Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Annalee

Willow Creek was as beautiful as the website made it out to be. Driving down Main Street reminded me of a picture-perfect postcard that my father used to send me from his business trips. I collected each and every one he ever sent and hid them in a shoebox in my closet. They were my greatest memories of him.

"It's beautiful." There was no hiding the awe in my voice. I didn't care what Owen said, Willow Creek was perfect.

I couldn't wait to get out of the vehicle and explore: the ice cream parlor, the bakery, the bookstore. I didn't know which place I wanted to visit first.

My stomach chose that moment to protest loudly for Owen to hear. I guess the diner would be my first stop.

"We should probably stop for food before I introduce you to the team."

"The Crazy Fox?" I asked hopefully.

There was that half grin and damn dimple again. Owen had to know what that thing did to the female population. He likely wielded it like a damn sword to bring women to their knees.

I was ashamed to admit it was working on me as well.

"If I took you anywhere else first, Bertha would have my head."

I had no idea who this Bertha lady was, but I liked her already.

We pulled up in front of the diner and I couldn't contain my excitement. This feeling right here was why I bounced from job to job. The excitement and rush of something new was a high I couldn't live without.

The moment we stepped through the door of the Crazy Fox, I knew I had found my soulmate in whoever designed the place. Not a single booth, table, or chair matched. Every decade in the last seventy years was represented and there was so much color that the place should be an eyesore but somehow fit perfectly together.

The seating arrangements weren't perfectly positioned like most restaurants. In fact, it looked more like people grabbed chairs from wherever they needed and the booths were set haphazardly throughout the place. It looked more like a toddler setting up a room in a dollhouse than an actual restaurant.

Everything about the diner screamed chaotic but homely. I could see why it was packed despite the late hour.

"Grab a seat wherever you like. I'll be with you in a minute," a tall server with a tray full of food said as she quickly rushed past us.

"Come on. I see an open table over here."

Owen slipped his hand on my mid back and gently led me to the table he was referring to. It only had one chair but luckily another table not too far away had a spare one we could borrow.

"Isn't Lex going to join us?"

I didn't see the jacked-up Jeep pull in next to us, but I figured he had to be close behind. He was never more than a few car lengths away every time I looked in the mirror while we drove.

"Probably not. He's not a sociable kind of guy. I'm betting he headed straight for the office."

“Speaking of your office, where is that located? I know from the address that it’s on the main street here, but all the pictures I saw only showed from the antique store and down.”

"Two doors up from here, on the other side of the antique shop. It was owned by a tailor before Mav bought it. The only run-down shop on the entire block."

Now it made sense that there were no pictures of it. No one would want to represent the town by showcasing a building that was empty. Willow Creek Security hadn't been in town long, so I was eager to see how they redesigned the building to fit in with the rest of the shops on the street.

"Welcome to the Crazy Fox. I'm Jo and you must be new to town. I haven't seen your face around these parts yet."

Damn, the woman was good, and it made me curious. "You would be right. Just rolled in actually. Do you know everyone in town?"

Jo laughed. "Not everyone but newcomers usually stick out. We get the same people in here most of the time. They have their routines. I could set my watch by half the town and when they come in to eat. Plus, I'm good with faces, so I'm positive I've never seen yours before."

Jo's smile was contagious. If everyone in town was even half as friendly as she was, I was going to really like it here.

She ran through the specials even though they were listed on a board when we first walked in. I had to give the cook props for creativity. Some of the club sandwich concoctions weren't things I would ever think to pair together. Maybe that was why the place was so popular.

Several people throughout the place were giving us strange looks, so I asked Owen what it was all about.

"I'm not crazy in thinking everyone is staring at us, am I?"

"Nope." He didn't even look around to see if I was right. "That's just how they are. Once they see your face more than once or twice, they’ll start to ignore you."

“Oh. Is that what happened to you?"

Now he glanced around at the patrons. "Pretty much. Heads up, we got company coming."

I expected Lex since he was the only other person I’d met, but the large man was nowhere in sight. I was about to ask who the hell he was talking about when a petite woman with gray hair and amused eyes saddled up to our table.

"Well now, Owen, who do we have here? Did you bring our humble town some fresh blood?"

The old woman laughed, though it sounded more like a cackle.

"Annalee, this is Bertha. She's Jo's grandmother and the owner of the Crazy Fox. Bertha, this is Annalee, she's interviewing for the receptionist position at the security company."

So this was the Bertha Owen was referring to. The woman didn't look like she could hurt a fly but maybe she used that to her advantage. No one saw her coming and then she struck.

"Oh, psssht," Bertha waved Owen off. "Everyone calls me Bee. Bertha is so damn formal and old sounding.”

Now was not the time to point out that the very woman talking was, in fact, old. I preferred that my food wasn't poisoned and that I would be able to return in the future.

"It's nice to meet you, Bee."

"Likewise." Bee tipped her head in greeting. "I'm just glad these boys finally found someone to keep them in line. Brand new to town and already stirring up trouble."

My eyes grew wide as my head whipped to where Owen was frowning.

"That wasn't Kati's fault, nor was it Easton's. It was simply unfortunate luck." Then Owen winked at me. "Well, maybe not unfortunate considering they’re now happily in love."

This was a story I needed to hear. It would appear Bee wouldn't be telling it though because someone from the kitchen was calling her name.

"Damn kids. Helpless, the lot of them." She huffed on her way through the diner, bobbing around the different groups of people.

"What was she talking about?" I dropped both elbows onto the table and leaned closer. I didn't want to miss a single detail. Curiosity was one of those things that was going to get me killed sooner or later.

Owen shook his head. "Easton met Kati because of our line of work. She was having problems with someone vandalizing her house, so she called us. Easton set up a time to meet her over there but Kati fell asleep and forgot to set an alarm clock. When Easton knocked on the door, he woke Kati up from a dead sleep. She answered the door in nothing but a shirt and her neighbor witnessed it. The whole town was talking about it."

The story was both hilarious and slightly disappointing. I expected Easton to have made some grand gesture that sent everyone in a tizzy. Although, from what Owen said, the residents were merely gossiping about it.

"Does Kati have one of those gossiping neighbors?"

I had one of those. And it just so happened it was the same neighbor whose apartment I hid out in. Thankfully, her need to tell stories didn't translate to ratting me out.

Well, not to Dennis at least. She practically threw me under the bus when it came to Owen. Not sure what that said about her loyalty just yet.

"Big-time. Sits in her parlor all day just waiting for something to whisper about. At least that's what Kati tells me. I haven't tested the theory and I don't want to. I would prefer to stay out of the town rumors as much as possible."

That made two of us. I’d heard all about how small towns operated and I didn't want to find myself in the middle of that. I needed to stay far away from anything that would put me back on Dennis's radar.

"I bet Kati and the rest of her neighbors love that."

"Kati's a sweetheart, and since she's living in her parents’ old place, she's used to the old woman's antics. Took some time to get over the embarrassment though. I think that had more to do with Easton than the town knowing. Not exactly the greatest first impression."

Huh. I know a thing or two about that.

Exhibit A. My apartment.

The rest of our time at the diner flowed smoothly. Bee jumped from table to table, talking to every patron who frequented the establishment. I didn't know if it was her way of checking on things or just more gossip, but I liked that she cared enough to be present despite her age.

We were just finishing up our club sandwiches when Owen hit me with a more serious topic.

"Did you have a place lined up when you were planning to move here?"

I swallowed my last bite and used the paper napkin to wipe my mouth, giving me an extra few seconds to remind myself I wasn't an idiot for not being prepared.

"I had set up appointments to look at two different places the same day as my interview with you, but I forgot to call and cancel them. The day before my interview was when my father's attorney read the will and notified me of the changes that were made. I was so consumed with what was happening that I let everything else slide away. That’s not something I would normally do, but it wasn't every day that I found out I was worth billions plus had my life threatened by both my stepmother and stepbrother because they felt I influenced my father to change his will.” I tried to shrug it off but it still hurt.

To say I was a bit overwhelmed was like saying the ocean wasn't really that deep.

"Give me the locations and I'll see if they’re still available. My guess is they are, considering people aren't moving to Willow Creeks in droves."

I popped my eyebrow and Owen huffed. "The last two months don't count. My friends and I are the exception."

"Then there's me and your sister."

Owen waved me off. "Also the exception."

I merely chuckled. Let him think what he wants. I rattled off the two addresses, and before I was done talking, he had sent out a text to someone. I wasn't sure who.

"Did you have a plan for the meantime?"

"Yeah, to get a hotel room for as long as I need. Which, now that I think about it, sounds like an awful idea considering I don't want my stepbrother to know where I am.” I groaned and dropped my head into my hands.

Damn Dennis for making my life miserable. Here I was, in a brand-new town that just a week ago seemed perfect, but now was slightly tainted because it was a place I was seeking refuge, not a brand-new start.

I had one suitcase to my name, and even though I could afford to buy anything I wanted, I had to be careful how I went about it so I could keep my location secret.

People thought money solved problems but I begged to differ. From my experience, it created more headaches than it was worth.

"You can stay with me."

Owen's statement pulled me out of my depressing thoughts.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Owen cleared his throat. "You can stay with me. I'm sure one of the places you originally planned to look at is still open, so it won't be for long. Plus, like you said, a hotel is out of the question, so staying with me is the easiest solution."

Easiest. Sure.

Smartest? Not so sure about that.

But what choice did I have? Still, I questioned him. "What about your sister though? I thought she was coming down."

Owen waved the question off. "There's no way she'll get down here in the next few days. You'll be set up in your new place long before Gracie shows up."

I chewed on the side of my cheek. This had bad news written all over it, but I didn't have any other options. With a sigh, I answered, "Okay, yeah. Thank you."

How could it possibly be a mistake?