Shiloh showered, dressed, and was out the door right after the sun rose. He hadn’t gotten much sleep, and what little he managed was filled with crazy dreams of Renee. Somehow, despite all the information he’d garnered about her, he couldn’t bring himself to call her Elizabeth or Liz or Lizzie or any other derivative she might’ve used. All his life he’d thought of her as Renee, Lucas’ baby sister. Though, after seeing her, he had to admit she definitely wasn’t a baby anymore.
Pulling up the collar on his jacket against the brisk morning chill, he fleetingly wished he was back in Texas. He disliked being cold, and autumn in Texas remained his idea of perfection. Lovely cool mornings, warm afternoons where more times than not he didn’t even need a jacket, and cooler temps in the evenings. So far, Portland had been cold, damp, and pretty much miserable.
He walked a couple of blocks, bypassing the large coffee shops chains, and headed for a local place the desk clerk had recommended. There was something about dealing with places like that, small stores run by families or local folks, he appreciated. Probably the small-town boy in him. He always made a beeline for Daisy’s Diner, or Jill’s bakery, or even Gracie’s coffee shop whenever he came back to Shiloh Springs. And not just because he considered the people who ran them extended family.
Walking through the front door, he drew in a deep breath, sighing at the scent of fresh beans being ground, and he quickly took his place in line. A middle-aged woman took orders at the counter, working with an ease and friendliness he knew probably came from years of experience. She greeted everyone with a smile, calling most by name. A good sign; repeat customers generally meant good quality.
“Good morning, welcome to Roaster’s Retreat. What can I get for you this morning?”
“Morning. A large coffee, two creams, please.”
“Got it. Would you like anything else? My husband, Carlos, made fresh-baked cinnamon buns this morning with an orange cream cheese glaze. Can I interest you in one?”
When his stomach rumbled at her words, he grinned. “Absolutely.”
“Perfect. Here’s your number. I’ll have that ready in a jiff.”
“Thanks.”
He spotted an empty seat against the wall, huddled practically in the corner, and he swooped in and grabbed it before it disappeared. The quaint coffee shop had a homey feel, with sepia-tinted photos of what he assumed were old shots of Portland framed and hanging on the pale green and cream-colored walls. Open shelving held antique coffee paraphernalia, wooden coffee mills, and tin coffee pots and cups. All-in-all, a charming and warm place where he wouldn’t mind spending an hour or two, if he had the time. Too bad his schedule today was full—looking for Renee.
“Here you go. Let me know what you think about Carlos’ cinnamon buns. It’s a new recipe he’s trying out, and we’re trying to decide whether to add them to the menu. Personally, I think they’re a winner, but he’s on the fence.”
“If it tastes anything like it smells, I’d say you’re right.” Shiloh took a huge bite of the breakfast treat, and immediately wanted another. He chewed, savoring the burst of flavor with the mixture of spicy cinnamon contrasting perfectly right with the bite of orange and the sweetness of cream cheese.
“Well?” She grinned at his thumbs up because he was still chewing. “Awesome. I’ll let Carlos know you liked it.”
“Honestly? It’s one of the best cinnamon buns I’ve ever eaten. Don’t tell my soon-to-be sister-in-law, because she opened a bakery in my hometown recently, but these are way better.” Shiloh gave her a cheerful grin and broke off another bite.
“Really?” The woman shifted from foot-to-foot, her expression thoughtful. “I know Carlos would love to have his own bakery, but we’ve got our hands full right now, running this place. We’ve got one barista who’s shifted to part-time work, and our other one up and quit a few weeks ago. I hated losing Elizabeth, because she got to know the customers, took an interest in each one. Treated everybody like they were her best friends. Such a shame.”
A surprising tingle raced down Shiloh’s spine at the name Elizabeth. Nah, too much of a coincidence. What were the odds this lady’s Elizabeth might be the same person he was looking for? Then again, most of the information they’d gained over the last few months had come about because of coincidences. He couldn’t discount the possibility he might be in the right place at the right time to get a bead on Renee.
“You’ve got quite a place here. I got a referral this morning from the desk clerk where I’m staying. He sang your praises.” He took a sip of his coffee and nearly swooned. “This is some mighty fine coffee. I’ll definitely be back while I’m in town. Sorry to hear you’re shorthanded. Bet you get a lot of repeat customers with coffee this good.”
She grinned and glanced back toward the front counter, appearing torn about having to wait on customers and wanting to chat a bit longer. Shiloh hoped for option two, because he intended to dig a little bit, follow his hunch.
“We do a lot of repeat business. I’m planning to talk with Tina, my part-timer, and see if she can manage adding some additional hours to her shift. Can’t hurt, right?”
“True. Listen, mind if I ask you something? You mentioned the barista who quit, her name was Elizabeth? I only just got into town, and I’m looking for my friend. She wasn’t home this morning, but she told me she worked at a family-run coffee shop. I couldn’t remember the name. Wouldn’t it be a hoot if your Elizabeth and mine ended up being the same person?”
“Huh. Mighty big coincidence, you ask me.”
Shiloh could read the suspicious vibes rolling off the now wary woman. He needed to put her at ease ASAP, or he’d lose any chance of getting the info he needed.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep. Here,” he dug out his wallet and pulled out the photo he had of Renee and handed it to her. “This is my friend’s picture. Well, the latest one I’ve got. I’m Shiloh, by the way. Shiloh Boudreau, all the way from Texas.”
She studied Renee’s picture, a look of fondness on her face, and her lips curled up in a wistful smile. “Looks like it might be your lucky day, Mr. Boudreau.”
“Shiloh, please.”
“This is our Elizabeth, the one who worked here.”
“Wow, that’s amazing. I thought I’d give her a call this morning. She doesn’t know I’m in town. It was a last-minute business thing, and I thought I’d surprise her.”
“Good luck with that. The number I have for her has been disconnected.”
Her words confirmed what he’d already discovered. The cell phone Renee had been using had been shut off with no forwarding account. His best guess? Burner phone she’d tossed or used all the minutes for and hadn’t added more.
He rattled off the number he had, and the woman nodded. “That’s the one I’ve got. Sorry.”
“Me, too. Guess I’ll have to tell my folks I couldn’t find her.” He stood and placed a generous tip on the table. “Appreciate your hospitality, and I’ll definitely be back.”
He smiled and stepped away, ready to head for the door, when she laid a hand on his arm. “Wait. The other gal who works here, Tina? She and Elizabeth got real chummy. I haven’t asked, but maybe she’ll have Elizabeth’s new number. Want me to check with her?”
Bingo. Maybe Lady Luck decided to smile on me this morning after all.
“Is Tina working today? Maybe I can stop by while she’s here and ask her myself.”
She nodded and grinned at him. “Tina’s coming in at ten a.m. She’s covering the late morning shift. You want to talk to her, come back then.”
The front door opened, and a large group of people piled inside, the chilly breeze sweeping along behind then before they got the door closed. Another reminder he wasn’t home.
“Thank you again, ma’am.”
“Ma’am,” she chuckled. “You definitely ain’t from around here. I’ve got to go serve these customers. See you later, Shiloh.”
He walked outside and looked up at the sun peeking out from behind a gray cloud. “Looks like my luck might be turning around. Watch out, Renee O’Malley, I’m coming for you.”
Renee put two slices of bread into the toaster, and filled both coffee mugs, adding cream and sugar to hers. Tina took hers black and strong, and Renee suppressed her shudder. She’d always teased Renee about her liking a little coffee with her cream and sugar, but she needed them to cut the bitterness.
The toast popped up and she slathered it with butter and honey. She’d heard the shower cut off, which meant Tina would be out soon, sticking her nose into Renee’s business the minute she’d had her first sip of coffee. Too bad she hadn’t come up with a plausible story to give her. How do you tell your best bud you’re running for your life, and a hired gun has tracked you down? It sounded like the inconceivable plot of a bad romance novel, and she starred as the too-stupid-to-live heroine.
“Morning.”
“You’re up early. Don’t you have the late morning shift?” Renee handed over the mug of black and cradled the other in her hand.
“Yes, but I don’t have to be there until ten. Which means you get to spill your guts, girlfriend. And don’t tell me there’s nothing to say because I didn’t buy that before, and I’m not gonna listen to any lies.” Reaching into her bathrobe pocket, she pulled out a quarter and tossed it to Renee.
“What’s this?”
“You know the old song? Well, here’s a quarter, and I’m someone who cares. So, sister, spill the beans. You were pale as a ghost last night. I figured you needed sleep more than questions.”
“And I appreciate that.”
“It’s morning, the sun is shining. Time to pull up your big girl panties and fill me in on all the details.”
Renee glanced past Tina and looked out the tiny kitchen window over the sink. There was no view to speak of, but she could make out a patch of blue sky in the distance. Maybe the sun shone out there someplace, but even the thought of a rainless day couldn’t cheer her up.
Tina pulled a chair out from the tiny kitchen set, plopped down onto the seat, settled her mug on the tabletop, and crossed her arms. From her mulish expression, Renee knew she wasn’t taking no for an answer—not this time.
“It’s…complicated.”
“Pshaw. I deal with complicated every day. Pretty sure nothing you say will surprise me.” Tina’s eye roll had Renee chuckling.
“Alright, you asked for it. Let’s start with the fact my name isn’t really Elizabeth.”
“Like I didn’t already know that? Do I look like I live under a bridge? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve called you Elizabeth, and you’ve totally ignored me or acted like you’d never heard the name before. I figured, hey, it’s your business if you wanted to move to Portland and change your name. Believe me, you wouldn’t be the first person to want to start over.”
Renee stared at Tina, unable to believe she’d known all along. And she’d been using the name for a couple of years, you’d think she’d be used to it by now.
“It’s been so long since I used my real name, I almost forgot it. Years. I think I was four when I got put in the first foster home. They called me Anna there. At that age, the system thinks you’re young enough and malleable enough it’s not a big deal to give you a new name. Although it’s usually the last name that gets changed, when or if you get adopted. Not your first name.”
Tina studied her intently, looking at her for so long Renee wondered if she’d drifted off into her own little world. Wouldn’t be the first time; Tina tended to be a bit flighty sometimes.
“You don’t look like an Anna.”
“My real name is Renee. I haven’t been called that in forever. Not since they separated me from my big brother. I can still hear him screaming my name as they took me away.”
Tina sat up straighter in her chair, her mug halfway to her lips. She lowered it slowly back to the table. “You have a brother?”
She nodded, picturing Lucas’ tearstained face the last time she’d seen him. Social workers held him back as he struggled to break free. Remembered screaming his name over and over as they strapped her into the van which carried her away from the only family she had left.
“His name is Lucas. I…haven’t seen him since I was four years old.” Tears threatened to spill, and she fought to keep them contained. Crying never helped; a lesson she’d learned at an early age at the end of a belt.
“Why’d you get separated? No, wait. We can talk about that later. Right now, I want to know why you showed up on my doorstep, looking like hellhounds were nipping at your heels.”
“Remember you mentioning I wouldn’t be the first person to come to Portland to start over? Pretty much what I did. I thought I could outrun my past. Looks like I was wrong.”
“Well, crap. How much trouble are you in?” Tina picked up her cup again, drinking the rest of her coffee, before getting up for a refill. “I’ve got a little money socked away, if you need it.”
“Thanks, but no. I need to lay low for a bit. Maybe lay a false trail, so the guy who’s tailing me thinks I’ve left town.”
Tina leaned back, taking a bite of her now-cold toast, scowling before she tossed it atop the napkin. “Wow, it’s worse than I thought. Somebody’s followed you to Portland, and you’re hiding. Why?”
Renee stood and walked across the miniscule kitchenette and stared out the window. Now came the hard part. “I can’t tell you. I know it’s asking a lot, because I’m asking you to trust me without knowing everything, but I refuse to let you get involved in my problems.”
“But—”
“Not gonna happen, Tina. Once this guy leaves, I’ll be okay, I promise.”
Tina snorted. “Right, by okay you mean you’re gonna take off again. I can read it all over you. I thought we were friends.”
“We are,” Renee protested, wincing at the volume of her shouted cry. “I won’t drag you into my problems. This is my mess, and I’m going to fix it, once and for all. I just need a few days.” She met Tina’s gaze, shoring up her resolve. It was past time for her to take her life back. The running and hiding, the living her life always on the edge, had to stop. “I could use a favor, though.”
“Name it.”
“I can’t go back to my apartment. I’m positive this guy knows where I live. Can I stay here for a day? Two at the most. Long enough so I can put my plan in place?”
Tina stood and walked over, wrapping her arms around Renee. “I know we haven’t known one other long, but I feel like you’re my sister from another mister. Whatever you need, it’s yours. Money, clothes. Well, except for my new boots. Touch those and you’ll lose a few fingers.”
Renee gave a watery laugh. “Got it, don’t touch the boots.”
“You know you’re going to tell me everything. I’ll try to be patient for a bit, but I’m going to pester, cajole, and wheedle it out of you. I have ways of making you talk. Be prepared.” Tina gave a witch’s cackle and another rough squeeze and pulled free. “Now, I’ve got to get dressed and head to work. You think of anything else you need, call me at the shop.”
Renee walked to the living room, grabbed her purse, and pulled out a handful of cash. She’d learned a long time ago to always have money on hand in case she needed a quick getaway. “Can you get me a disposable cell phone? I had to toss mine yesterday.”
“No problem.” Picking up her mug, Tina headed for her bedroom, and Renee rinsed out her own mug, and put it in the dishwasher, already figuring out a plan to get Darius and Eileen to back off once and for all.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, and internally stiffened her resolve. She’d had enough. Enough running. Enough hiding. Enough of everything keeping her from having a real life. It was past time to quit running and take a stand.