Midnight Whispers (The Midnight Duology #1)

Chapter 9

9

The sunlight bleeds into my room through the opened curtains. I roll over and groan into my pillow, not wanting to be awake. There’s an unfamiliar scent of leather woven throughout my sheets, faint but still there.

My mind was racing yesterday and didn’t calm down by the time I fell asleep, leading to a nightmare. I don’t even remember most of it, but from what I do remember it was about my dad’s accident. The swirling red and blue lights reflecting off the asphalt, which had freshly been rained on. The entire scene played out as if I was someone else watching instead of in my own head. Cyrus was holding me back, his arm pressed firmly against my chest as I tried to run to my dad’s truck. In the dream, there’s a sudden light and warmth that fills my veins. I’m safe. So, when I woke up to my phone ringing this morning, I did not want to answer it.

“Good morning, Soph. What’s up?” I groggily answer.

“Hey boss. Sorry to call you on your day off.”

“No worries.” I sit up in my bed and rub my eyes with my free hand. “What’s up? ”

“We had a call out for the afternoon shift and nobody can come in. I can stay if you need me to.”

“No, no. I don’t want you to do that. I’ll come in. Your shift ends at noon?”

“Yeah.”

”Okay. I’ll be there around then.” I check the time on my phone, ten.

I throw my legs over the side of my bed, groaning in disappointment. This is the part of business ownership I didn’t like. My mind drifts to thoughts of my dad and our days together at Alcott’s, especially right after it opened. He really thrived there. The smile he wore almost all the time was contagious. After Mom left, I didn’t think Dad would ever find happiness like that again.

There’s music coming from the kitchen, which means Flora is cleaning. She always listens to her true crime podcast or her early 2000’s emo playlist while doing chores around the house.

“Mornin’ sleepy head!” she exclaims while she cleans the counter, spraying it with disinfectant and wiping it down with one of our reusable cleaning towels.

I meant to say hey, but it sounded more like humph. I put my kettle on the stove and start the fire before getting my mug and a teabag.

“I must push our picnic to a dinner picnic. There was a call out and I must go in to cover the afternoon,” I explained.

Flora shrugs casually. “No prob, babe. I’ll just clean up and stuff around here. I’ll pack the basket, anything specific?”

“Shark-Coochie boarrrrd!” we sing together at the same time, laughter erupting from the both of us immediately after.

“I’ll bring drinks from the shop. Meet you at the beach at like six-ish?”

”Perfect.”

My stomach rumbles, so I grab a pan and put it on the stove next to my kettle. I reach across the counter and grab the loaf from the bread box, pulling out two slices, and turning to Flora over my shoulder.

“Grilled cheese?”

“Are you trying to seduce me?” She winks. “Absolutely yes! I want one.”

I pull a couple more pieces out, buttering the outside of the pieces and grabbing Kraft singles out of the fridge. After I assemble the sandwiches, I put them in the pan. The sizzling sound of the butter hitting the pan is always the most satisfying part for me. They cook for a moment, until it’s perfectly golden and I flip it.

After they’re done, I plate them and I finish making my tea so that I can get ready for the day, leaving Flora in the kitchen to sing her favorite A Day To Remember song in the background.

There’s an overwhelming feeling in the back of my head that I’m being watched when I walk into my room. I cross the floor and go to the window, looking around the edge of the house. For whatever reason, I’m half expecting to find someone standing at the end of the driveway. I close the blinds and shake my shoulders, hoping that physically shaking out my anxiety will help.

I dress in preparation for the night after my shift. I put on ripped skinny jeans, an oversized cotton t-shirt, and finish off the look with a chunky cardigan and my white high-top Converse. I finish my grilled cheese and put the plate in the sink. After I throw everything into my satchel and wave goodbye to Flo, I jump on my bicycle and ride into town. The weather today is beautiful and the perfect October day, clear skies and a little bit of a chill. Sophi is alone inside of the shop, apart from the two customers who are sitting at a table talking .

“Hey boss,” she calls when I enter.

“Hiya, Sophi! Slow day?”

“The morning was busy, but it’s slow now. I hope it stays this way for you.”

I throw my satchel into the office and pull out my e-reader, readying myself for what I hope will be a slow afternoon. The sound of Parker’s voice stops me in my tracks, sweat beads along my forehead.

“Just tell her I’m here, Sophi. I see her bike outside.”

“Parker, I know she’s told you that you can’t come in here. Just do yourself a favor and leave.”

“I just want to say hi.”

“I’ll tell her you said so. Now please go.”

I round the corner and our eyes meet immediately. His are nothing but emptiness as they stare back at me.

“Heya, babe.”

My tone is ice cold. “Parker, I need you to leave Alcott’s. I don’t want to, but if you keep coming around, I’ll have to ask Cyrus for a protection order.” The shop falls silent.

He clenches his jaw. “You wouldn’t do that.”

“I would if you can’t respect my boundaries. I’m not coming back to you. We broke up, I gave you back your family ring, and I think it’s time you moved on, too.”

“Who’s the guy?”

“There’s no guy. It’s just time.”

His voice is venomous. “You’ll come crawling back, Lillia. You’ll see. Emolyn Cove doesn’t have much better.”

“That’s a chance I’m willing to take.” I cross my arms, channeling Flora in my stance. He scoffs, turns, and leaves the store. I let out the breath I was holding in, the fierceness I felt just seconds ago leaving with it.

“That was badass, Lil!” Sophi cheers. I nod, unable to talk. She helps me into the office, leaving and coming back a second later with a cup of iced water. “Drink this.”

My hands shake as I put the cup to my lips and take a small sip. “I’m okay, Sophi,” I insist. “Why don’t you go ahead and go home?”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind staying.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll be good.”

She grabs her bag out of the drawer and light pats my shoulder, whispers her goodbyes, and leaves the office. I take a deep breath and fight against the tears that are filling my eyes. The bell on the front door sounds off. I sigh and stand, shaking my hands before wiping them on my pants.

“Welcome to Alcott’s, what can I…” My voice trails off.

“Hey, you,” Cedar greets me with a smile, his perfectly white teeth captivating me all over again.

“Hi! Do you… Do you want coffee or something?” I stumble on my words.

“No, actually. I just came in to see you.”

Alarm bells sound off in my mind. How did he find me? I chuckle to myself when I remember Emolyn Cove is a very small town, and anyone could have easily told him where I spend most of my time.

“Oh.” Warmth rushes from my chest up to my face, which I know is extremely red. “Well, you see me.” God, I’m such an idiot.

He laughs. “Yes. I do. Can you sit?” He tilts his head back to the empty coffee shop.

“Sure,” my voice squeaks.

You’re really killing the flirting game, stupid.

I take off my apron and set it on the counter. When I lift my head, Cedar is already at a table across the room. I’m sure the look plastered on my face did nothing to hide my confusion for how he got there so quickly. He’s smiling up at me as I approach the table, and my stomach is in knots. The chair scrapes against the floor as I pull it out.

“So, uhm. What's up?” Smooth.

“Our interaction in the book shop was so fast. I didn’t get to know anything about you.”

“What do you want to know?” Alarm bells are going off in my head, but this is where things get complicated. Fairly fresh out of a toxic relationship everything can seem like a red flag. You are constantly on high alert, reading into every interaction and second guessing anything that makes you think you could be happy again.

Cedar’s smile is warm as he asks, “What inspired you to open a coffee shop in such a small town?”

“Well, Alcott’s was my dad’s,” I replied without hesitation.

“Was?”

“Yeah. He was involved in an accident with a drunk driver and was gone on impact.” Bile rises in my throat as the images of the accident flash through my mind.

“I’m so sorry for your loss, Lillia.” He reaches out and touches my hand, but without a thought I pull my hand back. His brows furrow at the interaction. “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable,” Cedar remarks.

“No. You didn’t. I don’t know why I pulled my hand away from you. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize, darling.” The use of the nickname makes my stomach flip, but I can’t tell if it’s a good or bad thing. “So, you inherited it then?” he continues, and I nod. “Is this what you wanted to do?”

“No, but Alcott’s was so important to my dad, and it’s become such an important part of Emolyn Cove.”

“Have you lived here your whole life? ”

This conversation is starting to feel like interrogation.

“No. I moved here when I was a kid.”

“I’ve always moved a lot.”

“Oh, no. I’ve only moved a couple of times. I mean I’ve moved like four times within the Cove, but there was only one house before that.”

“Why did you move?”

Thankfully I am saved by the bell, literally, when a customer walks in.

“Can we continue this another day?”

“Yes. Of course. See you later, Lillia,” he smirks. I smile out of politeness, but something about him is putting me off.

I finish the day, clean up, and close the shop so that I can go meet up with Flora. After my interaction with Cedar today, I’m in desperate need of spending time with my best friend. I close the door and lock it, but there’s a cold breeze that drifts behind me. I’m painfully aware of a tingling sensation at the base of my neck, almost as if my skin is warning me that someone is watching me. I look around the basically empty street, except for the couples piling into the nearby restaurant.

Quickly, I place our drinks in my basket and get on my bicycle. Next to the main street that heads up the mountain and toward my cottage, there’s a second road that leads along the base of the mountain and to the beach. I ride along the road, grateful for the recent addition of streetlights.

There are two types of people who live in Emolyn Cove: the ones who love the small town feel or the ones who can’t wait to get away from it. I am one of the ones who loves everything about it. I’ve never felt more at home than I have while living here, especially with my dad.

I get to the spot where the asphalt meets the sand and lay my bike against the fence, right by Flora’s parked car. The sound of the waves rolling onto the land, crashing relentlessly and randomly, makes my body feel immediately relaxed. I have always felt at home with the ocean, finding peace with the beautiful chaos that the waves provide to the land as they meet. Flora looks up as I’m walking over the white sand and waves.

“Hey!” she exclaims as she’s pulling food out of the basket. “I packed your favorite cheese and before you ask, no, I didn’t forget the berries or grapes this time.”

“Oh good. Here’s your iced green tea.” I hand her the cup and sit down on the blanket, tossing my satchel in front of me.

“Long day?”

“Weird day,” I sigh. “First, Parker came in. Which wasn’t a surprise because he comes in like all the time. But Cedar, that guy I met at the bookstore, came in. That was weird.”

“Ohhh, tell me. Did he come in to seduce you?”

“No. It was almost like he wanted to play twenty questions or something.”

“He got too personal.”

“I mean…yeah, kind of.”

She takes a sip of her tea. “Did he ask about your dad? Or your mom?”

“I mean he didn’t ask about either of them necessarily, but it was like why I opened Alcott’s, if it was what I always wanted to do, where I’ve lived.”

“Okay, so what’s the real problem? Someone trying to get to know you is okay. That’s normal, but something is telling you not to trust him?”

“I guess I don’t really know if I can trust my gut. You know? After Parker, my brain feels like mush. ”

“Truthfully, babe. I think if your gut is telling you something is off… It’s probably off.”

I nod and grab my kindle out of my bag, Flora pulls her recent thriller out of her own satchel and we both start reading. The tingling on the back of my head is still there, nagging at me that Flora and I are probably not alone.