Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 103356 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103356 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Harry gave him a skeptical look. “Maybe. But that might be that you’re hassling her. Lilac has only worked here for two weeks. Don’t exactly know her that well.”
Two weeks?
Really?
He’d thought she’d lived here all her life. Although, now that he thought about it, he realized she’d never said that.
And you never really asked.
A strange feeling developed in his stomach. But he was being ridiculous. He and Lilac had shared something.
They’d had a connection.
Harry eyed him for a moment, then waved over one of the waitresses. “Hey, Shelley, you know when Lilac is back on?”
“She’s got a shift tomorrow night, but Julie tried calling her to see if she could work tonight and it went straight to voicemail.”
“Do you know what kind of car she drove?” he asked desperately.
“Why would I know that?”
“Uh, because you walked her to her car every night she worked,” he said. Jesus. Surely, he had to notice what she drove and maybe what the plate was if Tanner was lucky.
He didn’t know how he’d track her using her license plate, but Tanner was a resourceful guy. He knew he could use his charm to get his way.
“I don’t know what Lilac’s been telling you, but I never walked her to her car. Offered to, but she always took off in a different direction.”
“I don’t think she even had a car,” the other waitress said.
What the fuck? She didn’t have a car? But she’d told him . . . no wait. She hadn’t exactly told him. Had she?
Fuck. How much had she left out or not told him?
He was going to spank her ass until she couldn’t sit for a week once he found her.
If you find her.
“If you see her, can you call me?” Tanner asked.
“Sure.” Harry grabbed a pen and a piece of paper, and wrote his number and name down. He gave Tanner another pitying look before turning away to serve someone.
Yeah, he got it. He didn’t think that Lilac wanted to see him. Or talk to him.
But she did.
He knew she did.
Tanner went back to the bar the next night.
But she didn’t turn up for work. No one had heard from her. And the look on Harry’s face told him that they didn’t expect her back.
That’s when he knew that their connection had been all one-sided. There hadn’t been anything there.
He’d been fooling himself.
She’d been using him. And now she was gone.
6
Present day . . .
Lilac stared down at the single piece of toast on her plastic plate. She should eat it, but she knew that if she tried to she was going to choke on it.
She’d lost weight in the last six months. A lot of weight.
Her brother would be so proud. For the first time. He’d always tried to starve her into being a size two. Unfortunately for him, his staff had always liked Lilac better than him, so they used to sneak her food when they could.
So, she’d always kept some pounds on her. After her escape, well, she’d eaten whatever the hell she’d wanted and she’d enjoyed all of it. Even though she hadn’t enjoyed having to buy new clothes.
Now, nothing fit her.
Who knew that meeting the love of your life and having to leave him was what she needed to drop fifty pounds?
So, instead of eating the toast, she slid it onto Ryleigh’s plate.
Ryleigh needed it more than she did anyway. Lilac wasn’t important. Ryleigh and Opal were.
She watched Opal and Ryleigh share a look. She knew they were concerned about her. If she was in their place, she probably would be too. Yesterday, a chunk of hair had fallen out while she was washing it.
She was pretty sure that wasn’t a good sign.
“You need to eat, Lilac,” Ryleigh told her worriedly.
She hated that Ryleigh was worrying about her. She had enough going on. But Lilac couldn’t seem to shake this depression. Only one person brought a smile to her face anymore.
Ryleigh slid off the end of the bench seat across from Lilac and kneeled next to her on the floor.
Lilac stiffened while Opal let out a shocked noise. “What are you doing?”
Ryleigh stared up at her. “I’m so sorry, Lilac. This is all my fault. I never should have asked you to search them out. To speak to them. I should have been braver, should have done it myself.”
Lilac glared back at her. “You listen to me. I wanted to do it. I volunteered.”
“I shouldn’t have let you. Look what’s happened. You’re . . . you’re fading away before our eyes. You don’t eat. You don’t smile. I’m so scared.”
Fuck. What was she doing? She was being so fucking selfish.
“Get up, Ry.” Reaching for the other woman, she attempted to lift her. But she barely had the energy to move herself around.
Wow. She really was in a bad way, huh?