At the Quiet Edge(44)

Had she stayed in Herriman to prove something to Cheyenne? She hadn’t really thought about it that way, but now . . . it almost made sense. Lily had loved Herriman as a kid, and then one day her dad hadn’t wanted her or her mom anymore and they’d been shunted aside. Cast out.

Maybe taking that job from Cheyenne had been a childish tantrum on Lily’s part. A refusal to be tossed away again. Maybe this had all been a stubborn, selfish mistake and she should have taken Everett and gone anywhere, even if it meant instability.

Or maybe she was just feeling sorry for herself.

Sighing, she pulled into an open parking space on Main Street and turned off her car to sit for a moment.

They were doing okay, weren’t they? It was just that life was supposed to be easier by now. Jones was supposed to be far behind her, the police should have forgotten her, and she desperately wanted to be normal and boring.

At least she had the boring part nailed down even if she’d never be normal. Time for a hot Saturday-night trip to the hardware store. Jesus, she was really going to have to find a few hobbies before Everett left for college in six years.

She lingered in the hardware store, but it still took only a few minutes to grab a couple of lock hasps and a pack of wood screws. She threw in a new paintbrush for some touch-up work she’d been putting off. Then she was back out on Main, tucking the receipt carefully into her billfold to file for expenses later.

She hesitated on the sidewalk. Maybe she could get a puzzle at the dollar store. Would doing a puzzle on a Saturday night be worse than doing nothing at all?

It could be relaxing, though. She could have a glass of wine and listen to music. Put on that old Brooke Waggoner album, maybe, and remember how normal her life had been before she’d met Jones. How she’d slept with fumbling college boys and smoked a cigarette or two with friends at keg parties off campus.

Life had been hard then, young and unsupported by family, but she’d felt capable in her own body. She’d felt strong enough to risk everything for her dreams. She wasn’t sure she’d risk anything these days.

“Lily?”

She startled at the sound of her own name and whipped anxiously toward whoever had spoken it.

“Hey!” Alex Bennick called, letting go of the open door he’d been holding. “How’s it going?”

How was it going? She had no idea, so she just shook her head. “Hi.”

He walked toward her, tucking his hands into the pockets of his jeans and ducking his head a little. “I’m going kind of stir crazy tonight. Thought it’d be nice to get out and grab a real dinner.”

“Hotels can be a little claustrophobic.”

“Yeah. That’s true. Is this place any good?” He gestured up to the sign.

“Absolutely. Mia’s Taqueria is one of the best.”

“Would you . . . ?” He raised his eyebrows. “Would you want to grab dinner with me?”

“Oh, I’m . . .” She held up her bag, and he glanced at it with a puzzled look on his face.

“Shopping?” he prompted.

“Yeah. Running a few errands.”

“Well, if you’re busy . . . but I’d really love some company. I’ve been talking to myself way too much this week.”

“I . . .” She glanced at her phone, about to say that she needed to get home. But somehow only twenty-five minutes had passed since she’d set off in her car for an evening out.

And he was kind of cute. And watching her hopefully. And he was also leaving town in a week or two, which meant he was safe. She was safe.

“Sure,” she finally said. “Dinner would be great.”

Grinning, he swept an arm toward the door. “Let’s see if we can get a table.”

There was a large group standing inside the entry, but the host walked them right through to a table for two. Lily felt stupidly thankful it was tucked near the back and not in the middle of the room. Alex didn’t know anything about her, and she wanted to enjoy being unknown.

“Any recommendations?” he asked, and then she was grateful they got through the first few minutes discussing only the menu, and she had time to calm her racing thoughts.

The server arrived to take their orders, and Lily liked that Alex made clear he was only having one beer since he was driving. She ordered a margarita to go with her enchiladas, though she would’ve happily had the special gigante version if not for her own drive home.

“So you live here in town?” he asked.

“I . . .” She winced but decided everyone else knew exactly where she lived, so it was hardly a secret. “I actually live on-site. It’s one of my responsibilities. There’s an apartment inside, and you can’t beat the commute.”

He tapped the table. “I forgot about that! I covered a case once that involved trafficking and a city official’s storage company. That seems like a cool place to live.”

Lily laughed. “I guess you could say that.”

“It’s full of secrets, right?”

“You know what? It really is. We get some characters, that’s for sure.”

“What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen?”

When the server set her margarita down, Lily took a big sip. She discarded the idea of telling him about Dr. Ross, since it felt too sad and private. “When people don’t pay their fees, their property is auctioned, which is awful, and I hate it. But one time we opened a locker that had been rented for nearly five years. Then the man went to prison and stopped paying. When we opened it, the unit was full of taxidermied cats. Stuffed and mounted with glass eyes and everything. Probably forty of them.”