Running for Her Life by Beverly Long

Author:Beverly Long
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Suspense
Publisher: Harlequin Intrigue
Published: 2012-11-02T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Five days later, on Friday morning, it was so hot that even hardened coffee drinkers had turned to iced tea. Tara set a glass down in front of one of her lunch regulars, laughing when the glass, wet with humidity, almost slipped out of her hand.

“Sorry about that,” she offered. “You were almost wearing this.”

“No problem. It might have felt good.”

Tara smiled at Jim Waller, who ate lunch at Nel’s every day and most days came back for pie midafternoon. He was quiet. Never bothered anyone. Always had correct change. But then again, he was a banker. That might be some kind of requirement.

She’d just turned to walk away when Jim surprised her. “Tara,” he said, “I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me tomorrow night? There’s a nice place in Bluemond that has a dynamite prime rib special on Saturday nights.”

Tara kept her smile in place. Upon arriving in Wyattville, she’d realized that young, single women were a rare find in the small, rural town. But she’d politely turned down all offers. First dates led to second dates. Second dates led to relationships. Relationships led to marriage.

Joanna Travis could have gotten married. Tara Thompson couldn’t.

Jim had never asked. In fact, Jim had only recently started coming to Nel’s. When he and Madeline Fenton had been dating, they’d frequented the competition.

People in the know said it was a stormy relationship, with frequent breakups and makeups, which sounded a whole lot like middle school to Tara. Each episode resembled the other. Madeline would tell Jim it was over, he’d grovel and buy a piece of jewelry and they’d be good to go. Until the next time.

A few months ago it had ended for good. Nobody but Jim was surprised. Supposedly he was devastated.

That’s when he’d started coming to Nel’s. Maybe to avoid Madeline?

But he hadn’t been able to completely avoid her mother or father. On Jim’s third visit to Nel’s, Alice and Henry were already at the counter. The other customers took notice, of course. Probably were anxious to see if plates were going to be thrown. Tara had seen Henry put his hand on Alice’s arm, perhaps to remind her that they were in public.

No words had been exchanged that time or to the best of Tara’s knowledge, any time after that. A week later, Alice had mentioned to Tara that Jim Waller wasn’t good enough for Madeline. Tara had let it go. If Alice wanted to look at Madeline through rose-colored glasses, it wasn’t Tara’s job to argue for a good, strong pair of progressive lenses.

Tara was grateful the group had avoided fireworks. She wouldn’t do anything to risk losing Alice and Henry’s friendship, but she did want to keep Jim Waller’s business. Her gross receipts had gone up forty dollars a week between his lunches and afternoon pie.

There’d been another opportunity for a big explosion when Madeline had unexpectedly started enjoying Nel’s coffee. It had begun on Monday, following the Saturday dinner at Alice and Henry’s.

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