He kept his left hand on her elbow and offered as much support as he could. It was warm and crowded and he didn’t think this was a good place for a woman well into her nineties. But Mrs. Ford had insisted and arguing with her was like reasoning with a tornado.
“Maybe if you weren’t so closed off emotionally,” she said. “I can certainly understand why it would happen. You’ve seen some horrible things. War has a way of changing a man.”
Honest to God, he didn’t know what to say to her.
“I’m only afraid that you’ll miss a perfectly wonderful opportunity with Elissa. She’s not like other women. You’re not likely to do better.”
“I’m not interested in doing better.”
“Then what’s the problem? You should have had her in bed by now. There’s nothing like a fabulous few days in bed to turn a woman into putty.”
He swore under his breath. “Did you want to do any shopping?” he asked, motioning to the crowded booths on either side of them.
She glanced at a display of kites. “I don’t think so, but you’re very sweet to offer. I know shopping is rarely a man’s first choice as a way to spend his free time. Do you think it’s a traumatic event from your past, or the way your mind works, or do you simply prefer being single?” She glanced at him. “I can’t imagine it’s being single. You strike me as someone who cares about family.”
“I…”
Words failed him. Until this moment, he’d always really liked Mrs. Ford. This was the first time she’d tried to interrogate him. And as they hadn’t even reached Elissa’s booth, he was well and truly trapped.
“I’m not going to go running to Elissa, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Mrs. Ford said with a smile.
“I…”
Just then he spotted Dani with Ryan and called out to them. Dani turned and smiled. As they approached, Walker noticed they were holding hands. Apparently things were progressing.
He wasn’t sure how he felt about his sister getting involved so quickly after the end of her marriage. Not that it was his business or that she would listen to anything he had to say on the subject.
“Mrs. Ford, this is my sister, Dani, and her friend Ryan. This is Mrs. Ford, one of my neighbors.”
“Hi,” Dani said. “Nice to meet you.”
“And you, dear.” Mrs. Ford eyed Ryan. “What do you do?”
“I’m the general manager of The Waterfront,” Ryan told her.
“Your restaurant,” Mrs. Ford said to Walker. “Dani, do you work there, as well?”
“Yes. That’s where Ryan and I met.” She looked at Walker. “Now it’s your restaurant?” she asked, her voice teasing.
He groaned. “Give me a break.”
“How lovely.” The old lady sighed. “An office romance. I always wanted an office romance. Of course I never really had a job, which made the situation more challenging. Oh, I worked on an assembly line during World War II, but there weren’t very many men around and as my husband was off serving his country, an office romance would have been unpatriotic, don’t you think?”
“Are you enjoying the craft fair?” Dani asked Mrs. Ford.
“Very much. Walker is quite patient with me.”
“Really?” Dani eyed her brother. “Lucky you. Ryan only recently moved to Seattle. This is his first time here.”
Mrs. Ford turned to Dani’s date. “What do you think of our city?”
“I like it,” Ryan said.
Dani released his hand and stepped close to Walker. “This is new. I don’t remember you volunteering with seniors before,” she said in a low voice.
“She wanted to come see Elissa’s booth.”
“Uh-huh. You’d better be careful or we’ll all think you’re turning into a nice guy.”
“Anything but that,” he muttered. “So how’s the new guy?”
“Good. I’d thought I needed time to get over my divorce, but maybe not.”
Walker looked at his sister. “It’s serious?”
She smiled, then blushed. “Maybe. I don’t know. I really like him and he’s a good guy. I know this is fast and I want to stay detached, it’s just…I can’t seem to.”
He wanted to tell her to be careful, but who was he to give advice about personal relationships?
“I’m glad you’re happy.”
“Really? You’re not going to warn me or anything?”
“Nope.”
She grinned and leaned against him. “Did I ever mention you’re my favorite brother?”
She and Ryan said goodbye, then strolled off. Mrs. Ford watched them go.
“Now where were we?” she asked as they once again started for Elissa’s booth. “I believe we were discussing your inability to commit. Do you have any thoughts on why that is?”
BUSINESS CONTINUED to be good, Elissa thought happily Sunday afternoon as she made change, then bent down to collect more inventory. She was still selling at a brisk pace and this was only day two. Tonight she would go over her receipts and figure out if she could actually increase her profit estimate. The thought of how much easier life would be with a bit of a financial buffer in the bank nearly made her giddy.
She straightened and put a dozen or so boxes on her table, then froze as she heard a familiar and incredibly unwelcome, “Hey, babe.”
Despite the near ninety-degree temperature, her entire body went cold. She felt her breath catch in her throat and a shriek building up inside as she fought against the need to scream against the unfairness of it all.
She turned slowly, hoping she was wrong, then nearly collapsed in disappointment when she saw the tall, painfully thin, shaggy-haired man standing in front of her booth.
“Neil,” she said, wondering if this was going to be a never-ending nightmare. “This is an unpleasant surprise.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” Elissa asked, keeping her voice calm. Neil was like an injured wild animal—dangerous when cornered and sensitive to any sign of fear.
“I came to see my girl,” he said with an easy smile. “A buddy I know got a bunch of gigs here and in Portland. His bass player couldn’t make it, so I said I’d fill in. I knew it was a chance to catch up with you.” He moved closer and his smile turned more predatory. “You’re looking good, Elissa. It’s been a long time.”
Over two years, she thought bitterly. He’d come into town, threatened her, then left when she’d cleaned out her meager savings account.
“I went by where you work and some guy there told me I could find you here.” He frowned. “Do you really wear that uniform? I don’t know about the chicken, Elissa. Still, the place was busy and the tips must be good.”
Oh, Frank, she thought desperately. Don’t try to be so helpful.
“Did you tell him you were my brother?” she asked.
“Cousin. What with us not looking anything alike.” He picked up a pair of earrings. “Nice little setup you’ve got here. I didn’t know you were so talented, but then you’ve always been good at keeping things from me.”
She snatched back the earrings. “The only reason you don’t know that I could do things like this is because that would have required us having a conversation about something other than you. Something you never saw the value in.”
He smiled. “You’re still a fireball, Elissa. I like that.”
She couldn’t believe she’d ever thought herself in love with him. Mitch had been bad enough—foolish, self-centered and unfaithful, but compared to Neil, he’d been a candidate for boyfriend of the year.
Neil moved closer to the table and reached across it. She stepped out of reach.
“I’ve missed you, baby,” he said. “We had something good together.”
“We had shit,” she said flatly. “The only reason you kept me around was because I could hold a job, which meant money coming in. You needed that money to stay stoned.”
“You always did take care of me,” he reminded her. “Still do. That’s why I’m here, Elissa. For my little something. But now that I’ve seen how well you’re doing, I’m thinking it should be more than a little.”
Why now? she thought desperately. Why today? The only thing that kept her from getting lost in panic was the knowledge that Zoe was safely away.
It was as if he could read her mind. He looked around, then back at her. “So where’s the kid?”
She wanted to scream at him that he had no right to any contact with her daughter. He didn’t care about Zoe. She would bet her entire day’s sales that he couldn’t remember if she was a boy or a girl.
“She’s at a birthday party.”
“Too bad. I would have liked to meet her.” He shook his head. “I don’t know why you insist on keeping us apart. She’s as much my child as yours.”
“She’s not your child. She’s not your anything. You don’t care about her. She’s just leverage.”
“You’re right. You should have had me sign off on the kid,” he told her. “Funny you didn’t, because you were always so good at the details. Could it be you secretly wanted to keep me in your life? Am I the one who got away?”
He asked the question sincerely, as if he truly believed it was possible she missed him. As if she didn’t regret every second spent with him.
She wanted to scream that he was nothing but a druggie loser. That if she had her way, he would be sent to an island and never rescued. That the only reason she hadn’t gotten him to sign a release for Zoe was because she’d left with almost nothing and she couldn’t have afforded a lawyer.
“Go away,” she said. “Just go away.”
“I will, Elissa. But first you have to give me what I want.”
Money. It always came down to money.
Thank God she’d taken home her earnings from the day before. Still, she hated handing over her cash box, knowing how much was inside.
She reached for the small metal box and opened it. Before she could figure out a way to conceal the amount from him, he grabbed it and fingered the thick stack of bills.
“Sweet,” he said as he pulled out all the tens and twenties, along with more than half the fives. “I’ll leave you some change.” He pocketed the money, then handed her the box. “In case you get any ideas about calling the cops on me and claiming I stole the money, remember this. I know where you live, Elissa. That means I know where the kid is. I could come in the night and steal her away. Just like that.” He snapped his fingers. “Then you’d never see her again. You know I’d do it. So think of this as cheap insurance.”
He gave her a grin, then sauntered away.
Elissa stood staring after him. Now that she was alone, fear crashed into her, with panic not far behind. He knew where she worked and he claimed to know where she lived. How was she ever going to keep Zoe safe?
If Neil thought he was onto a good thing, he might not go away this time. He might keep coming back until there wasn’t any more money, then make good on his threat. She had to stop him. She had to find a way.
Elissa desperately wanted to leave. She wanted to be home with her child, with the doors locked and the blinds closed. She wanted to hide out until all this was over.
But she couldn’t do that. She could only figure out a way to get enough money to hire a really good attorney who would make Neil go away forever.
DANI ROLLED OVER and smiled at Ryan. “I have to go,” she said, wishing that weren’t such a true statement. In a perfect world, she could stay in bed with him forever.
He glanced at the clock on the nightstand and sighed. “I’m not due in until four. Can you wait until then?”
It was just after two on Sunday, which meant brunch was winding down. “Everyone’s pretty crabby after brunch,” she said. “I need to go smooth feathers.”
“Agreed.” He fingered the ends of her hair. “Our customers love brunch and the staff hates it. Okay. I’ll let you go…this one time.”
“How brave of you.” She leaned over and kissed him. He moved against her and she felt his leg slip between hers.
The fact that he could move independently still startled her. She’d enjoyed their lovemaking, but in truth some section of her emotional self had stood apart, openmouthed and hyperaware of how different it all was.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
“You don’t have a nothing face. What is it?”
She hesitated, then sighed. “I’m thinking about Hugh.”
“Wow.” He sat up and leaned against the padded headboard. “Okay, should I worry that you’re thinking about your ex-husband while you’re in bed with me?”
“No. I don’t miss him or any of that. It’s just…” She sat up, careful to cover herself with the sheet. “I told you that he was in a wheelchair.”
Ryan nodded, his blue eyes focused totally on her face.
“We’d been lovers before that happened. Hugh was only the second guy I’d been with. After the accident, it was never the same. I mean we did stuff, but traditional sex was out of the question.”
She bit her lower lip, not sure how much to share or even how much she needed to share. “I was fine with that. I read some books and talked to his doctor and physical therapist. We would have needed help for me to get pregnant, but that seemed a long way off. I don’t mean to sound disloyal or like a horrible person, but being intimate was always work. Physical work for me. There were things I had to worry about. But with you, it’s easy. Your legs move. You can feel what I’m doing. Is that awful?”