“No, no. Don’t worry about that. Do you need help getting a ride?”
I blinked a few times to clear my head, realizing I was standing there like an idiot, doing nothing. I pulled my phone out of my purse. “I’ll call someone.”
“All right. I’ll be right inside if you need anything.”
“Thank you. I’m really sorry about all this.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s not the first time this has happened.”
He quietly stepped back into the restaurant, but I had a feeling he was going to watch out the window until he was sure I’d gotten a safe ride.
I stared at my phone. Who was I supposed to call? I had no family except a grandmother in assisted living who couldn’t drive. And as I’d already realized, I wasn’t exactly swimming in friends.
Just Theo.
My eyes brimming with tears I knew were about to fall, I brought up his number and called.
CHAPTER 10
Theo
The movieI’d turned on was boring. I was sprawled out on my couch with an equally boring sandwich for dinner. Maybe I’d go out. A beer at the Timberbeast didn’t sound half bad. Better than sitting around by myself, at least.
I turned off the TV and got up to change out of the pajama pants I’d put on when I’d gotten home. Penelope’s Morris painting was on my dining table, ready for her to take home when she decided where to put it. I still wondered why she’d asked me to hang on to it for her. Not that I minded. It wasn’t a big deal. It just struck me as odd.
I grabbed my keys, and right as I was about to slip my phone in my pocket, it buzzed with a call. Penelope.
A jolt of alarm hit me. Why was she calling? “Hey, Pen.”
“Hi… Um…” She trailed off for a second. “I’m sorry to bother you, but…”
“But what? What’s the matter?”
“It’s a long story.” She sniffled and seemed to be having trouble talking. Oh, shit. She was crying.
“Pen, what’s wrong? Where are you?”
“Echo Creek. I just…I need a ride.”
I was already out the door. “I’m on my way. Where in Echo Creek?”
“Outside…a restaurant,” she said between sobs. “Sage Bistro.”
“Don’t worry, I got you.” I got in my truck and fired up the engine. “What’s going on? You’re outside?”
“Ye—” She hiccupped. “Yes.”
“Are you safe? I’m half an hour away. Can you wait inside?”
“N-no. I…um…can’t… Don’t…want to…go back in.”
“Okay, hang tight. I’ll be there as fast as I can. Stay on the phone with me, okay?”
“Uh-huh.”
Tension rippled through me as I drove, listening to the sound of her crying on the other end. I knew it was Sean. That douchebag piece of shit. What had he done to her? Why was she outside a restaurant in another town? That fucker. I’d rip his face off.
My hands gripped the steering wheel as I navigated the winding highway. Every time her end went quiet, I checked to make sure she was still there. She was. The sobbing died down, but she didn’t talk much. Just replied with a soft yes when I asked if she was still on the phone.
