made her feel like he paid attention to her with his entire body. Maybe this was his cop look. She’d bet he was good at interrogating suspects. “She’s the teacher you were subbing for when Fernando was in her class.”
“ Yeah. Suggesting we get lunch together is weird because we aren’t friends. When I subbed for her she was difficult, calling to make sure I was doing what she wanted, kind of hovering in the background even though I had it handled.
“ Then when she returned to work, I was subbing for another teacher and she tracked me down to accuse me of stealing a bin of colored whiteboard markers from her classroom. It was totally stupid, but she wouldn’t let it go and reported me to the principal. Thankfully, the principal thought it was stupid too and hired me for the temporary position I’ve had for the past two years.”
“ How has Demaris acted toward you during that time?” Owen asked, indicating to Jen to take care of customers while he gave Keeley his attention.
She shrugged. “Still weird. Her room was across the hall and I felt like she was always watching me, waiting for me to mess up so she could report me. Yousef says she’s jealous of me, but I don’t see it.”
“ You said Yousef and some others had a going-away party for you the night your tires were slashed. Was she in that group?”
“ No. She doesn’t really hang out with the other teachers, even the ones on her team.”
“ But you did. Did you have a lunch group, other teachers you ate with every day?”
“ Yeah. There were about six of us on our hall who ate together in Yousef’s room. Pam was invited, but chose not to join us. Mostly, she kept to herself or let students eat in her room.”
“ Did you tell Sawyer about her?”
“ No, why would I?”
Owen crossed his arms over his chest, brows lowered. “We’re looking for a motive for your tires being slashed. You’re pretty and popular with your coworkers, and I bet the kids loved you. Dude’s probably right that she’s jealous. She hasn’t been friendly with you and she has a connection to the little shit. She could’ve been the one to drop him off. And now out of the blue she wants to meet for lunch? I don’t believe in coincidences.”
He thought she was pretty? It was vain and small of her, but his compliment was like a surprise cupcake topped with frosting and sprinkles that’s created to make you happy.
Telling herself to focus, she brightened when an idea occurred. “I could agree to meet her and figure out what she wants. It’d be like I was undercover.”
“ The hell you will. If she’s the one who dropped off the little shit to pull his stunt, I don’t want you anywhere near her.”
“ I don’t know why Fernando would be doing her bidding. Beyond that, why would she want my purse?”
“ Could’ve been a tactic to scare you. But the kid using a knife takes it up a notch.”
“ I still think I should meet with her. It’s not like she’ll try something in broad daylight. I could even meet her here.”
“ No.”
She sipped her cranberry juice, considering him over the rim of the glass. “You’re not being reasonable.”
“ Fuck reasonable.”
She snorted out a laugh. Setting down her glass, she decided to go for the gold. Heart hammering like a deranged woodpecker on speed, she took a deep breath and asked, “Do you like me, Owen?”
“ What? Why the hell would you ask me that?”
“ Because other people seem to think you do, but you always act like I’m a huge pain in the butt, and I guess I want to know.”
His scowl turned so ferocious she felt like she’d poked a sleeping bear. He grabbed the towel he’d hung over his shoulder and began wiping down the bar. “I don’t have time for this heart-to-heart shit.”
“ Right, okay, never mind. I thought I’d ask, but I can see this was a bad idea. Forget I said anything.” She rose and knew from the heat, her face was flushed with embarrassment. “I’ll get back to work, you know, because it’s my job.” He stopped wiping the bar and stared at her like she’d sprouted horns. Now she was furious. “You don’t have to be such a jerk about it.”
“ How am I a jerk?”
God, she was losing it. “You just are.”
She wished she could flee the scene, run home, and bury her head under her pillow. But her dad had always told her to start as she intended to carry on, so she did exactly that.
For the rest of her shift, she treated Owen with determined pleasantness, hiding her hurt behind a sunny smile.
***
Awkward. Keeley hated she’d made things awkward with Owen. They remained that way through closing. After walking out with Dion, she was glad when she could drive away from all those emotions. She turned into the driveway of her parents’ home, mind still on her conversation, or rather lack of conversation, with Owen, when she brought the vehicle to an abrupt stop. A flash of light had caught her attention. She peered through the windshield at the neighbor’s yard. Having no streetlights wasn’t unusual in residential areas in the mountains. Sisters had mandated all streetlights along Main Street be Darksky Approved. Away from the business corridor, drivers had to rely on their headlights and knowledge of the area to navigate safely.
She searched for the flash of light, what she’d thought was the glow of a phone visible from under a grouping of trees. She waited, but it didn’t reappear. She continued down the drive to park next to her little cottage, the security light at the corner of the building coming on. Recent events were making her paranoid.
She sat for a minute and let the quiet soothe her. Asking Owen whether he had feelings for her had not gone well. Not that he’d actually responded to her question. He’d been grumpier than usual for the rest of the evening .
Maybe she should have fessed up and admitted she had a crush on him . That probably would have freaked him out. The truth of the matter was, as much as she might wish otherwise, Owen Hardesty wasn’t going to be her future. She’d have to double down on her efforts to carve from her heart all the messy feelings he pulled from her.
Keys and phone in hand, she walked past her attached garage to the corner of the cottage where a stone pathway led to her door. The sound of running feet had her head whipping up.
Again? Memories of Sunday flashed through her mind. She spun around and spied a dark form hurtling toward her. A surge of panic and a moment to brace herself and then impact. Her body slammed into the wall, her head colliding with the corner of the building hard enough she saw stars. She was trying to figure out what’d happened when her attacker grabbed her purse and ripped it from where she’d hung it on her arm.
Keeley stared in dazed disbelief at the figure fleeing down the drive toward the street. She was too stunned to give chase. Figuring it better to sit before she fell, she slid down the wall with a groan, landing on her butt. Blinking to clear her vision, she brought her hand to her head and felt the stickiness of blood.
Eyes closed, she tried to gather her thoughts. She’d been assaulted, but the attacker had fled. She was okay, or at least mostly okay.
Blue fleece jacket. Blue and green New Balance shoes. Phone in the side pocket of stretchy pants. She worked to commit the details she’d only had seconds to note to memory.
Opening her eyes, she leaned forward to gather her phone from where it’d fallen on the walkway and tapped the screen to make the call.
An engine turned over, the sound coming from up the street. Tires screeched as a vehicle raced into the night until the sound faded to nothing .
Moments later Abby rushed across the courtyard from the house to crouch beside her daughter.
“ Oh my god, Keeley, you said you weren’t hurt but you’re bleeding.” Abby turned Keeley’s head to the light. “I called 9-1-1, but I need to call back and have them send an ambulance.”
“ I don’t need an ambulance. I’m hurt, Mom, but not badly enough to go to the hospital. They stole my purse.”
“ Let’s get you out of the cold. I want to see if you need stitches.” She pressed a folded tissue to the cut. “If you do, you’re going to the emergency clinic, young lady, and without an argument.”
Abby rose to her feet and looked around. She looked fierce, like she was ready to take down the assailant.
“ Whoever it was is gone, Mom. They ran toward the street, and I heard a car start and take off.”
Abby stooped to help Keeley to her feet. “Come on, baby. Let’s get you inside. I asked dispatch to tell the responding officers to come in without sirens and to go to your cottage. I don’t want your dad to wake up. He has such a hard time sleeping.”
“ Good thinking.”
Headlights flashed as a vehicle turned into the driveway coming to a stop with a crunch of gravel. Keeley recognized Owen’s Bronco.
“ You called Owen, Mom? Why?” Her voice shook.
“ Because he cares about you, that’s why. Didn’t he protect you from that young man with a knife? He’s involved, and so I called him. Plus, dispatch said the sheriff’s deputies were tied up with a car over the side of the road at the other end of town. Possible DUI. They’re sending someone, but it’ll be a minute.”
The driver’s door of the Bronco slammed shut, cutting off Keeley’s retort. The security light showed Owen moving toward her like a predator stalking its prey. Or like a man whose woman was in danger.
Wishful thinking on her part, but no matter what she’d said to Abby, she was glad to see him. He was strong, capable, and without a doubt, he’d protect her at a time when she was feeling particularly vulnerable.
Owen joined them, his gaze boring into Keeley with single-minded intensity. He wore his heavy wool Pendleton over the long-sleeved shirt with the Easy Money logo he’d worn that evening. From either the adrenaline or the cold night air, she wasn’t sure which, she began shivering so hard her teeth chattered.
“ Darn it, a light’s come on in the house, which means Bruce is up.” Abby turned to Keeley. “I need to get him settled or we’ll be up all night.” Abby grasped Keeley’s hand. “I’ll check on you when I can.”
“ I’m okay, Mom. I’ll text you how I’m doing.” Keeley still held the tissue to her forehead.
Abby hugged her daughter, then for a brief moment leaned her head on Owen’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here, Owen. Take care of my baby.”
“ I will. Don’t worry, Abby.”
“ I know you will.” Abby pulled her robe tight and scurried back to the house.
Owen used a firm hand under Keeley’s chin to turn her to the light. His gaze traveled over her face. “You can’t seem to stay out of trouble, can you?” he murmured.
And then he replaced her hand with his on the tissue and tugged her to his chest, pulling his jacket around them both and wrapping his other arm around her. With his cheek resting on top of her head, he spoke quietly, “Tell me what happened.”
She breathed deep, the smell of him, his warmth, invading her senses. The shivering eased. If she could stay like this for the rest of her life, she’d be happy.
Tears stung her eyes. Her words were muffled because her cheek was against the wall of his chest, but he seemed to hear her as she walked him through the attack. “And then she stole my purse,” she said on a hiccup. “God, I sound like a baby.”
“ She? ”
“ Yeah, I’m certain it was a woman. Why is it that all of a sudden people are so interested in my purse?”
“ That’s the question.” Owen’s hand slipped to the back of her neck where it felt warm and heavy. “We’ll deal with your head, then we’ll deal with the rest.”
“ I’m tired and sore, and I just want to go to bed, but before I can do that, I need to call my credit card companies to tell them my cards were stolen. I’m sorry I got you damp.” She lifted her head and swiped at the moisture on his shirt. “I’ll put a Band-Aid on the cut and it’ll be fine. I’ll go to the doctor in the morning if I need to.”
“ Let me see.” He lifted the makeshift pressure bandage, peering at the wound in the glow of the security light. He swore under his breath. Expression grim, he said, “You need stitches, princess. I’m driving you to the clinic.”
“ I need to call the credit companies first, before she can use my cards. I don’t want to go to the clinic.”
He took her hand and pressed it to hold the tissue. “Keep the pressure on.” Then he swung her up in his arms and moved toward the Bronco. She gave a yelp and curled an arm around his neck. “I can walk.”
“ Yeah? I can also carry you.”
“ Dammit, Owen. Would you listen to me?”
“ Talk all you want, but you’re going to the clinic and getting that cut stitched, and having a concussion check.”
“ You’re bossy.”
“ When I need to be.”
She groaned when he settled her in the passenger seat.
The interior lights shown on his face that was back to glowering. “Do you have pain anywhere besides that hard head of yours?”
“ Maybe my shoulder’s sore.” She leaned back in the seat, exhaustion dragging at her. “I don’t need stitches. The bleeding’s already stopped.”
He leaned in, face inches from hers. “Do you trust me, Keeley?”
“ Of course I do.” She said it with a certainty that surprised her .
“ Then trust me on this. You need stitches. I had medic training in Afghanistan. I could stitch it for you, but it wouldn’t be pretty and would hurt like hell. So I’m taking you to the fucking clinic.” He pressed his lips to hers in a brief, hard kiss. “The answer to your question is yes.”
The door slammed shut and her brain went static.
The answer to her question was yes?