Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Lucy got out of the car, feeling as light as air, and approached the diner’s entrance with a big smile on her face.
However, her smile faded when she pushed open the door and walked straight into chaos.
It wasn’t just the morning rush; Lucy immediately realized they were short-staffed.
She quickly put on her apron and called out to Cecilia to let her know she would handle half the tables.
They had previously balanced a full house between the two of them, so they didn’t need to specify who was taking which tables.
An hour passed, during which Lucy learned from a few scattered moments of chatter with Cecilia and Danny that the new waiter called in sick at the last second and that Noah was a complete no-show.
Marco’s friend couldn’t save the day that morning, so Danny had to help out in the kitchen, leaving only Cecilia to man every single table.
It was a mess, but with Lucy’s help, they were able to get a handle on things, and soon, the flow of customers began to slow.
When she finally had a moment to catch her breath, Lucy poured herself a much-needed cup of black coffee and sat down on an empty stool at the counter.
Cecilia finished with a group of diners in one of the far booths and then took a seat as well, sighing heavily. “Man, I’m tired.”
“You want some coffee?”
She waved away the question. “No, I shouldn’t. I’ve already had a lot of caffeine today, and I don’t want to be up all night.” She checked her phone. “I’m out of here in less than an hour, so I’ll be fine.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here earlier,” said Lucy. “I could’ve taken some of the tables for you.”
“You weren’t on the schedule.”
“I know, but still.” She frowned. “Why didn’t anyone call me? I told you guys to always let me know when you’re short-staffed.” She wouldn’t have been able to come into the diner any earlier than she did, but she was still curious about why she hadn’t been informed of the staffing shortage.
“I thought Danny did.”
Danny’s head appeared in the order window. “What’s that? I heard my name.”
“I thought you called Lucy to ask her to come in.”
He shook his head. “I thought you called her.”
“Well, there you have it.” Cecilia laughed. “We both assumed the other person called, so neither of us did. In my defense, I had already called Noah about half a dozen times without any luck, so I was just sick of being on the phone.”
“Wait, what? He didn’t answer when you called?”
“Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on with him, but he’s been ignoring my calls.”
“You haven’t seen him at all today?” She tried not to sound worried but failed.
Cecilia shook her head. “As far as I know, nobody has.”
“I just thought he called to say he wouldn’t be able to come in today…” In all honesty, Lucy figured something had come up with Megan, which was why Noah wasn’t at work that morning. Still, even if there were an issue with the girl, he would’ve called with some kind of excuse so nobody would worry.
“No, he just didn’t show up,” Cecilia said. “Which is very unlike him. Then again, he’s been doing a lot of out-of-character things lately, so who knows? Maybe he’s having some kind of midlife crisis.”
“When’s the last time you tried to get in touch with him?” Lucy took her phone out and dialed Noah before Cecilia even responded.
“Maybe two hours ago? I’m not sure, really. Time sort of blurs during a shift like this.”
The call rang three times, then Lucy was sent to voicemail, but the voicemail box was already full. She made a face. “Did you leave him a million messages or something?”
“Oh, no. It’s always been full,” Cecilia said. “Ever since I’ve known him, his mailbox has been full. I asked him about it once, and he said he went through a period when he got a bunch of messages from a telemarketer or something, so he kept the mailbox full so nobody else could do that to him.”
“That’s… On-brand.”
Cecilia laughed. “Tell me about it.”
Lucy put her phone on the counter and took a big swig from her coffee. She had a sinking feeling in her gut.
“He was sick a few days ago, right?” Cecilia said. “So maybe his cold came back, and he was just too tired to call.”
“Did anyone go to his house?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“Maybe I should go.” Lucy stared down at her now-empty mug. “If he’s really that sick, someone should check on him. He could maybe use some help.”
“I’ll go by on my way home,” Cecilia said. “There’s no need for you to worry. You’ve got enough on your plate as it is.”
Lucy gave her a look. “What do you mean? I don’t have that much on my plate.” Did she somehow know that Lucy had made an impromptu trip to New York City that morning? That she’d seen her injured ex-husband, perhaps for the last time? That she’d quit her job and cut almost all ties to her old life?
“With your niece,” Cecilia said. “Where is she, by the way?”
Oh right.
My niece.
Three hours ago, Lucy had been criticizing Brendan for lying, but now she was about to entangle herself further in her own web of falsehoods. “Uh, she’s back at the cabin. I hired a babysitter to watch her for a couple of hours.”
“A babysitter? Why not just bring her here?”
“She got bored last time,” Lucy said quickly. “I thought she’d be happier at home.”
“Who did you hire to babysit her?”
“Just a girl I found online.” Lucy knew she was digging her own grave.
Cecilia knew everyone in town and, as a parent, had probably hired all the babysitters in the area at some point.
But what choice did she have? She hadn’t been able to speak to Noah that morning to firm up their ongoing cover story for the girl, so she needed to keep up the ruse that Megan was her niece.
“She’s a student at one of the colleges just looking for some extra money. ”
Cecilia raised a brow. “And you trust her?”
“She came with references,” Lucy said, hoping Danny had been wrong about what a bad liar she was.
“I used one of those really reputable websites. I’m sure everything’s fine, but I’ll call her in a second to double-check.
Actually, I’ll do that right now while things are fairly calm.
” She took her phone outside with her and tried Noah’s number again. Then again.
There was still no answer.
When she returned inside, she must’ve looked upset, because Cecilia got off the stool and made a beeline toward her. “Is everything okay?”
“Huh? Oh. Um, yeah. Everything’s fine.”
“Are you sure? Because a lot of the color has left your face.”
“I think I’m just hungry. I’ll go see if Danny has time to make me some scrambled eggs.”
“Did you talk to the babysitter?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine.” She smiled and headed for the kitchen.
Danny agreed to make her something to eat, then insisted she sit down with another cup of coffee and rest. Both Gwen and Tristan were scheduled for the afternoon shift, so they’d be here soon to take over Lucy’s tables, giving her the rest of the day off if she wanted it.
“Maybe,” she said. “I’ll think about it.”
Back at the counter, Lucy waited nervously for her food while Cecilia seated a few diners and set them up with menus and water. Afterward, it was time for Cecilia to leave. Lucy said she would cover the tables and told Cecilia to go.
“You said you’re stopping by Noah’s place, right? Will you let me know if you find him?”
“Sure,” she said, smiling. “Should I tell him that you’re worried sick about him, or would you like to do the honors?”
Lucy was genuinely too concerned to respond with sarcasm, so she forced a laugh and waved goodbye to her friend.
Danny brought out her food. She ate quickly and then threw herself into work as a distraction.
Half an hour later, the twins arrived, and she was able to leave without feeling guilty.
She was walking to her car when her phone rang.
“Cecilia,” Lucy said, feeling like she was hanging over the side of a cliff. “What’s up? Did you find Noah?”
“No,” she said. “He wasn’t at home, or if he was, he didn’t answer the door.” Her voice was now trembling with the same anxiety Lucy had been feeling for over an hour. “I’m not sure what to do, but I think you were right to be kind of freaked out.”
“Does he have any other friends in town? People he hangs out with?”
She paused. “I guess he sometimes goes to the bar with his neighbor a few doors down, Shane. I’ll go see if he’s home.”
“Okay. Can you text me the address? I’ll meet you there.”
Cecilia paused. “Why?”
“Well, I figured two pairs of eyes were better than one,” Lucy said. “We’ve got to find him, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, but I thought you would be eager to get back to Megan.”
“She’s fine. I’ll check up on her and the babysitter, but I’m sure the woman I hired will be happy to get more money. Just text me the address, okay?”
“All right,” Cecilia said skeptically. “I’ll see you soon, I guess.”
“I’ll be there as quickly as I can.”