“Don’t,” I warn her.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You were thinking it very loudly.”
She laughs and links her arm through mine. “Come on. Food, and then we’ll talk about your future as Silvercreek’s newest resident.”
The diner is exactly what I expected—vinyl booths, checkered floors, a menu that probably hasn’t changed since 1985. Ruby orders for both of us, and I’m too grateful to argue. When the food arrives, I eat mechanically, barely tasting it, just shoving fuel into my body.
“So,” Ruby begins as she watches me demolish a turkey club, “what brings you to Silvercreek? Besides car trouble.”
The question I’ve been dreading. I set down my sandwich, buying time by wiping my hands on a napkin.
“I needed a change,” I respond with a shrug. “New York was… It wasn’t working anymore.”
“Running from something or toward something?”
“Does it matter?”
“Not to me.” She sips her water. “But if you’re staying, you should know this town takes care of its own. We protect each other.”
The words sound almost formal, like a promise or a warning. I want to ask what she means, but I’m afraid of the answer.
“I don’t know if I’m staying,” I admit. “The job is interesting, but I wasn’t planning on settling down anywhere. Just… getting some distance.”
“Distance from what?”
I meet her eyes, and something I see there tells me she already knows. Maybe not the details, but the broad strokes. She’s seen this before, recognized the signs of someone fleeing.
“Someone who didn’t want me to leave.”
Ruby nods and asks, “Boyfriend?”
“Ex. Or he should be ex. We broke up six months ago, but he didn’t seem to get the message.”
“Stalking?”
“Among other things.” I don’t elaborate. Can’t elaborate, not here in this cheerful diner where people are laughing and sharing pie. “It got bad enough that I had to leave.”
“And you came here.”
“I came nowhere. Silvercreek just happened to be where my car gave up.” I laugh, but it sounds hollow. “Though seeing that job posting felt like… I don’t know. A sign, maybe?”
Ruby leans back in the booth and drums her fingers on the table. “I believe in signs. My whole life has been shaped by things that seemed like coincidences but weren’t. If you’re supposed to be here, you’ll know.”
“That’s very philosophical.”
She pulls out her phone and starts typing. “I’m texting the medical center director. Her name is Patricia, and she’s going to love you. Well, assuming you’re actually qualified and not just desperate.”
“I’m both,” I admit. “Five years at a practice in Manhattan. I worked with trauma survivors, mostly. PTSD, anxiety, depression. I’m good at what I do.”
“Then Patricia will definitely love you.” Ruby sets her phone down. “Silvercreek has some… unique challenges. We could use someone with your background to help with the pack.”
There’s that odd phrasing again. Unique challenges. The pack. Like this town operates under different rules than the rest of the world.
Maybe it does. Maybe that’s exactly what I need.
“So what do you think?” Ruby asks. “Want to at least meet Patricia? No commitment, just a conversation.”
