“The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.”― Albert Einstein
leaving the diner as I stopped at a red stoplight. They passed Jack on his way inside.
"About time," I mumbled to myself as Tess let Jack inside the diner.
I watched Lexie get in her car. My heart felt like it skipped a beat like it always does when I see her. She was pushing me away, and I didn't know why. When she first came back, she avoided everyone which is something of an accomplishment in a town as small as Crossroads. Finally, about a month after she came back to town, I caved and went to her family's old house.
A long tree-line paved driveway led up to a grand house. Grand is not normally a word I use but it really was the only way to describe it. It looked like something out of Gone with the Wind with huge pillars gracing the front of a white two-story house with black shutters.
Despite the obvious neglect that came from sitting vacant for so long, the house was still impressive as it came into view.
Lexie opened the front door before I even made it up to the huge porch. She was wearing jeans and an overly large West Virginia University sweatshirt that completely engulfed her small frame. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail.
She was the most beautiful woman in the world. The fact that I still felt that way kind of shocked me. I stopped halfway up the porch steps and Lexie stood in the doorway. We stared at each other, neither of us making a move or saying anything.
The she burst into tears, ran out the door in her bare feet, and wrapped her arms around my neck. The move was so unexpected, I didn't react for a minute. Finally, I put my arms around her waist and held her while she cried. Eventually, her tears slowed down and she pulled back and looked at me.
"I'm so sorry," she said so quietly I could barely hear her.
"What happened, Lexie?"
She looked down at her feet. "Do you want to come inside?" she asked.
I held my arm out in a lead the way gesture. She took my hand and we went inside.
That was months ago. Lexie had explained everything. All the things her dad was doing to make his money. The danger he put his family in. Where they went and what her life had been like for the years they were gone. None of it was good.
Ever since, we had seen each other all the time and talked every day. We had kept our relationship as friends, not going beyond that yet. She needed time. And she needed a friend. Especially in this town where the rumors were already swirling about her family's abrupt departure all those years ago and now her return alone.
Then she started working with Tess at the diner and things were getting better. Our relationship started to progress, and we were becoming a couple again though we were keeping it under the radar. We even shared a few hidden kisses when no one was looking.
A couple of weeks ago, all that changed. She started pushing me away. She couldn't talk when I called, stopped coming by the shop to bring me dinner, and avoided me when I came to the diner. Something was up. In my gut, I knew it couldn't be good.
The stoplight changed from red to green but I didn't start driving. I was still watching Lexie. She looked nervous. Maybe even scared. She was looking around the parking lot and seemed to rush to get into her car.
Did some of the trouble her father got in all those years ago find her? I didn't know but I was going to find out. Lexie did not need to handle whatever was going on alone. And I was not going to get up one day and find her gone again.
I grabbed my cell and called Lexie as I turned the Jeep around to head toward her house. Whatever secrets Lexie was keeping, whatever this trouble was, we would face it head on. Together.
The second book in the Crossroads Series will be available in Fall 2024. Go to www.nightowlstories.com and sign up for my newsletter, The Hoot, to get the latest updates on book releases plus bonus stories about my favorite small town, Crossroads.