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I pass it.

This doesn't mean anything.

I need food. Gas. Coffee. Hollow Creek has all three.

It’s convenience. Nothing more.

My jaw tightens.

Fuck.

A few minutes later, Hollow Creek’s first buildings come into view.

My pulse changes. Barely, but I notice. I always fucking notice.

I slow at the edge of town.

People move along the sidewalks bundled in coats. Storefronts are decorated for fall, even though Halloween is over. Pumpkins still sit outside a few businesses.

Normal small-town bullshit.

I hate small towns.

Too many people notice things. Too many people talk. Too many old women apparently help strange blondes hunt down men.

I should keep driving.

Instead, I turn onto Main Street.

My eyes scan every sidewalk, crosswalk, store, and parking space.

From the corner of my eye, I see blonde hair.

My head turns.

Wrong blonde.

I face forward again.

Jesus Christ. I shouldn't be looking.

Yet I am.

At every sidewalk. Every storefront. Every fucking blonde in town.

Callie isn't here.

Disappointment hits.

I tighten my grip on the steering wheel.

Fuck.

This is exactly why I need to leave.

I drive past Bramble & Bean.

My foot eases off the gas.