“Really? You’re going to let me help?”
“Yeah, if you want to, I mean. I do need someone to help.” Kerry launched herself at him as he worked to open the front door of the bar. He was lucky that his reflexes were so good that he caught her easily.
Once they stepped inside, he noticed how dim the space was, and if he was ready to open soon, he should probably let people begin to see what was inside.
“Want to work on pulling the paper down from the windows while I get the computer set up?”
“Sure.”
Landon moved to his office in the back to grab the laptop that Jameson would need with the information for the register system. He needed to check on the order for the shirts and napkins he had printed. The sign he ordered was scheduled to be delivered later in the week.
Just as he hitched the laptop beneath his arm, a scream came from the front. Landon ran for his life to check on Kerry and practically threw his laptop onto the bar in his haste to get to her.
“Kerry! What’s wrong?” he shouted until she was safely in his arms. Her body shook in fear as if she had seen a ghost. Landon knew that kind of fear.
“I’m sorry. I. . .I started pulling this paper down and when I got about half way, there was a face peering in on the other side.”
Landon didn’t wait to hear any more. He dashed out the front door and looked down the sidewalks for anyone that seemed suspicious. At this hour on a Monday, the only crowds were three blocks down at the bakery for their morning pastry and coffee fix. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but after that note left on Kerry’s car, Landon wasn’t going to be too careful.
“I’m sorry.” Kerry apologized as he walked back into the bar. “It may have been someone looking in through the tear in the paper to look inside. I overreacted.”
“No, you didn’t. Let’s make sure that you mention that to Preston and Cliff so they can work on that too. Just to be safe.”
Jameson showed up not long after and went to work on installing the hardware for the three registers Landon had ordered. Kerry peered over the software engineer’s shoulder the entire time asking questions. He would have found it annoying with anyone else, but with Kerry, he could tell that she was truly interested in everything the tech wiz was doing.
An hour later, Cliff and Preston strolled into the bar and focused in on Kerry, who was practicing at the register. Landon greeted them and gave them the low down on everything that had happened the night before and mentioned the morning encounter.
“I don’t think that her parents have set this up. Whoever is doing this is trying to scare her.”
“Maybe they’re trying to scare her enough to come home,” Preston suggested.
“I don’t know. I just don’t think that a king and queen would resort to those kinds of tactics if you know what I mean.”
“I also need someone to check up on her friend and assistant in the palace Mary Santiago. Kerry thinks that she may be in trouble for knowing Kerry’s whereabouts and helping her escape.”
Chiming in, Cliff said, “That’s not really our jurisdiction, but I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Thanks. Let me see if I can pry her away from the register so that you guys can ask her any questions.”
“She really plans on working here?” Cliff asked.
“Seems that way. At least until she leaves.”
“And how do you feel about that?” Preston asked.
“It sucks. I like her, a lot. More than I deserve.”
“You going to tell her everything?”
“I tried last night. I plan on trying again.”
“Good. Nothing that happened was your fault. If your brother can move on, so can you.”
“Oliver is the most decent human being on this planet. He is worthy of all the good.”
“So are you, man. So are you. Kerry falling for you is proof of that.” Preston looked over his shoulder and Landon joined his gaze where Kerry was watching them, her eyes pinned on Landon. When she smiled, all of the tension he felt twisted inside began to ease.
Turning back to him, Preston added, “Pretty sure you more than like each other.”