Page 27

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, we’re figuring it out.”

A few times she caught him glancing at her hoodie and neck, but he didn’t comment. Finally, she’d met someone with enough manners not to comment on someone else’s scars unprompted.

With the hoodie zipped all the way up, the top pulled around her neck, she knew she looked ridiculous and didn’t care. She’d show him her burns when she was good and ready—if she ever was.

“Two omelets.” Jordan set the plates on the table. “Jeff told me to bring you this.” He set a bottle of hot sauce down.

“Thanks, Jordan,” Clarissa said.

Despite the omelet being piping hot, she ate with vigor. When her stomach started to cramp, she had to stop. As she sipped her water, her mind wandered back to the night she worked at The Barrel.

Running orders for the tables, she’d seen every patron in the place. She was so shook up after what happened, she hadn’t realized Thomas hadn’t been in the bar. If he wasn’t in the bar, why had he been there? Also, Alister had gotten in a few good hits to his face, but he didn’t have a mark on him.

She was positive his fair ginger complexion would have shown the slightest bruising. Once more, did he just leave Alister in the parking lot?

None of this occurred to her until now. Clearly, she wasn’t in her right mind after the attack. She should have called the cops.

“What are you thinking about?” Tom’s voice pulled her back to the present. “You look … concerned.”

“It’s about the other night,” she said.

“Yes?” He set his fork down.

“What happened after I left? Did you call the cops? I probably should have reported it, but I didn’t even think of it.”

“You were shaken, most likely in shock. I’m not surprised you just now thought of it.” He sighed. “I was going to tell you when I returned your necklace, but you seemed so disturbed when I brought it up. I still should have said something.

“After walking you to your car, I returned to … the man.” His voice came out like a growl, his lips curling over his teeth, and his eyes flashed. She was startled by the sudden violence. “I intended to take care of him, but he was gone.”

“Gone?” Her voice trembled.

“Yes. I don’t know where he went.” His jaw flexed. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to take care of it properly for you.”

“He’s still out there.”

Tom nodded.

“But … he hasn’t come back. I haven’t seen him since. Maybe you taught him his lesson.”

The feeble attempts to convince herself didn’t work. Recalling the way Alister talked to her in the diner that morning, his demeanor—he was not a man who was easily swayed.

“Perhaps,” he said slowly. She thought he was placating her and she appreciated it. The middle of her workplace was the last location she wanted to have a panic attack.

“I didn’t see you in The Barrel,” she blurted, trying to distract herself.

“What?”

“The bar, I didn’t see you inside when I was working. What were you doing there if you weren’t drinking?”

“I was picking up a friend.”

Clarissa didn’t know why, but she thought he wasn’t being entirely truthful.

“Apart from the occasional celebratory glass, I don’t drink,” he said. That, at least, she could tell was true.

“Is it the same reason you don’t drink caffeine?”