3. Monica

3

MONICA

" W e should find him."

I used that phrase to welcome Stacy to the table. My first-ever breakfast in my new home was nothing like what I had expected or hoped. Erica had fled, once again proving that dating someone was more important to her than her safety. That's Erica, though, always impulsive; always eager to chase a thrill, even if that meant breaking her heart in the process.

"Sure, no problem." Stacy shrugged her shoulders. "Just one thing, though. We don't know anything about him. What are we going to do? Go over to Shandaken and start knocking on doors? Besides, the locals start their day early. It's doubtful he'd be home even if we found it."

"Good points," I praised with a nod. "But, I mean, it's a small town, Stacy. Isn't the whole point everyone knows everyone? Someone's bound to have heard what happened to their countryman."

"Darn it. I forgot the valley," she added, taking a sip of her coffee. "What if he lives down in Dawson?"

"That's a possibility," I agreed. "I tell you what. We'll start there. If we don't find him in Dawson, we'll drive back to Shandaken and look for him there."

"Okay," she accepted, a hint of a smile on her face. "I have to say though, it amazes me how badly you seem to want to find him. What's the matter, doc? Did he strike a chord in you?"

I shrug, instinctively not wanting to own it, but I know I can't hide my thoughts from her.

"Yeah, I guess he did," I admitted. "I mean, I still have no idea how he wound up naked and bleeding in his truck, or why he just up and left in the middle of the night." I paused, sipped my coffee, and then added, "there's something else, too, although I'm not sure about it."

"What is it?"

"While he was on his way out, he, um…" I paused. "He looked back at me, and his eyes, I swear they were glowing yellow. It scared me, bad, but then again, I could be wrong. I had just woken up, so it could have been remnants of a dream or something."

"It must have been your imagination," she assumed with a bright smile. "Anyway, hold your horses ‘til the afternoon, and don't worry. We'll find out who your mystery hunk is."

There was that word again. Hunk.

Erica liked it. Stacy loved it. I wasn't a big fan. I preferred politer expressions, like "good-looking" and "handsome." Still, I wasn't going to make a big deal out of this. Although I didn't always agree with her, I did enjoy her forwardness. More than that, Stacy had not vanished. She hadn't ditched me, to get back to the city for a date with a stranger. Soon enough the two of us would explore my new surroundings, in hopes of locating my mystery guest. Would we find him? I didn't have any idea, but I wasn't prepared to let this be. I would get my answers, even if that meant driving around for days…