Page 66 of Second Chances

“Hello,” the woman replied with a thick accent, one Olivia couldn’t quite place.

“Is there something I can help you find tonight?” Olivia asked with a friendly tone.

“No, I am just looking,” she answered, as if annoyed. There was a hint of Russian, but something else in her accent.

“If you find anything or have a question, let me know.” Olivia moved behind the counter. She knew that some customers liked their space, and she figured this woman was one of them.

The woman walked up and down each aisle, as if bored or shocked with everything in the store. Why had she even come in? It wasn’t as if the outside of Serenity’s Attic didn’t make it obvious what was on the inside. The store was painted bright colors, a clear sign of what it held inside.

Olivia was about to ask her if she was looking for anything in particular, but more customers came in and she turned her attention towards them instead. The woman disappeared from the store while she was busy.

The couple that had come in purchased several bottles of oils and lotions and booked a couple’s massage for the following evening.

Later, when she walked up to the house, Simona fast asleep on her hip, she was so tired and half asleep that she almost didn’t notice that her back door was standing wide open.

Her entire body shook and for a moment, she froze, unsure of what to do. Then her daughter shifted ever so slightly, and she took off running and didn’t stop until she was standing in front of Crystal’s place, breathless, with Simona crying her name.

“What is it? What’s happened?” Crystal asked when she opened the door to them.

“There… my door… someone…” Olivia managed to say.

“Rory.” Crystal turned to her husband.

“On it,” he said, pulling out his phone.

“Come on inside.” Crystal took Simona from her arms, almost having to pry her free from her death grip.

“It’s Brock,” she gasped, “he’s come to take her…”

“Shhh, now,” Crystal said, hugging the now quieted Simona close. “There’s no use in speculating.”

“The police are on their way, so is Todd,” Rory said calmly. “I figured he’d want to know.”

“Thanks,” she said when Rory handed her a glass of water.

“I’m just going to go take Simona up to bed,” Crystal said calmly. “You’ve got this?” she asked Rory, who nodded. He sat next to Olivia and wrapped his arms around her.

“Did you run all the way here?” he asked her.

“I…” She blinked a few times.

“That’s, like, two miles.” Rory smiled. “Remind me to have you fill in for me the next time Crystal makes me sign up for a 5K.”

She relaxed slightly and then smiled knowing that Rory was purposely trying to make her feel at ease.

“My back door was open,” she said, looking down into the glass of water. “Someone was in the house.”

“Do you know that for sure? Did you see someone?”

“No.” She glanced up at the man and, as she had a few times before, compared him to her own father. Rory Sinclair was anything but old looking. He was the type of man you see on the cover of those gentlemen magazines. Demure. Poised. Sexy as hell. He had several silver streaks running through his brown hair, the only sign of his middle age.

“What do you say to having something a little stronger?” He stood up suddenly and walked over to the small built-in bar area. “Scotch?”

“A shot of tequila,” she answered, knowing she would need the liquid courage if she was going to return home that night.

By the time she downed the shot, the police were there, knocking on the door. Moments later, Todd rushed in.

“Olivia?” he called out from the doorway.