My phone comes out. Open a new note. Type: "Black SUV, tinted windows, aggressive driving near bank." Add the date and time from my report.
I'm not letting this go.
I finish my beer and grab another, finally managing to focus on exam materials for a solid hour. But even while reviewing department policies, I can’t stop thinking about black SUVs and the way Alice’s voice changed when she said she had “no idea” who it could be.
In a town like Pine Hollows, you notice patterns in vehicles. I've seen that SUV twice now. Once watching the bank. Once running Alice off the road.
That's not a coincidence.
Lights off, I head toward the bedroom, pausing in the hallway to look at the photos lining the wall. Most are of Lila and me, with a few family pictures mixed in.
I miss that smile. Miss having someone to come home to.The house is too quiet. Has been for three years. I used to hate how she'd leave the TV on even when she wasn't watching it. Now I'd give anything to hear that noise again.
Outside my window, Pine Hollows settles into its usual quiet routine—porch lights clicking off, the occasional car, the distant sound of a train whistle from the tracks on the south side of town.
Maybe it's time to give Alice my number. Instead of showing up at her work every other day with increasingly ridiculous excuses to see her.
Chapter 12
Alice
"So…Alicat?"Madisongrinsfrom her spot on my couch, laptop balanced on her knees. "Are you and Sawyer a thing yet?"
I groan, pulling my legs up under me in the armchair. “Madi, don’t start.”
“I’m just saying.” She closes the laptop and gives me her full attention, “he said he would’ve waited for you to wait on him.”
“He needed help with his transaction,” I defend, even though my cheeks are warming.
"Oh yeah, a three-dollar deposit is so complicated that you're the only one qualified to handle it." Madison raises an eyebrow.
I reach for my tea mug, using it as a shield. “We’re just...friendly.”
“Friendly.” She nods sagely. “Is that what we’re calling it nowadays?”
“You’re so dramatic.”
“But I’m always right.”
I throw one of the couch pillows at her, and she dodges it with a laugh. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re smitten,” she shoots back, settling deeper into the couch cushions. “Which, by the way, is about time. You deserve someone who focuses on one person at a time. Especially one that looks good in uniform.”
“And how would you know?”
Madison gives me a pointed look. “Because I have eyes, Alicat. The man practically couldn’t keep his eyes off you at the Cozy Cup.”
The nickname makes me smile despite myself. I still can’t believe Sawyer picked up on it and ran with it. Most people just call me Alice or Ali, but something about the way he says Alicat makes it sound different—special somehow. And I usually hate that nickname even when Madi uses it.
“He’s probably just nervous or something,” I say, but even I can hear how unconvincing I sound. “I mean, his wife died a few years ago.”
She stretches her arms above her head. “Face it, babe. You’ve got a legitimate admirer.”
My phone buzzes against the coffee table, interrupting whatever response I was about to give. I glance at the screen and see an unknown number.
“Another spam call?” Madison asks, noticing my hesitation.
I shake my head, opening the message. The words make my blood run cold.
