Chapter 10
Working evenings at a bar was weird. Willa liked talking to people but was careful about how flirty she acted. Her first waitressing job had revealed how weird it could get if she flirted too heavily. Now she knew when to splash a wide smile versus when she needed to dial it back.
This evening, her tables featured two groups of women who seemed to know each other. None of them gave off creepy vibes, so she was able to smile and laugh with them and not think anything of it.
She was delivering drinks to one of the tables and had just set down the last drink when one of the women grabbed her arm. A gasp escaped her lips as she met the other women’s gaze.
“Sorry to startle you, but that police officer is pointing at you.”
Willa’s gaze swung over to the entrance, and sure enough, a police officer was headed her way. “Oh shit.”
The woman stood, squeezing her arm. “Are you okay? Do you have someone here? A close friend? I know you’re at work, but maybe one of the other waitresses is close?”
Willa shook her head. “No. I just moved here.”
“I’m Bree. I’m not leaving your side.”
Willa turned to her. “You don’t have to stay.”
“Nonsense. I’d be terrified if a police officer was headed my way with that kind of purpose.”
Willa swallowed over the lump in her throat, worried that Robert had done something stupid, like accuse her of something terrible.
“Are you Willa Cagney?”
“Y-yes. Is there a problem?”
The officer glanced at Bree, then back to her. “Do you want to take this outside?”
She shook her head, and Bree squeezed her arm again. The rest of the ladies at the table were paying attention now, and another one stood up and braced her on the other side.
Her knees went weak, and she had little doubt she would be on the ground if these women weren’t holding her up. “No, here is fine.”
“Robert was taken into custody just a few minutes ago, and we found some disturbing things in the trunk of his car. We just needed to make sure you were okay.”
“Oh shit—sorry, didn’t mean to curse.”
The officer’s lips tipped up just a little. “It’s okay. You don’t have to end your shift and come down to the station now, but we’d like to talk to you. How about Monday, if that’s possible?”
She nodded. “I don’t work on Monday.”
“I can go with you if you like,” Bree said.
Relief slid through Willa. She had no idea why this woman was being so nice, but she was thankful for the support.
“I’ll get your information and give it to the detectives on the case. Robert isn’t getting out this weekend. The judge won’t weigh in on bail until Monday at the earliest.”
“Th-thank you.”
“Be careful out there, ladies. Have a good evening.”
The officer walked away, and Willa’s thoughts exploded with ideas about what the officer meant by disturbing things. What the hell could Robert have that made the officer come in and make sure she was fine?
“Hey, are you okay?” Bree asked.
She nodded. “I am. At least he’s in jail for now.”
“Let me have your number, and I’ll check in with you tomorrow.”
“Sure.” She entered her information into Bree’s phone, then headed to the bar.
The other waitresses checked in on her, along with the bartender.
At least Cindy wasn’t working tonight. She was sure the woman would make more of this than there was to it.
She assured everyone working that she was fine, though she wasn’t sure she was really okay.
Robert had been arrested. How the heck had that come about? She was thankful she at least had this weekend free from the threat of Robert doing something stupid.
Before Bree and her friends left, they came over to check on her.
She thanked them for being so nice. Bree told her she would call, and Willa wondered if it would really happen.
She wasn’t the type of woman to collect good friends.
Then again, Robert had driven away many of her friends.
Even when she’d tried to keep friendships alive, Robert had gone behind her back and forced the women away, so it had been a while since she’d had a close friend.
After work, it felt like freedom, not having to watch for Robert. She could live like this. If only the police would keep her ex locked up for good.
On Sunday afternoon, her phone rang, and she answered. Bree had called to check in on her. She thanked her for calling.
“I really feel like I can breathe easier.”
“I’m sorry he came after you. You have my phone number now. If there’s anything you need, please call. And I want to be there for you when you go to the police station tomorrow.”
“Thank you for offering, but I think I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure? How about I show up there at nine?”
Bree was being too nice. Maybe she should just accept that this woman was nice and wanted to help.
“Okay. I’ll be there around nine, too.”
“Good. I’ll see you then.”
The call ended, and she saved Bree’s information in her phone. She stared at the screen, wondering what Cy was up to today. He was probably busy, and she didn’t need to think about what he was doing.
With Robert locked up, she could go out and do something fun without worrying about him showing up and ruining everything. She decided to head to the beach. It would be nice to get out and enjoy a little nature without fear of being watched.
The weather was perfect, and the crowds not too bad. She found a place to park and did a quick glance around, worry still heavy on her chest. The worry was something she’d carried around way too long, and it would be hard to get rid of.
After a moment, she relaxed enough to enjoy the feel of warm sand on her feet. She closed her eyes and drew in a slow breath. The scent of ocean, sand, and sun was a heady balm to her soul. She felt much more alive than she had in years.
With Robert following her around, spying on her, trying to make her regret ever dating him, she’d grown used to living in fear. Knowing he was locked up was freeing.
The air felt so good, she threw her hands out wide and laughed into the wind before twirling around. She didn’t care that people were watching her. None of them cared what she was doing.
Her phone buzzed, and she saw it was Cy calling. She froze, wondering if he knew something about Robert.
“Hello,” she said hesitantly when she answered.
“Hey, I just called to tell you I might be out of town for a week or two. I think Robert is locked up in jail. I don’t know how long he will stay in.”
She was surprised he knew about Robert. “Yes, the police officer who arrested him came in to talk to me. Said they found disturbing stuff in his car. So they wanted to make sure I was okay.”
“Damn, I guess they didn’t say what the disturbing stuff was.”
“No, they didn’t.”
“I wish I wasn’t going out of town, but it’s work, and I have to go. I have friends who can help if you need anything. I’ll send you their numbers.”
“Thank you. It was weird. There was a group of women I was serving when the officer came in. One of those women offered to go to the station with me.”
“That’s great. And if you need anything, my friends will be there for you. I’ll text you when I get back in town.”
“Why are you being so nice?”
“Because we all need help at some point. I’m here and can help.”
“Thank you.”
“Sure, and stay safe while I’m gone.”
“I will.”
The call ended, and she hugged her arms tight to her chest. She couldn’t allow herself to get sucked in.
Cy might be nice, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a monster in hiding.
Robert had appeared nice at first, but he’d turned out to be a psychopath.
She couldn’t trust her gut. She couldn’t trust her feelings.
She had to accept she would be alone forever.