“Thanks, Dan.”She grabbed the plate and took it out to the diners, glancing over where Judy sat with the babies.
They’d worked out a sort of schedule where someone could be keeping an eye on the twins whenever they were awake.Sometimes it was the other waitress, Judy, sometimes Dan or Cheryl, depending on the needs of the diner at the time.
Tanner had sat beside her as she’d told Dan and Cheryl that the babies weren’t actually hers.Surprisingly, they hadn’t seemed to care at all.The kids hadn’t been kidnapped, and they still needed to be held and cared for.That was all that mattered to the older couple.
Bree forced a smile onto her face as she delivered the plates up for order.It was the construction crew again.More specifically, the skinny man with dark hair and dark eyes.She’d finally pinpointed him as the one who’d been watching her.
He never talked to her, never tried to get her to engage in conversation like some of the other workers did.Just watched her silently.
Everything about him made her want to take the babies and run.But she was determined not to let the paranoia take over her mind.This man could not be in the Organization.He would’ve already made his move.
She almost believed that, except for when all the doubts crept in.
Maybe the Organization was just biding its time.
Maybe they were waiting for Melissa to contact her so they could catch them both.
Maybe they had something so nefarious planned that Bree couldn’t possibly imagine it.
She closed her eyes and shook the thoughts away.Maybe the guy was just awkward and rude and his parents had never taught him it was impolite to stare.
She had to let it go.She had real battles to fight.She didn’t need to make up pretend ones in her head.
But as she delivered his food, she could swear the guy was planning to lock her in his basement to be his forever bride.She nodded at him and his buddies and backed away.
She took another order then walked back to the kitchen.
“Your creepy guy give you any problems?”Cheryl asked.
Bree shrugged.“Studied me with his creepy eyes and gave his creepy nod when I handed him his food.”
“So basically acted the way he always does.”Dan flipped a burger as he talked.
“Listen, buddy.”Bree pointed at him after hanging her order on the spinning wheel.“Don’t be bringing logic where it doesn’t belong.Leave me and my paranoia alone.”
Dan chuckled, and Cheryl rubbed Bree’s shoulder.Two weeks ago Bree would’ve shifted away from the touch.But she was learning.Learning that touching could be normal.That it was okay to joke with people.
“I think he’s just a strange guy,” Cheryl said.
“That’s for sure,” Bree muttered.But they were right.Just because he was strange didn’t mean he was dangerous.
If she wanted to be able to live any sort of normal life, she was going to have to accept that.Not every strange stranger was dangerous.Not every stranger was from the Organization.
Bree grabbed the pitcher of water and walked back into the dining room to refill empty glasses.The front doorbell rang as someone came in, and a few moments later Bree felt eyes on her again.
But these she knew.And they belonged to someone who was very definitely not a creepy, thin man.
A smile rose to her lips unbidden.
She should not be smiling when it came to Tanner.Should not be thinking about him as much as she was.Should definitely not be dreaming about him at night, wondering what a real kiss from him might feel like.
She was doing her best to keep her distance, but Tanner made it so damn difficult.He just had something about him that drew people in.People trusted him, knew he would look out for them.The entire town of Risk Peak depended on him.
Bree had met his mother, sister and something ridiculous like eighty-seven cousins.Tanner had more family in a quarter-block radius from the diner than Bree had known her whole life.
He was smart, focused and determined to help her out of this mess.
He was everything she should run from.He already knew too much about her and the situation.
