Page 4 of These Endless Nights

"Quinn and Lain are going to be testers for Camille's sandwiches today," Ashley informed her boss, passing me the drinks before stepping over to the newer food prep area that Camille had recently added on the bakery side.

"Awesome!" Raina leaned against the counter, giving me a teasing smile. "I know they're not usually something on the menu around here, but I promise they're good."

"I believe you," I quickly assured her, trying not to fidget.

What is wrong with me? I like these people. They like me, I think. They act like it, anyway. Why can't I just talk to them like a normal person?

"What did Alex think?" Ashley cut in, drawing Raina's attention away from me for a moment.

Raina laughed warmly. "Once I convinced him to try that many vegetables all at once, he said he liked it. Donovan did, too."

She had to be talking about Alex Copeland and Donovan Parker, then. I knew them, in the way everyone in town knew each other. Alex ran the local bookstore, A Likely Story, just down the street. There had been some wild gossip flying around town late last year after he found a dead body and then ended up kidnapped, only to be saved by his new boyfriend, Detective Parker.

I'm fairly sure a lot of it had been exaggerated, because things like that don't happen in small towns like Lowery's Crossing. Then again… just last week I'd seen them when the town banded together to search for a missing teenager, Landon DeVor. He'd been found safe and sound, thankfully, but there were whispers that somehow Detective Parker had gotten hurt while looking for him. I avoided people as much as possible, but Lain liked to be in the thick of things and happily passed along all the local gossip to me while we worked.

I tuned back in when Ashley put a bag down in front of me with a smile.

"Here you go. I'll text you about an appointment this evening or in the morning, if that's okay?"

"That's fine. I'm looking forward to seeing her."

The bell over the door behind me jingled with the arrival of another customer, saving me from further conversation. With another quick nod and what I hoped was a convincing smile, I turned toward the door.

Out of habit, I usually kept my head down, doing my best to avoid eye contact. In a small town, meeting someone's eyes was a surefire way to convince them you wanted to talk for hours, and since that was the very last thing I wanted, keeping my head down was just smart.

That old instinct was the reason I made it to the new customer before I realized just who had walked in the door. I didn't look up, so I didn't see him, but his scent hit me hard, a gut-punch of sharp citrus cologne that left me reeling and frozen in place.

"Quinn. It's good to see you. It's been a while."

His voice wrapped around me, a mockery of warm intimacy that sent a queasy shiver through my stomach. I shuddered, trying to remember how to breathe. I needed to respond or keep walking or something, but my brain had entirely shut down.

"Quinn?"

His hand touched my arm, and suddenly I could function again, at least enough to step away from his hand.

"Have a good day," I mumbled without looking up. I needed to leave before anyone saw. They'd ask questions I didn't want to answer. I needed to leave.

Somehow I kept my hands from trembling as I hurried out, though I nearly dropped the coffee carrier as I juggled it, the bag, and the door handle. Finally, though, I was out of Buns 'n' Roses and back on the sidewalk, where the chilly spring wind slapped me in the face and back to my senses.

Knowing he was likely watching me, I steeled my spine as much as I could, which admittedly wasn't much, and hurried back to Groomer Has It as quickly as I could. The salon might be a business, but it was also my sanctuary.

Pushing open the door, I found Mr. King standing at the counter with Nyx at his side, scowling at Lain as he talked up a storm.

Normal. This was normal. I could handle this.

Swallowing down the nausea, I joined Lain at the desk, pointedly handing him the bag and drink carrier. "I can finish checking him out so you can get back to Piddles."

"I think I was doing fine checking him out," Lain grinned, leaving no doubt exactly what he meant by that. Mr. King's scowl deepened, and it was all I could do not to sigh.

"Lain, just…"

"Fine," he sighed, mustering all the drama he possessed, and went back to work, picking Piddles up off the bed he'd been resting on and putting him back on the grooming table.

"Sorry about that," I murmured, taking Mr. King's credit card to run through the system.

"Why is he always like that?"

"He's just naturally happy, I think."