"Hello, Merry." My throat was dry. What if she looked at me the way she had yesterday—with fear and distrust?
"It's nice to see you again, Marcus."
Ava looked between us. "Have you met before?"
Merry's eyes locked on mine for a protracted moment. Then, she blinked as the connection ended. She cleared her throat and looked up at Ava. "Uh, we ran into each other yesterday at the grocery store."
"Oh, that's...nice," Ava said.
I took a chair from the table and turned it to face Merry before I sat down. I kept several feet of distance between us. I didn't want to intimidate her any more than I already had. "I realize you're not feeling like yourself, but could you tell us what happened before you came into the store?"
A rosy pink flush rose on her neck and cheeks and she lifted her hands to her face. "I feel so ridiculous," she stated. "I think I overreacted."
Ava moved her chair away from the couch and sat as well. "Why don't you tell us what happened before you came into my shop?"
Merry took a deep breath and ran her finger over the crease in the center of her pants leg. "Well, I had a job interview this morning. I left and headed straight here because I'm staying nearby and I wanted to celebrate with some coffee and a pastry. I, uh, got the job so I was in a good mood." She cleared her throat, glanced up at Ava, and focused on her pant leg again. "I saw something out of the corner of my eye and saw that it was Marcel. He was at the office where I had my job interview. He was watching me and walking on the opposite side of the street, but he was keeping my pace. It...well, it scared me, so I started walking faster. Then, I heard people yelling and horns honking, so I looked over and he was crossing the street, heading straight for me."
She paused and rubbed her eyes. With a sigh, she dropped her hands, her gaze coming to me. "I panicked. I had a bad experience about a year ago and I've had some problems since then."
"Problems?" Ava asked.
Merry shrugged one shoulder. "Bad dreams. Hypervigilance. That sort of thing." She didn't explain how bad the nightmares were. Or the panic attacks that followed them. All things I knew because I was privy to her dreams and had been for months now.
Merry continued. "So I ran." She looked at me again. "I'm sorry I ran into you. And, uh, fainted."
"I'm just glad you're safe," I replied.
The blush returned to her face, chasing away the paleness that had seeped into her skin.
There was a soft knock on the door and Arien stuck her head inside the office. "I brought a mocha latte and a raspberry orange scone for our guest."
Harrison went to the door and held it all the way open for her.
Arien smiled at him and carried the drink and scone to Merry. "I hope you're feeling better." She set the coffee on the table next to the couch and handed the plate with the scone to Merry. "And, if you're not, this will help."
"Thank you," Merry said. She stared down at the plate but didn't touch the scone. "It looks great."
"It tastes even better," Arien stated, her expression serene. "Please try some."
Merry broke off a small corner of the scone and put it in her mouth. After a few moments, she finished the bite and attempted a smile. "It's delicious."
Arien looked at Ava. "Do you need anything else?"
Ava shook her head. "Thank you, Arien."
Arien tilted her head in acknowledgement and left the office.
"Harrison, Callum, will you give us a few minutes?" Ava asked.
Surprisingly, Callum agreed with nothing more than a nod and quick glance at me. Harrison, not surprisingly, didn't say a word either. Once they left, Ava patted Merry's knee. "Go ahead and eat your scone, drink your coffee."
"You're being very kind. I feel so—"
"Merry, Harrison saw the man running after you and went outside to stop him. When the man saw Harrison, he took off. I don't think you overreacted or panicked at all. I think you did exactly what you should have."
Merry set the plate on her lap. "You think so?"
"I do. And I'm glad you did. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had a chance to meet you."
