“I saw you get a call after fighting with Daniel. A few minutes later you walked down the street and into a bar. Your boss followed you.”
“Wait, you spied on me?”
“When I called you, I was already at your office. I was excited about the news I had to give you. I saw you take a call and then Greg came out of the building and followed you right down to the bar.”
“You thought we were what? Hooking up?” she demanded.
“That’s definitely how it looked.”
Charlie shook her head. “I thought you knew me better than that.”
“So did I.”
She swore, eyes narrowed. Flames could have shot from those dark depths. “The call, for your information, was from Tara, my friend from work, asking me to come early to the shower because Amanda was headed there. She couldn’t bear spending any more time with her than possible. I was trying to decide if I had time to come back here for the gift I left here since I’d forgotten the shower completely or just go and save Tara. I stepped into the bar to get out of the snow and shoppers to think.”
“Things didn’t go well with Daniel.”
She glared at him. “You said you were there, so I don’t think I have to tell you how things went.”
He nodded sheepishly.
“That’s when I happened to see Greg headed in my direction. I stayed in the bar, waiting for him to pass. I had no idea he was following me.”
“Why did he follow you?”
Charlie sighed. “I thought it was just a coincidence. He insisted I have one drink with him. I tried to get out of it, but he knew I had plenty of time before the shower. When I told him I didn’t, that I needed to come back here for the gift, he offered to come with me. So it seemed having a drink with him was preferable to bringing him back here.”
“It doesn’t sound like he gave you much choice,” Shep said. “Whatever he wanted to talk to you about must have been important.”
“His bad choices in women? I have no idea what he was leading up to. I changed the subject, finished my wine and got out of there.” She shrugged. “Unfortunately, you weren’t the only one to see Greg come after me. Tara said that Amanda saw him, which probably explained her rotten mood at the shower. I hope he doesn’t try to talk to me again about whatever it is.”
“Sounds like he might want your advice on whether or not to marry Amanda.”
She groaned and plopped down on the couch. “That’s what I’m worried about. Isn’t it bad enough that I have a dead woman stalking me? The last thing I need is to be caught between Amanda and Greg.”
“I’m wondering why Lindy was waiting for you outside the restaurant,” Shep said. “Maybe whoever is behind this didn’t get the reaction they’d hoped for from the earlier sightings—or even the doll.”
Charlie rolled her eyes, still angry with him for not accepting that the woman she’d seen was the dead Lindy. “I’m more concerned with what she’ll do next. We need to find her before she finds me again.”
Shep couldn’t have felt more inept. “I’m trying to track down as much information as I can, but I have to admit, I’m at a loss. Maybe it’s time to turn it over to the police.”
“What does the judge say?”
“That the police can’t do anything, probably won’t take it seriously since there has been no real threat.”
“Sounds like we need to do this together,” Charlie said.
“You have a job. I’m off right now. You should concentrate on that.”
She looked as if she was going to argue so he quickly changed the subject.
“So what are you going to do about Daniel?”
As if on cue, Charlie’s phone rang. She took the call in her bedroom.
When she came back out, she was dressed in jeans and a sweater. She’d pulled her hair up and formed a messy ball of it at the nape of her neck. He didn’t think she’d ever looked more beautiful.
“I’m meeting Daniel,” she said. She headed into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. Turning to him, she offered, “Beer?”
He shook his head. After the argument he’d witnessed, he found it hard to believe she was going out with Daniel. “How did you meet this guy anyway?”
She seemed to hesitate. “In a bar. He said he saw me from across the room and...” She looked up. “You’re just going to make fun, aren’t you?”
“No.” He said it softly, gently. “I’m curious is all, okay?”
“Curious? Or you think he’s behind the Lindy sightings? I already told you, I met him several months ago—long before I saw her the first time.”
He nodded. “How much does he know about you?”
“If you’re asking what I think you are, nothing. I never told him I even had a stepsister. All I’ve told him is that I lost my parents, ended up in foster care for a while, got into trouble and a judge turned me around.”
“He never asked anything specific?”
“No. You’re barking up the wrong tree. Daniel isn’t behind this.”
“And you know that how?”
“I just know it.” She let out a frustrated sound. “It’s so obvious that you don’t like him and you’ve never even met him.”
He knew the wise thing to do was bite his tongue. “I’m not impressed, if that’s what you’re asking. I think he’s all wrong for you.”
She laughed. “Really?”
“You want him to be the guy, but in your heart, you know better. He’s not good enough for you.” Neither is your boss, he wanted to add. Because he suspected Greg wanted more from Charlie than advice about his love life.
“You realize that you sound...jealous?”
“Jealous? The guy’s a jerk.” He wasn’t sure if he was talking about Daniel or Greg or both. “Sorry, but I know one when I see one. I’m just trying to save you from a life of heartache—not that this relationship will last that long.”
She glared at him. “How can you say that?”
He stepped to her and took both of her shoulders in his hands. He felt that familiar tingle. “Because ever since I got here, not once have I heard you say that you’re crazy in love with him or that you love him at all. I think you want this to be the perfect love story, but you know the truth in your heart. It’s why you haven’t moved in with him.”