Cherishing You

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jonah“Are you okay?”

I put my hands on my hips and steadied my breath. It wasn’t so much the running as it was the jolt of confronting that shifty character behind the building—whoever he was.

I thought for a moment I might end up in fisticuffs, but the guy thought better of it and took off.

Now, here was my waitress, looking frightened, relieved, and embarrassed. In fact, she seemed almost as wary of me as she’d been of Mr. Shady.

“I’ll be fine. Thanks.” Her breath still heaved.

“Should we call the police?”

“Yes. Damn it, my phone!” she cried.

“Did you drop it?”

“In the parking lot. It’s probably by my car.”

“How about you go into the restaurant and call the police? I’ll go see if I can find your phone,” I offered.

She didn’t need to be sifting through the gravel and fragments of concrete in the dark with that guy possibly lurking.

“You don’t have to do that. Once I call the police, I can take a look.”

“By yourself?”

“I’m sure he’s gone by now.”

This wasn’t some random guy, I realized. He was someone she knew. Her boyfriend?

My teeth clenched. What kind of man made his way through the world frightening women? And Shannon was afraid. Despite the obstinate angle of her chin, her hands shook as she searched through her purse for something. A piece of paper.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Nothing,” she replied in a clipped tone. “Look, I appreciate you scaring him off, but I can take it from here.”

The waitress clutched her bag to her chest, the folded piece of paper crunched in her fist. She faced me squarely and gave the appearance of looking me in the eye, but her gaze bored into my forehead.

She was hiding something. Or maybe she was just private. Maybe she didn’t trust me. Likely, it was both, which frustrated me. All I wanted to do was help her. No matter what she said, I wasn’t going to let her search the lot alone.

“By the time you’re done inside, I can probably have your phone. Let me help. I’d like to.” I took a small step toward her. She shrank back and turned to go inside.

“Fine. Thanks. I’ll meet you back here.”

She took off before I could answer, and I tried not to let her seeming lack of gratitude piss me off. She was scared. She brought me breakfasts, lunches, and dinners over the last few months, but she didn’t know me. I tried to get to know her, but she walled herself off.

I walked behind the building to the parking lot, starting my search where I’d seen them standing when I came around the corner. Lights in the corners of the lot, plus the street lights, washed a pale glow over the parked cars.

It didn’t take me long to locate her phone face down a few feet from where she’d taken off running. I pushed a button on the front and then the side of the phone, not sure which might turn on the screen. As a dedicated iPhone owner, I wasn’t familiar with these alternative brands. The device lit up, revealing a spidered screen. At least it worked, and Shannon might be able to get it replaced.

By the time I journeyed back to the front of the restaurant, the curly-haired blonde sat on a bench outside the entrance, looking up the street.

“Good news. I found it. The screen is broken, but that can probably be fixed. They might even replace it.” I held up the evidence in one hand. She stood and reached toward me.

“Thanks. It’s nice of you to help me out. Could I ask you another favor?”

“Sure.” The eagerness in my voice surprised me.

“The police aren’t coming, but they started an incident report. They asked me to call them back with your information so they can contact you for a witness statement. I need to document everything. For the violation of the protective order I have.”

This guy was for sure a known, dangerous quantity to her. Obviously, he’d given her enough trouble in the past to require a restraining order. Her request also confirmed that the guy wasn’t going to go away.

If he knew where she worked, then she was in danger every time she came to the bistro. That couldn’t go on. Dad must know some people in the Dallas Police Department. Dropping the Moran name might make sure arresting the guy was a top priority, which clearly it wasn’t now if the cops weren’t even going to show up.

“I’m surprised they’re not coming by, but I’ll do anything I can to help. You shouldn’t have to put up with this.”

“Well, he’s gone, and there’s not much they can do now anyway except go pick him up.” Shannon stopped and glanced away before continuing. “If they can find him, they’ll arrest him.”

I dug into my pocket for my wallet and pulled out a business card. Shannon took it and turned it over in her fingers.

“You can reach me at the mobile number 24/7. If you ever have any trouble, just call,” I instructed, then asked the question burning in my mind, letting my curiosity overwhelm my consideration for her clear hesitance to tell me anything.

“Who is he?”

“My ex-husband. He’s never been anything but trouble. I don’t understand how he’s out of jail. He got arrested on some serious charges a few months ago. Nothing to do with me. Or mostly. I didn’t figure he’d make bail. It makes no sense.” Her voice broke, and her bottom lip began to tremble.

Without thinking, I stepped toward her and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her face to my shoulder and lowering my own to the crown of her head. Her hair smelled of citrus. I coiled one of her curls around my index finger, thumbing the strands. As she cried, her body shook, and she felt smaller and more vulnerable than she had seemed before I touched her.

I thought about what might have happened if I hadn’t heard her voice and come around the corner. What would that guy have done to her? I closed my arms around her tighter, which must have triggered something inside her. She stiffened and pulled away, pressing her hand against my chest. I released her immediately.

Shannon looked up at me with her electric blue eyes, swollen with tears, sniffled, and wiped at her face with the backs of her hands.

“I have to go. I’m sorry. I need to go home.”

“Let me walk you back to your car.”

“No!” Her vehemence stopped me in my tracks.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m sorry. I’m just…a mess,” she whispered. “I’m trying, but my life is still all f****d up. I’m a f**k up. You’re better off letting me walk away.”

She backed away and ran around the building. I let her go, but walked to the corner where I could see at least part of the lot. I waited until she drove away in her old Honda without so much as a glance back at me.

Her warning did nothing more than make me want to prove her wrong. She wasn’t a f**k up. I knew what that looked like, and it didn’t work as hard as she did. Shannon could leave her mess behind, starting with the ex-husband.