Jett shrugged. “I mean, yeah. I think so. He seemed sincere.”
“Okay. Will you do me another favor and maybe do a little investigation and confirm procedures are put in place to ensure that this never happens again?”
Jett grinned. “Sure thing.”
Beryl didn’t think he’d do anything like what she had asked anytime soon. And if he ever did set up any new procedures, it would be about six months from now, if ever.
She was grateful to have avoided a big problem today, but couldn’t help but feel like she’d just dodged a bullet aimed in her direction.
Chapter Fourteen
The next night, Jake hurried home from Dark Matter Metal & Leather to get ready for his date with Beryl. On his way down the street from work, he saw a patrol car and waved at the guy, knowing he was there to keep an eye out so that no one would snatch Jake off the streets.
Seeing that patrol cardidmake him feel better.
Jake set the speed record for getting ready to leave the house and stopped by a convenience store to pick up some flowers, because the only other place he knew to get a bouquet was at the Supernova Supermarket and she would recognize those flowers.
No. Jake wanted to bring a bouquet she had never seen before.
It cost more than he thought it would, but he felt like it was worth it. And the flowers included a nice vase. To his eye, they looked very pretty.
He found Beryl’s house easily enough, using the navigation panel in his vehicle to enter the address she’d texted, which was very handy for someone with no memory.
She lived at the opposite side of town from his house, though it looked much like his own quiet street. The houses on each lot that he passed were similar in style but, as in his own neighborhood, each home had different colors on display and everyone had their own decorating style with regard to their yards. It was small-town living at its best.
Beryl had an oversized one-car garage. Jake pulled into the driveway all the way to the garage door, assuming her car was parked inside, and got out balancing the flowers he’d brought in one arm. He took the stone-lined path to the porch, noting the flowerpots with bright blooms lining either side of the walkway and several larger pots on her porch. The lights were on inside and he could hear music from within, making him smile and look forward to the evening even more.
He was about ten minutes early but hoped that was okay as he screwed up his courage to knock on the door. He tapped on the screen door’s frame and took a step back.
In no time at all, Beryl answered, opening it with a big smile in place.
“Come in, Jake. Good to see you.” Beryl opened the door wide and pushed the screen door open so he could enter the living room.
Jake inhaled deeply. “Wow. Something smells great.”
“I decided to make something tried-and-true that was also easy, which means you get spaghetti with meat sauce, bagged salad and garlic bread from the Supernova Supermarket. I do have three different salad dressings to offer you, though, so I have that going for me.”
He grinned. “Sounds good to me.” Jake handed her the bouquet of flowers.
“Thank you, Jake. These are beautiful.”
A buzzer went off in the kitchen, pulling her attention. She carried the flowers toward the kitchen, motioning for him to follow.
“I love your house,” Jake said, noting the dining room on the other side of the kitchen. He saw that she had set the large dining room table— it would likely seat eight people if she wanted to have a dinner party—for two at one end, so they couldsit close. “Is there anything I can do to help you or should I just stay out of your way?”
She handed him back the flowers and said, “Pease put these over on the dining room table and I’ll get everything else ready.”
“On it,” he said. “Oh, by the way—Sheriff Campbell stopped by my shop today to tell me about what happened with those two banditos, as he calls them.”
Beryl looked up from stirring a pot on her stove. “I was going to text him today, but I wasn’t sure what to say, since that guy didn’t really grab you before he got hit by that car, then jumped in and they drove off.”
Jake nodded. “Yeah. I told him I wasn’t going to press charges because the guy didn’t actually nab me. Because you saved me.”
“I’m very happy to have saved you, if I did.”
“Wyatt said they did some damage to some other vehicles as they raced away and ran out of gas right before they got to the Big Bang Truck Stop. The deputy chasing them took them into custody without incident. The sheriff said they confessed pretty fast to what they were about to do, whichwasto grab me and take me somewhere.”
Beryl turned toward him and frowned. “We were right? They were going to grab you? And Iwasthe redhead they were talking about?”
