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“Okay,” I say, feeling as if I’m talking to a wall. “How long will that take?”
“An hour.”
“An hour?” I repeat, hopeful. I check the time. It’s nearly two now. If the car is done by three, I can probably make it to Big City by four — if I break a few speeding laws along the way.
He turns around as if the conversation is over. “I’ll holler at ya when it’s done.”
“Wait, wait,” I say, not wanting to spend another minute in this cramped room. “Is there a place to get something to eat nearby?”
He pauses and glances out the window, though I’m not sure what he’s looking at since the glass hasn’t been cleaned in weeks. Months, probably. “We got a diner,” he says.
“Okay. Where’s that?”
He points outside. “Down that-a way. Across the square on the corner. Bruno’s. Can’t miss it.”
I grab my suitcase and jacket off the back of my chair, eager to leave. “Thanks. Please call my cell the moment the car is ready.”
He says nothing. He looks me up and down, a smirk forming on the edge of his mouth.
“What?” I ask.
He chuckles dryly. “You’ll be popular,” he says.
I have no idea what he means by that, nor do I get the chance to ask as he rushes back into his shop, his laughter continuing.
2
MIKA
“Order up, Mika!”
I finish topping off the Sheriff’s mug, then spin around to grab the burger and fries waiting for me at the window. Beside it, I notice two other orders waiting to be picked up, but they aren’t for my section.
Where are Lottie and Tish?
As I walk the burger and fries to table 3 where it belongs, I notice the two of them huddled at the window by the entrance, their attention locked on the town square.
“Let me know if you need anything else, Dr. Bailey,” I say.
She nods with approval at her lunch. “Will do, Mika.”
I walk off toward Lottie and Tish, their faces practically pressed against the glass, speaking with quick and eager whispers.
“Do you see him?”
“Not yet.”
“Eyes on your side!”
“Fran said he was passing by the yoga studio!”
“Yeah, that’s my side. You watch yours.”
“But—”
“Food’s getting cold, ladies,” I say.
They spin around, the skirts of their uniforms flaring around their knees. “Potential sighting inbound,” Lottie says, her green eyes wide open.
