Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Sloane Harrington hadn’t intended to sleep in her car again, but there she was: uncomfortable, sweaty, and groaning from stiffness as she shifted on the rocklike backseat of the old Chevy.
She’d traded her last vehicle for this one and gotten screwed over in the process because the guy had obviously sensed her desperation. Still, she wondered if maybe the next time she should try to get a minivan. An air mattress in the cargo space had to feel better than this. Because right now?
Everything hurt.
From the tightness in her shoulders and neck, down her back, to the way she’d had to sleep with her legs curled due to not having space to stretch out, she hurt, and it made her moan to think of the days when a ninety-minute massage at a local spa with school friends was a regular thing.
Giving up on the pretense of sleep, she looked at her regular old watch and moaned again. She wasn’t sure what time the guy would be back, but she needed to get out of there before the sun rose and revealed her to curious eyes.
The cops had driven by several times last night, but they hadn’t paused or told her to leave. Which made her wonder if this space was regularly taken by a vehicle and the norm—which was why the guy from last night had told her to park there instead?
She needed a bathroom.
Correct that.
She needed a shower after sleeping in a sweat box all night. It might be early November, but humidity was still a thing in North Carolina.
Sloane pulled out her phone and did a quick search only to see the gym chain where she had a membership wasn’t anywhere close.
Not that she could use it. Knowing her family, they’d be on the lookout for any signs of life.
Her membership code would likely ping her location as easily as credit card use.
“This’ll be cold,” she muttered with a soft groan. But a dip in the Atlantic would have to do for now. Unless she found one of those public sand showers nearby? Didn’t all beach towns have those? It wouldn’t have hot water, but at least then her shower wouldn’t be salty.
Neither option appealed, but she’d do whatever she needed to because she knew better than to sleep in her car with the windows down.
Even cracked was a danger because there were some sick and twisted people in the world.
She’d learned that the hard way in Charlotte when a guy demanding she let him inside got mad at being rejected.
She’d just climbed into the front to go find a new spot when he’d thrown a lit cigarette through the cracked window into a box of her belongings.
While he’d drunkenly tried to break the window and force his way in, she’d had to put out the fire and then get away. Lesson learned. She’d rather be hot.
She threw on a loose sundress, grabbed a sweater for the undoubtedly cold trek back and left the safety of her car after looking around.
Carolina Cove seemed to be a sleepy little island town, but that didn’t mean there weren’t still dangers.
The drunks and miscreants were one thing, but she could’ve sworn she saw a coyote last night. A big one, too.
A few car motors broke the silence as she walked between buildings and headed toward the sound of crashing waves. On the way, she spotted a utility truck and saw a man unlocking a building with a sign for public restrooms.
She shifted uncomfortably and bounced on her toes as she waited for him to move on. Then she made quick use of a stall before deciding to take her chances with a hurried sponge bath since the restroom was otherwise empty due to the early hour.
She stripped to her sports bra and shorts, knowing they covered more than a bathing suit, and did her best to rid herself of the layer of sweat coating her skin from the humidity of the car.
The act cleared the last of the cobwebs from her brain and left her shivering in her flip-flops as she went back into a stall to finish her bath and dress.
She didn’t linger and headed out again, feeling much better. On her way toward the pier house, she saw a shower along the bridge leading over the dunes and made note of it. Though she was sure it didn’t have hot water like the ladies’ restroom. That had been an unexpected delight.
There were fishermen on the pier and a few early morning walkers and runners already up and out. Dressed and wrapped in her sweater, damp feet squeaking with every step, she made her way back to her vehicle.
She needed to find a Laundromat and wash the few clothes she had.
It paid to travel light. Fewer things meant less expense, and she’d found a surprising amount of name brands in thrift stores to make up her limited yet decent wardrobe.
She never stayed in one place for very long, but maybe she could find a waitressing or housekeeping job that would pay cash for a few weeks.
Her stomach growled, and she decided food topped the to-do list.
After another phone search, she got moving. The laundry wasn’t open yet, which meant she needed to find a place to park so she wouldn’t get towed. Preferably one that wouldn’t charge her a fortune.
Her last job ended abruptly without her getting paid, and her meager savings dwindled fast between gas and food. But was this the place she wanted to stay?
The quiet streets of the coastal town held a lot of appeal. But it was the offseason, which meant jobs might be scarce.
After taming her crazy natural curls, she climbed behind the wheel and buckled her belt. Twisting the key didn’t get the results she wanted though. The interior lights brightened then dimmed and she heard a clicking. “Come on,” she breathed. “You can’t do this now.”
She tried again. And again. Nothing.
She slammed her head against the rest behind her twice in frustration. She’d need a jump. And who knew what that might cost her unless she found some good Samaritan to help her—preferably before the guy from last night returned.
She wouldn’t find help hiding behind the building, though. But on the way back to the car, she’d noted the gas station and convenience store next door. Maybe she could find someone with jumper cables as well as a cheap breakfast?
Sloane retraced her steps to the street. There was a bakery across the road, but while the scent of yumminess filled the air, she didn’t think it within her budget, given the fancy look of the showcase window. She needed substance and protein to tide her over. Not yumminess and empty carbs.
Sloane trudged into the convenience store and headed to the premade sandwiches and then grabbed a drink before moving toward the counter. That’s when she saw a Help Wanted sign and paused.
“You interested?”
She turned her head and realized the dark-haired guy at the counter watched her taking it in. “The job? Maybe.”
“You any good with customer service?”
“I can handle people. What’s it pay?”
He gave her a starting wage that wasn’t great. “That’s during the training period. You pass the training and prove you’ll stick around, and the pay gets better. We take care of our employees.”
She put her sandwich and drink on the counter. “When do I start?”
A smile split the guy’s handsome face. The ring on his left hand meant off-limits though. Not that she was looking. She didn’t have the luxury of a relationship, and personal ties could be dangerous—for them both.
“You have references?”
She thought about her last job and wrinkled her nose. “Not really. I did a great job, but my boss decided he wanted extra benefits and fired me when I didn’t agree to his plans. I doubt he’d give me a good reference, you know?”
“Was that your only job?”
“Pretty much.” Because the job before that? And the one before that? And the one before that? Yeah, not going there either. “I move around a lot, so I’m just looking for something to see me through. I have some college training. Didn’t graduate, though.”
The man studied her for a long moment, and she forced herself to hold eye contact. She got the feeling he was sizing her up, and she wanted to make the cut.
“Come back in thirty minutes. I’ll introduce you to Cole, and he can interview you to see if you’re a fit. He just put the sign up, and you’d be training with him, but I’m not sure he’s looking for someone temporary. Still, he might give you some work and help you out.”
She smiled and shoved her items across the counter. “Sounds great. I’ll be back in thirty.”
Sloane ate her breakfast while sitting on a boardwalk swing facing the water.
Once she’d finished, she went back to the public restroom and washed her hands and brushed her teeth before adding a little mascara and gloss.
She still had quite a bit of tan remaining from the summer she’d spent further up the coast, which meant freckles galore across her nose and cheeks and chest. But love them or hate them, they gave her some color.
She stared down at her clothes. She really needed to do laundry, but her dress was clean and would work for the interview.
Her nerves kicked up more than a little as she walked back to the gas station and went inside. There was a man standing near the counter, opposite from the clerk she’d talked to earlier, and being on the receiving end of both their intense stares left her stomach fluttering.
Both were tall and dark haired, both handsome and very similar in looks. Related? “Hi,” she said to the man she’d talked to earlier.
“Right on time,” he said. “Cole, your first interviewee.”
She managed a smile. Hopefully first and last, she mused. “Hi, I’m Sloane. Sloane Walker,” she said, the lie rolling off her tongue with ease. Every town required a new name, and she’d practiced this one the last few days.
“Cole Blackwell.”
“I’m his brother, Alec,” the other guy said.
That explained the resemblance.
A younger man came out of a door toward the rear of the store carrying a large box. “New shipment just got here.”
“Thanks, Ky. I’ll give you a hand. And get out of your way and leave you to it,” Alec said to his brother.