Downstairs at the restaurant, Shantel had just finished dabbing her mouth with the corner of a linen napkin when her phone buzzed.
She blinked once, then reached for it absentmindedly. But when she saw the name on the screen—Richard—her brows lifted, and a small, knowing smirk curled at the corners of her mouth.
'Hope your dinner went well. Be careful around strangers in small towns. Not all of them have good motives. Let me know when you're free to talk,' she read silently and as she read it again, a flicker of amusement glinted in her eyes.
Her fingers paused over the screen, then she decided to send her reply later—punishment for hanging up on her without any plausible reason.
By the time she stepped out into the near-empty parking lot, the night air had grown cooler.
Her coat swished behind her as she walked briskly to her car, finally free and able to be herself.
