“Sal’s going to walk me to my car. Do you want to come with us?” Lauren peeked her head in the door as I was gathering my things.
“Nah.” I looked up at her and smile. “Maybe he’ll actually ask you out this time.”
“Maybe…” She grinned and batted her eyelashes.
Sal was one of the cooks. He was a full-blooded Italian and looked like he could have been a brutish mobster in another life—except he was way too nice. Lauren had been crushing on him since she started working at Moretti’s, and for several months, he had been walking her to her car every night—then watching her drive away.
It started because a customer waited for her after work one night because he wanted to ask if she wanted to be more than just his waitress for the evening. Sal was the next person out of the restaurant, and when he saw that Lauren was uncomfortable, he helped the customer find his way to his car—in a polite way. Sal seemed to be a bit shy, despite having the appearance of someone you wouldn’t want to run into in a dark alley after midnight—you might be scared in the daylight too, until you saw the smile that was always on his face.
“Goodnight, Tiffani!” I waved goodbye as I walked towards the door. “You staying late or something?”
“I have to talk to Mr. Moretti about the vacation I want to take next month—he said he’d be free to discuss it after we closed.” She waved to me. “See you tomorrow.”
“I’m off tomorrow—see you Wednesday.” I pushed the door open and stepped outside.
Mr. Moretti is probably just stalling because he’s not going to give her a full week off…
I stepped out into the parking lot and took a moment to enjoy the breeze before I started walking towards my car. I couldn’t wait to be home every night—my mom got to tuck Charley in a lot more often than I did—but she never really seemed to sleep peacefully until she knew that I was home too. My new job was going to give me the opportunity to eat dinner with her, read her a bedtime story, and do all of the things that my mother had been doing in my stead. I appreciated my mother’s help, but it wasn’t her job to raise my daughter.
My mom thought she was going to finally get a break after I left for college—but then I got pregnant during my senior year of high school, and all of those plans would have come to an abrupt end if she hadn’t come to my rescue. The guy I was dating didn’t want to be a father, and as soon as he found out I had no intention of getting rid of the life growing inside me, he tried his best to forget I existed. His mother told me that if I even whispered the words child support, she would sue for custody, and I would never see my baby again. It wasn’t an idle threat. He was from a family that had enough money to make that happen—so I didn’t ask them for anything. I graduated from high school, moved to Carson Cove, and started over.
Maybe I should have let Sal walk me to my car—I swear I just saw something move in the shadows near the edge of the parking lot…
I tensed up, clutched the Mace in my purse, and quickened my pace—but it seemed to be nothing more than my imagination because I didn’t see anything when my headlights illuminated the darkness. It was a weird feeling—almost like someone was watching me, but they weren’t there when I turned my head. My eyes were probably just playing tricks on me—it had been a long time since I got enough sleep not to feel like I was running on fumes most of the week. If I wasn’t working at the restaurant, I was usually in the library trying to get my next assignment due. I got up early every morning to spend time with Charley. My life would be a lot easier in a couple of weeks—I just had to keep from going crazy before then.
Are those headlights following me? I swear they’ve been back there since I left Moretti’s… I rarely see anyone on this drive—much less someone taking the same route.
“Come on, Melanie. You’re just stressed. Carson Cove is one of the safest places in the country…” I tried to give myself a pep talk as I drove, but I couldn’t stop glancing in the rear-view mirror.
I couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous. Carson Cove was safe, but—bad things could happen anywhere. My anxiety got a little worse when the headlights stayed behind me after I made a few more turns. Moretti’s was in a really good part of town, and people that frequented it normally didn’t go to the part of town where I lived. I pulled to the last stop sign with my apartment building in sight—then I saw the car turn left while I continued straight. The anxiety finally faded, and I let out a sigh of relief.
I got worked up for nothing. It’s probably someone like me—they work on that side of town but can’t afford to live there.
I parked my car where I normally did and gathered my things. As soon as I opened my door and stepped out—my anxiety skyrocketed. I saw a car that looked really similar to the one I thought was following me drive right past my apartment complex. I didn’t wait to see if they turned around. I certainly wasn’t going to try and get a look at the driver—I just wanted to be inside my apartment. I hurried to the front door, practically ran to the elevator, and let out my next sigh of relief when the doors closed.
“Oh god!” I jumped back when the doors opened again on my floor, and I saw a man standing in front of them.
“Ms. Melanie, are you okay?” The man—was my neighbor, and he looked rather confused by my reaction.
“Sorry, Frank.” I forced a smile. “It’s been a long night.”
“Hope it gets better…” He gave me a bewildered stare as I stepped off the elevator and he stepped on.
Now I’m getting scared by someone who’s lived in this building longer than I have—I definitely need to get more sleep.
My mother was already in bed, so I tried to be as quiet as possible when I walked into my apartment. The first thing I did was walk to the window and check the parking lot. There was no sign of the car, and the street was quiet. It seemed that I had just let my imagination get away from me—it probably wasn’t even the same car—it wasn’t like a blue sedan was unique. There were several of them in the parking lot that had been there when I got home. I checked on Charley, and she woke up, but she fell asleep before I could lean down and give her a kiss. I made sure she was tucked in and then walked to the living room so that I could get ready for bed—well, get ready to sleep on the couch. It was where I had slept for nearly four years.
It sure will be nice to sleep in an actual bed again—that’s going to be the first thing I buy when I get my new apartment.
* * *
The next day
“Hi! My name is Melanie Monroe. I have a meeting with Mr. Alcott.” I walked up to the desk in the lobby of Alcott Inc.
“Let me check…” The woman turned to her computer screen. “Yes, you can take the elevator to the top floor—his assistant is expecting you.”
I sent a message to Jon earlier that day and told him I had the afternoon free if he could meet with me, and he told me to come by at three o’clock. I was ten minutes early, but I didn’t want to be late. Alcott Inc. was certainly impressive. The building wasn’t quite as tall as the one that Charley drew, but it was the biggest one I