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Her hand went to her throat. “Oh, God.”
Pirate leaned against her leg, a steady, grounding weight. She dropped her hand to his shoulder, twisting her fingers into the knit sweater like it was an anchor. “This is one more thing, one more message.” Her green eyes looked angry, even as they shimmered with tears. “You believe me, don’t you? Somebody really is playing these sick games with me.”
He believed her. “Maybe he thought if you were stranded here, he could come rescue you.”
She swiped away the tears and seized the anger. “I don’t want him to rescue me. I don’t want him stealing my stuff and making me think I’m losing my mind.”
“Stealing—?”
“I don’t want anything to do with him. I’m just want him to leave me alone.” Polly gestured to the car. “Will you stay with me until I get the tire changed?”
“You’re not changing the damn tire. I’ll do it.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I’ll do it.” His voice softened, but the promise beneath it was ironclad. “But first—you mentioned coffee?”
She blinked at the weird transition. “Coffee?”
“Yeah.” He pointed toward his truck, parked in the row opposite her car. “You don’t need to be standing in a cold parking garage at this hour. I’ll drive you someplace and we’ll warm you up. Get you away from this mess for a little while. You can tell me what you mean about someone stealing your stuff and if that’s why your day was sucky. I’ll come back afterward and take care of the tire.”
She arched a golden eyebrow and shifted nervously in her boots, no doubt trying to make sense of his reasoning. “You know a place I can get a good cup of coffee this time of night? The coffee shops are all closed by now.”
Coffee. He loved it, too—strong and dark, a small comfort on long nights when sleep wouldn’t come. He almost smiled—if the left side of his face would let him. He did know the best place.
His answer came out quiet but certain. “Pearl’s.”
She blinked at the seriousness in his tone, lips twitching like she wasn’t sure he’d just issued an invitation. “You know Pearl’s Diner? I love that place. Best pie in the city.”
“I’ll drive.” Daniel grabbed Pirate’s leash and turned toward his truck.
He heard footsteps following to catch up with him, and then Polly was at his side.
For the first time tonight, the knot in his chest loosened just a fraction.
She wasn’t alone. Not tonight.
Not on his watch.
Chapter Five
The warmth hit her first.
After the brisk walk from Daniel’s truck, Polly stepped inside Pearl’s Diner and felt the cold leach from her skin. The scents of bacon, coffee and cinnamon wrapped around her like a quilt. She closed her eyes for just a moment, letting the comfort soak in. When she opened them, she saw what made this place more than a local legend for pie and comfort food.
Laughter. Conversation. Community.
Even after 9:00 p.m., there was light and life in the historic eatery in the City Market neighborhood north of downtown Kansas City. Popular with first responders for its late hours and hearty food, it wasn’t just a diner—it was a refuge. A place where people didn’t just eat—they decompressed.
Pirate trotted up beside her and sat while they waited for the hostess to seat them. It was an older woman she hadn’t met here before. But then, Pearl’s was known for taking in women in need and giving them a job when they needed a break. The original Pearl had died several years earlier, but her legacy continued with her first protégée, Melissa Kincaid, who was married to a KCPD detective who was a good friend of her stepdad’s at the department.
“Hi.” Polly greeted the new hostess with a smile that wasn’t returned. Okay. Awkward. Not looking to make friends. Got it.
“Two?” the hostess asked.
When Daniel didn’t answer, Polly realized the woman was looking straight at her. “Um, yes. Please.”
She could feel Daniel behind her—tall, solid, radiating heat like a furnace. He didn’t take her hand or brush a guiding touch at the small of her back the way a man might on a date. But she was still hyperaware of him, her nerves humming with something that felt suspiciously like anticipation.
