Caught in Darkness by Rose Wulf Page B

what
she hoped was a reassuring smile. “That’s not necessary, really. Don’t worry
about it.”
    The bells over the door jingled,
drawing both girls’ attention, and Veronica said a silent thank you. She wasn’t
sure what else to say to put Nikki at ease and the last thing she needed was to
have Nikki watching her closely with a ring of bruises barely concealed on her
neck.
     
    Veronica hadn’t yet managed to look
over to acknowledge the newest customer—as she was busy counting change—when
Nikki moved next to her ear and murmured, “I was wondering where he was!”
    Her customer moved on, awaiting his
drink, and Veronica opened her mouth to ask who Nikki was talking about when
the answer stepped up to the register. It was Seth.
    A smile immediately lifted her
lips, though Veronica was honestly surprised to see him, and she couldn’t stop
herself from greeting him with a light, “Hey, there.”
    His lips twitched in response to
her greeting and he pulled something from his pocket as he said, “I’ve got a
gift for you.” Turning his closed fist so that it was facing up, he opened his
hand and revealed three shiny keys.
    Veronica sucked in a surprised
breath, knowing immediately what those keys were, and turned a smile up to him,
exclaiming, “You are amazing. When you said you’d call the locksmith it never
even occurred to me that you’d just handle everything.” As she spoke she
scooped the keys into her hands, relishing the smooth shine of their reflective
gold metal.
    “You’re welcome,” Seth replied, the
faintest of laughs lifting his voice.
    She deposited the keys into her
jeans pocket, behind the apron, as the bells over the door signaled another
customer and a tinge of disappointment shot through her. Work day’s not done
yet, she reminded herself.
    “I suppose this is the part where I
order my coffee,” Seth said, as if he were reading her mind.
    Hypnotism. That should probably pretty high on my list, too. It was official: there was
something wrong with her. There was no time to dwell on that, however, so she
released a soft laugh and asked, “Don’t suppose I could talk you into something
to eat this time?”
    Seth shook his head as he handed
over the cash, replying, “Don’t have much of a sweet tooth, I’m afraid. I’ll
see you soon.” He waited only long enough to acknowledge her nod before turning
and moving to the pickup counter to wait for his drink.
    Veronica bit back a sigh and turned
her attention to the new customer, all the while wondering which was worse: the
fact that there was a chance she was being brainwashed or the fact that she was
aware of this possibility and yet she couldn’t bring herself to care. She
really would have to remember to ask him about that later, though. Which should be easy enough, since he’s picking me up. And,
in the meantime, she had one less weight hanging over her shoulders.
    “Why did you never tell me you knew
him?” Nikki stage-whispered as she worked on making the drink
after Seth’s a moment later. “And, more importantly, what was that he
just gave you?”
    Desperately wishing for another
customer to walk through the door, Veronica quietly replied, “I haven’t known
him very long, it’s not like I was hiding something. And he gave me keys.” As
soon as the words were out of her mouth she wished she had said something else.
Even she realized that that would require further questions from anyone who was
actually participating in a conversation.
    “Keys?” Nikki repeated, her hands stalling over the supplies for a beat as she turned
surprised, confused eyes toward Veronica. “He gave you keys to his place?” The
incredulity in her voice was tangible, and Veronica was amazed she hadn’t
spoken louder.
    “No,” Veronica replied, feeling
strangely like she’d been backed into a corner. “They’re keys to my place.” Okay,
that definitely sounded worse. Oh, man. How was she supposed to talk her way
out of this