“Finding the right person takes time. And honestly, being happy with your life is more important than dating anyone. You are young and have time to find someone if you want, but being single isn’t so bad.”
Willa chuckled. “I do have time. And you’re right, I’d rather be happy with my life than wrapped up in a crappy relationship with a man who is a jerk.”
Bree lifted her latte and smiled. “That’s the spirit.”
They both laughed as they sipped their coffee. She was glad she’d taken the time to stop by the cafe and meet up with Bree. She needed to make time for friends. Maybe some of her old friends would be okay with contact, not that they would still want to be friends, but she could try to get in touch with them.
After leaving the coffee shop with the promise of getting together in a few weeks, she headed to Aces for her shift. She’d been able to get an earlier shift today and would be home by ten this evening. She still hadn’t caught up with Bec, but the guy who’d been looking for her hadn’t shown back up. Maybe he’d been looking for someone else.
The evening wasn’t too busy, and the people who came in seemed nice. She was amazed that she didn’t have any problem tables. It was almost the perfect night.
She picked up a few bottles of beer and was walking over to deliver them when the door opened, and she glanced up. Her heart stalled, and she almost tripped.
Robert walked in like he hadn’t just gotten out of jail. His gaze met hers, and an evil smile tilted his lips up, but didn’t reach his eyes.
The table was waiting for their drinks, so she moved to them, delivering the beers. They thanked her, and she said something, but wasn’t sure exactly what she said seconds after the wordshad rolled off her tongue. She hated how her mind blanked when fear took over. She needed to calm down and get a grip.
Anger made her spine stiffen. Someone else could serve the bastard. She wasn’t going to play nice and take his abuse.
Her other table needed some attention, so she turned her back on him and took their orders. If he touched her, she would hit him or scream or both.
The skin on the back of her neck felt prickly and hot. She had to concentrate extra hard to get the drink orders right. Even then, she had to go back to make sure she’d written them down correctly.
Damn, Robert showing up was making everything difficult. She didn’t want him here, but it was a public place. Now she would have to make sure he didn’t know where she lived.
Seven days with him behind bars had been wonderful. Now the fear was back, and she had to worry about him following her or doing something terrible.
Trusting Robert to do the right thing would get her in trouble. He was a jerk and would always choose to do the worst thing possible.
16
Seeing Willa freak out when he walked into the bar had been just the right touch he needed after spending a week behind bars. Surely she didn’t think he would forget her. She was his primary focus.
Getting bail had been tricky, but it had been worth it to see Willa. She would come around. Once she realized she couldn’t live without him, she would be begging him to take her back.
In prison, he’d worked it all out. Willa wanted him. She just needed to figure it out. There was a reason she’d stayed for so long.
This time, she wouldn’t ever leave. He would make sure of it.
His plans were starting to fall into place. He needed to take care of this other business first. His lawyer thought he would probably serve time for what happened with that other woman.
But the cops didn’t have absolute proof. He’d taken care of the body, so he wasn’t sure why they thought he’d murdered her. She was gone, disappeared, and they wouldn’t ever find her. There was no way they would have anything other than circumstantial evidence against him.
He would have to find a place to hide out until he had Willa. Then he would take her south, maybe Mexico or even farther south. They could live in Costa Rica. She would like it there.
If they escaped the United States, then they could live out their dream life together. No question, it would be a dream life. She would revel in serving him, and he would make sure she stayed in line.
There was nothing women liked more than being told what to do. He would be more demanding this time. Last time he’d been too nice to Willa, and she’d run. This time, he would make sure she couldn’t get away.
17
The plane touched down in California, and relief poured through Cy. He shouldn’t be so excited to get in contact with Willa. She wasn’t his girlfriend, but he really wanted to see her, talk to her, just to make sure she was okay.
He almost believed that lie. He sure as heck wouldn’t tell her that there was more to his feelings. She didn’t need the stress, and he didn’t have time to win her over.
The last few relationships he had were closer to booty calls than actual caring and loving relationships. It hadn’t been fair to the women, or to him. He’d gone in knowing he wouldn’t get deep, and had told the women he had no interest in developing a relationship, but each time he had to break it off with them because they wanted more.
Maybe he wasn’t capable of giving more. He felt things, but he wasn’t interested in anyone getting to know his inner self. He wanted everything to stay on the surface. Keeping everything on the surface would keep everyone safe. Going deep was where things went bad.
