Love and Other Things (Crystal Lake 4)

Poppy’s eyes clouded, and her smile slowly faded. She fiddled with a small ceramic cardinal, and for a moment, Sidney thought she wouldn’t answer. “She was Beck’s fiancée.”

Was?

The doorbell tinkled, and they both looked over as a young mother and child walked in, effectively cutting off their conversation.

“Do you know of a good place to grab lunch?” Sid asked as she backed away with her purchases. She decided she needed food before tackling groceries.

“Depends on what you’re looking for. There are a couple of new places downtown that serve higher-end sort of stuff. Or you can go across the lake to the resort. There’re a few places there. The Blue Elephant is one.”

“I’m thinking more along the lines of the best burger in town.” Her stomach rumbled at the thought. “And maybe some onion rings.” Sid couldn’t remember the last time she’d had anything but salad with chicken or fish for lunch.

“Well, for that you’ll have to head out to the Coach House. It’s just over the bridge and past the mill.”

“Thank you.” Sid headed back to her SUV and less than five minutes later was parked at the Coach House. The building looked like an old barn, as if it had been around for generations, which gave it a certain sort of charm she appreciated. There were a lot of vehicles in the lot, and, though it took a few moments for her eyes to adjust, once she was inside, she noted most of the tables were full.

A young woman greeted her with a smile and led her to a booth. She introduced herself as Kaia, presented the specials of the day, a turkey clubhouse with tomato soup and garden salad, and then handed Sid a menu.

“You can keep that. I know what I want.” Sid flashed a smile. “I want a cheeseburger with the works and an order of onion rings and a water please.”

“You got it.” The girl hesitated for a moment. “This is going to sound weird and stuff, but you look real familiar.”

“Do I?” Sid replied lightly.

Kaia nodded. “Anyone ever tell you that you look like Sidney Barrett? Do you know who she is? She knows everything about everything. Just last week, I used this recipe she had up on her website, like a homemade paste to detoxify your skin, and I swear it made all the difference in the world. I follow her on the Gram. You should too. Lots of tips about pretty much everything. She’s, like, perfect.”

“Far from it,” Sid muttered.

“What was that?”

“Make sure I have pickles with my burger, please.”

“Sure. No problem.”

Sid watched Kaia walk away, and it was then that she caught sight of a group of men sitting at a high table up near the bar. Three were looking her way, while the fourth read over the menu. It was the fourth who caught her attention. One of the others knocked him in the arm and said something to make him laugh. He suddenly looked up, their eyes met, and for the life of her, she couldn’t look away.

She wanted to. Badly. But couldn’t.

He was so…direct and unwavering. And for a brief moment, his smile stayed in place, changing everything. Beck Jacobs wasn’t just devastatingly handsome, he was beautiful. When his smile faded, she tried to look away, but that damn invisible tether held them fast.

Sid was aware of voices and music, and she nodded absently when Kaia approached with a tall glass of water, finally able to tear her gaze from Beck’s as she accepted it and drank half in one gulp.

She realized her heart was beating rapidly and exhaled, pointedly avoiding looking in his direction while she waited for her food. What was it about him that knocked her on her ass like this? She grabbed her phone from her purse and scrolled through the many messages that sat there because she needed something to do in order to effectively ignore the man.

There were three from her sister threatening a visit if she didn’t answer soon.

Two from her business manager with questions about some of the content she’d filmed for social media and her website in advance of her escape. She made a mental note to call him back.

One from her landscaper to let her know he’d been at her place and would be back in five days to aerate the lawn.

There were several messages from various companies she worked with, and a few from companies who wanted her to use their products. She made a note to forward those to her business manager.

It was the last message that stole her breath and sank her heart.

Nick.

Her eyes blurred at the sight of his name and the heart emoji still attached to it. She didn’t open the message for a few reasons, the main one because she couldn’t see. Sid pushed the phone away and stared at it blindly, jumping when Kaia appeared with a plate of onion rings and her burger.

Her appetite was gone, but she accepted the food and nibbled at a few onion rings. The wave of sadness hit like it always did, pretty much paralyzing her, numbing her to everything else. She didn’t see the folks around her chatting and laughing as they caught up over a plate of wings or a basket of fries. She didn’t see looks sent her way by those very folks, probably seeing her as the stranger she was and wondering where she’d come from.