Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Lucy
“T he weirdo at table nine just asked me if our halibut was ocean-raised ,” Jenny says, laughing as she taps the screen at our server station.
“As opposed to all of those halibuts raised in the jungle?” I say, chuckling.
“I’m surprised he didn’t ask for the fish’s birth certificate,” she says, shaking her head. “He didn’t even order it. He took the onion ring hamburger instead.”
“Of course, he did,” I say, laughing as I sneak a peek at him.
“Lucy, you almost finished?” my manager Jacob asks as he walks over, checking the plates waiting under the heaters in front of the kitchen. “Not enough fries on this one. Look at these plates, they’re filthy! Come on, guys”
One of the cooks whisks the two plates away to clean the rims as Jacob turns to me with his eyebrows raised.
“Just waiting on two campers on table thirty-one,” I say as I grab the credit card machine. “Bill is on the table. I’ll go walk by again.”
“Refill waters on your way,” he says, turning back to re-inspect the plates.
I head out with the water pitcher, walking around the dining room of Jack Jameson’s Bar and Grill with a big smile on my face.
I love this place. The restaurant, the town, my new townhouse. I love it all.
I’m still in shock at how I just picked a random town and it turned out to be the most perfect place in the world for me. The Greene Mountains is adorable. The scenery is spectacular with the most majestic mountains making you gasp at every turn.
The streets are straight out of a Hallmark movie with the adorable cobblestone sidewalks, the beautiful colorful flowers on the old-fashioned light posts, and all of the fun restaurants and eclectic family-run shops. The town may look straight out of Hallmark, but the men are straight up Harlequin. Holy moly, they are a sight to see. I’ve seen more muscular arms, broad shoulders, thick beards, and gorgeous faces on these stunning mountain men in the past week than I did in a lifetime of living in my old crappy town.
It’s been five months since Cutter and I rolled into the Greene Mountains and I’m still in awe at how amazing everything has turned out.
I’m waitressing at the coolest restaurant in town. It’s the place to be at night with five dollar draft beers and plates so big that even some of these mountain men can’t finish them. There’s a huge bar section and we serve all of these fun colorful cocktails. The staff is great—I adore Jenny—the clients are wonderful, and the money is fantastic. Everyone is so nice and generous. I’ll take this over my boring old job where I had to talk about water pumps all day.
I casually pass my table where I’m waiting for the couple to pay. They’ve been here for so long. He has his wallet in his hand, but he’s not taking his credit card out. I think they may be deciding whether or not to move into the dining room at this point. Maybe if I come back wearing my pajamas on the next tour around their table, they’ll get the hint.
I refill some waters, smiling and chatting with the friendly locals. I wink at a bored little girl and she smiles at me.
“Hey, Lucy,” Abby from the Warm Loaf Bakery says when I refill her water glass. She’s sitting at the table with her hot Search and Rescue boyfriend, Julian Long. “When are you going to let me set you up?”
I can feel my cheeks getting red as I laugh shyly. “I already have a male who keeps me busy.”
She rolls her eyes playfully. “I mean a real man. Not one with four legs and a tail.”
I’m always stopping by her bakery in the mornings whenever I walk Cutter. They have the best cinnamon rolls on the planet and I keep telling myself I’m going to walk right by the bakery, but every morning, that irresistible smell pulls me in and I cave. She always chats me up while she makes my cappuccino, saying she’s going to find me the perfect man.
I don’t really need a man right now. I’m still getting settled in.
I rented a townhouse on a quiet street and it has a huge backyard which I share with my neighbor Sandra. It’s fenced in and Cutter loves it. Sandra has a golden retriever, Rocky, and the two of them are best friends. They spend all day together, playing and cuddling outside on the soft grass. It’s so heartwarming to see my happy dog surrounded by love, especially after seeing how lonely he was all those years.
I’ve made friends with Sandra and I take the dogs during the day while she’s at work and she takes them at night while I’m here. It’s perfect.
“When you’re ready, let me know,” Abby says once I’m backing away from her table. “You have to be bold in life.” She grins as she shows me her wrist with her tattoo that says Be Bold in black ink.
“That’s good advice,” I say with my heart thumping.
I’m bold in life—I did steal a dog and move to a new town on a whim—but I’m anything but bold when it comes to my love life. Or, lack of love life.
I’m twenty-three and I haven’t done much besides holding hands and a few awkward kisses. I wouldn’t even know what to do if I got my hands on one of these big hunky mountain men. My heart would probably seize up with panic.
Her words echo in my head as I pass my last customers who refuse to leave.
Be Bold .
I thunk the water pitcher down onto the table loud enough to get their attention.
“How are we paying?” I ask in a firm tone as I pull the credit card machine out of my apron.
The man gives me his credit card without a fuss, so I charge it, wish them a good night, and get the heck out of there.
That was easy… I guess I could have done that thirty minutes ago.
I sit on an upside-down milk crate and calculate my cash while Abby’s offer lingers in the back of my mind.
Should I date? What kind of guy would I even go for?
I’ve always had a thing for big, strong, protective guys, but those types of guys are so intimidating. I just can’t see myself approaching someone like that or walking hand-in-hand with someone twice my size. I fantasize about a scenario like that, but I never think it will actually happen in real life.
Just as I’m finishing up and tucking my receipts into an envelope, Jenny pops her head into the back. “Lucy, there are some guys at table seventeen asking about you.”
My stomach drops. My blood goes cold.
No …
“They’re hot,” she says, fanning herself as she gives me a salacious grin. “I didn’t know you were into bad boys.”
“Bad boys?” I ask with a gulp.
“Yeah,” she says, nibbling her bottom lip. “The cutest one has a scorpion tattooed on his neck.”
Oh shit!
It’s Angelo. How did he find me?
My mind races as I shove the money and the rest of my receipts into the envelope. I leap off the milk carton and grab her by the shoulders. “Did you tell them I was here?”
“I said I was going to check,” she says, looking at me funny. “I wasn’t sure if you had left. Why?”
“Oh crap,” I mutter as I rush over to the serving station. I peek into the dining room and get chills when I see Angelo sitting at the table with one of his goons.
“Who are they?” Jenny asks, following me. “Are you okay?”
I grab her wrist and pull her into the back. “Tell them I left. No . Tell them I quit and moved. No, tell them you’ve never heard of me. That you don’t know who I am!”
“What’s the matter?” Jenny asks, looking concerned. “Are you in danger or something?”
”No, nothing like that,” I lie. I don’t want to get her involved. “Just…” I shove my envelope into her apron. “Give this to Jacob and don’t tell those guys anything about me.”
“Are you in trouble? Should I call the cops?”
“No, it’s fine,” I say with my heart racing. They don’t know where I live. They can’t know. Can they? I mean, they did find out where I worked. How the heck did they do that? “Just… Stay away from them. They’re bad news.”
She doesn’t know what to say as I turn around and race to my locker. I grab my purse and bag, not even bothering to change out of my uniform. She’s still watching me with a look of confusion on her face as I rush out the back door and run to my car.
“ No ,” I whisper as I drive out of the parking lot, my stomach sinking. Everything was going so well… It was all coming together. My job, my town, my house, my dog, my new friends… Now what? I have to pick up and leave again?
Angelo is going to kill me if he finds me here with Cutter. And there’s no doubt he’s here for me. Killers like Angelo don’t vacation in cozy little mountain towns with their murderous buddies. I doubt they’re here to stay in a cute B&B and shop at the jam store in town.
I spot a parking ticket on the floor of my passenger seat and my shoulders slump.
“Oh no…” I whisper as I grab it. It has my name, license plate, and new address on it. Maybe that’s how he found me? Maybe when I got this ticket, my name popped up in the system? A system that one of his corrupt cop buddies monitors?
I don’t know… It doesn’t matter. He’s here and now I have to deal with that terrifying reality.
God, I hope they haven’t been to my house yet. I hit the gas and race home, thinking of Cutter the whole way.
It’s only when I pull onto my quiet street that I realize they couldn’t have. They would have taken Cutter and he would have been barking his head off in their car in the parking lot. I would have heard him when I left.
Nothing looks out of the ordinary at home, but I’m still worried as I pull into the driveway and shut off my car.
“Cutter!” I shout as I run to the front door. I yank it open and take a breath of relief as he comes running up to me, tail wagging like it’s any other fun night.
“What’s the matter?” Sandra asks as she opens her front door which is right next to mine. “I heard you peeling down the street like you were on a NASCAR track. What is happening?”
“I’ll explain in a minute,” I say as I grab Cutter’s collar and look down the street. “Can we hang out with you tonight?”
“Of course,” Sandra says as Rocky comes bounding out, excited for a sleepover.
“I just have to get some things.”
Sandra brings the dogs into her house as I run upstairs and grab some clothes, pajamas, and my toothbrush—throwing it all into a bag.
I make sure all of the windows and doors are locked, and then I head into the safety of Sandra’s house.
She makes me a drink (a strong one) as I text Jenny asking her to let me know when Angelo leaves the restaurant.
“Now,” Sandra says as she sits at her tiny kitchen table across from me with her drink. “Tell me from the beginning.”
She holds my hand as I tell her the whole story about Cutter being a guard dog, to stealing him, to Angelo following me here and showing up at the restaurant. I’m really thankful to have her. She’s been a steady presence in my life these past five months, like a wise friendly aunt that I always wanted, but never had.
“What are you doing?” I ask when she stands up and grabs the phone.
“We have to call the police.”
“We can’t!” I nearly snap. “ I’m the criminal here. I’m the one who stole a dog. They’re not going to take my side.”
She lowers the phone, thinking about it. “We can’t have you living in fear. What if they come to your place tonight?”
“I can lay low for a few nights,” I say, hoping my boss Jacob will be understanding that I’ll need to take some time off, but I know he won’t. “Maybe Angelo will get bored and leave.”
“It’s been five months and he hasn’t let it go,” she says. “We need to involve the police.”
My phone lights up on the table. It’s Jenny. They’re leaving.
“ Please , Sandra,” I say, begging her. “They’ll make me give Cutter back to him.”
My heart breaks as I glance over at Cutter and Rocky all cuddled up in the corner. I can’t bring him back. I won’t bring him back.
“I’ll think of something,” I tell her. “I promise. Just let me sleep on it.”
She grinds her teeth as she watches me wearily. “Fine, but it better be good or I’m calling the cops.”
We wait for three hours, but Angelo never comes, so I end up sleeping on Sandra’s couch with Cutter.
When I’m sound asleep around three AM, headlights light up the room. Cutter perks up, ready to bark, but I grab his snout and shush him.
“Be quiet,” I whisper as a truck parks in our driveway. Doors open and close.
I hold my breath as footsteps make their way up to my place. They kick the door open and head into my house while Cutter whimpers and tries to wiggle his snout out of my iron grip.
It’s probably less than ten minutes, but it feels like a lifetime of them rummaging around my place before they leave.
Maybe they’ll think they have the wrong house?
But then I realize that’s not true. I have pictures of me and Cutter all over the place. He has a big dog bed in the living room and dog toys everywhere. They’ll know the place is mine.
And they’ll be back.
I really don’t want to leave. Not this town. Not when it’s finally starting to feel like home.
There’s only one thing I can do…
Tomorrow morning, I’ll go to the Greene Mountain Police Station and get the cops involved.
And hope for the best.