22. Shiloh
Chapter 22
Shiloh
W hen I looked into Ember’s light-brown eyes, everything Caz had coached me to say went out the window. I didn’t know what to do, so I ordered and moved to the side as usual. Being with Caz felt natural and easy, and she increased my confidence. But now, I stood here like a fool, and she wouldn’t get the footage she needed for the show.
Once my coffee was ready, Ember called my name, and I hoped to redeem myself, but when her fingers touched mine, there wasn’t a coherent thought in my head.
“Thank you. Your eyes match that coffee stain on your apron.” That probably wasn’t the compliment Caz had meant for me to say.
“You’re funny.” She giggled as she twisted her mahogany hair around her finger.
I hadn’t meant to make her laugh, but I savored the sound as it reverberated in my ears. While it lacked the same comforting vibe as Caz's, it still brightened my mood.
“I get off at two today.” As her eyes danced with excitement, a smile tugged at the corners of my lips.
“That’s good. I hope you enjoy your afternoon.”
“Shiloh.” Her voice softly whispered my name, sending chills down my body. “That was an invitation.”
I nodded as if I understood but was unsure that I did. “Oh? You want me to join you?”
“Yes, silly.” She wrote something down on a napkin and handed it to me. “Let me know when you’re free.”
I stared at the number with a heart at the bottom and couldn’t believe this was happening. Caz would get her story, and I would get my happy ending. I didn’t even make myself sick with nerves.
My endearing awkwardness was probably wearing thin, so I needed to end the conversation. “I’ll talk to you soon.” I offered a small wave and turned to leave.
Usually, I would have sat in the back and nonchalantly continued to watch her while she worked, but now that I had a date coming up, I needed Caz even more.
I briefly scanned the room for her, but she wasn’t around. Not wanting to draw attention to myself, I headed outside to see if she was waiting there, but she wasn’t. When I reached the parking lot, I noticed her car was gone, so I pulled out my phone to see if she had messaged me, but nothing.
She had been off all day, and now I was worried. I shot off a text asking her where she was, but she didn’t immediately read it, which was odd. Maybe she was driving back to the station? I called the studio and was told that Caz was out on assignment. When I asked to speak to Matt, they said no one worked there by that name.
“I could have sworn that was what Caz called him.” Then I remembered she also used another name, but my mind was blank.
I messaged Caz one last time before realizing she wasn’t answering. I sighed deeply, fully aware that I was left with no other alternative but to pursue my last resort. I dialed Sonya’s number, hoping I could get information about Matt from her or Devon.
“Hey, cuz. How’s it going?” She was eating something as she smacked into the phone.
“Um, it’s going. Do you know where Devon is?” I wanted to cut to the chase because the longer Caz didn’t read my messages, the more concerned I became.
“Why do you want to know?” Who was she—her gatekeeper? She was acting like I was a cop or something.
“Because I need to speak to her.”
Devon and I were only friends by association. We didn’t have that type of relationship where we talked on the phone.
“About what?” Sonya was so nosy; I should have known this wouldn’t be a simple task.
“It is personal. Do you know where she is or not? Or can you give me her number so I can call her?” I tried to hide my annoyance, but it was hard.
“Chill out. She’s right here.”
“Hey,” Devon’s voice sounded through the phone, and I was slightly grateful.
“Hey. Can I have your boyfriend’s number?”
“Why?”
I was in the same loop of hell with her.
“For the love of god, please give me his number so I can find out where Caz is!” I had lost all patience, and my voice was loud enough to echo in my ears.
“Calm thy juice box.” I couldn’t handle Devon’s nonsense today, but I had to play nice to get what I wanted.
“I’m sorry for my outburst. Can you help me?”
“Sure, I texted him your number and told him to call you. Good?”
It wasn’t what I had asked for, but that was probably as close as I would get. “Perfect. Thank you.”
“Welcs. You want Sonya back?” Before I could respond, my phone beeped, and hopefully, it was Matt.
“Gotta go.” I hung up on them to pick up the other call. “Hello,” I breathed into the receiver.
“Hi, this is Matrix. I work with Caz.” His tone was peaceful, and he didn’t seem like he would give me the same trouble as the Tweedles.
“Hey, Matrix, I’m so sorry to bother you, but Caz was with me, then she wasn’t, and now I can’t find her.” I sounded like a frantic parent who had lost their child.
“Oh wow. Umm, let me check her location.” He disappeared for a second. “It doesn’t show her current location. Either her phone is off or her battery died. Where was she when you last saw her?” There was concern in his voice, and I knew he was the right person to contact.
“We were at the coffeehouse.”
“Did anything happen between you two?” His question threw me a little, but I answered.
“We did my interview, then I went to talk to Ember, and when I was finished, she was gone.”
“Hmm.” Did this mean he knew something, or was he just making noise?
“What?”
“Nothing. Let me do some digging, and I’ll get back to you.”
“All right. Is there anything I can do in the meantime?” My mind was racing to the worst possibilities, but I was helpless to stop it.
“You can go about your day. She probably got called away. Don’t worry. I’ll let you know what I find out.” He ended the call, but something wasn’t right.
If it was work-related, wouldn’t he have already known that? He was keeping something from me, but what? And why?
He wanted me to go on with business as usual, but how did I do that? He had told me not to worry about Caz, but I was. How could I not be? But would I let her down if I didn’t go on this date with Ember? She had helped me so much, and giving up before the finish line seemed ungrateful.
The thought of going at this alone almost made me as nauseous as asking her out. However, that worked out in my favor, and I didn’t have to do the heavy lifting. Maybe the date would go just as smoothly without me overthinking and messing it up. That seemed highly unlikely, considering my mind was already a hornet’s nest.
My phone rang, shaking me from my jumbled thoughts.
“Hello?” I picked up without seeing who it was.
“Hey, cuz.” For once, hearing Sonya on the other end filled me with a glimmer of hope.
“Hey! I need your help.”
She loved a good project, so I had no doubt she would be on board.
“Of course you do.” She didn’t even question it.
“Aren’t you going to ask me with what?” I laughed.
“Why would I? I feel confident I can fix any problem you have.” It was evident she believed that, too.
“Are you free now?” Maybe getting a jumpstart on my date preparations would eliminate some of my jitters.
“I can be. But you’ll have to come over here. I’m going to take an edible, and I don’t feel like leaving.”
Of course, she didn’t. “All right. I’ll be there in fifteen or twenty minutes.”
“Sounds good. Will you stop and get some cheesy puffs?”
“Is that why you called me?” I rolled my eyes as I got into my car.
“I thought you called me?” Oh my god. She might not be able to help me after all.