Chapter 81: Watching and Waiting

Chapter 81: Watching and Waiting

Ethan's POV

The engine ticked as it cooled down. I'd been parked across from Olivia's house for the past hour, slouched low in my seat like some kind of private investigator from a bad movie. The irony wasn't lost on me.

"Come on, Olivia," I muttered, checking my phone for the third time in five minutes. "Where the hell are you going?"

The porch light flickered on. Finally.

She stepped out wearing that old jacket. She looked left, then right, like she was checking for something. Or someone.

Smart girl.

My heart started beating faster as she walked down the driveway. She had that loook on her face. Olivia the truth-teller. Olivia the problem.

She climbed into her ride and backed out slowly. Too slowly.

"Interesting," I said to the empty car.

I waited until she was halfway down Maple Street before starting my engine. Basic surveillance 101—not that I'd ever needed to use it before this week.

The Honda's taillights glowed red at the stop sign. Left turn. Toward downtown. At 8:30 at night, there weren't many places open. The diner, maybe. Or...

"The coffee shop. Of course."

I parked two blocks away and walked. The air bit at my face, and I pulled my collar up higher. The streetlights created pools of yellow on the cracked sidewalk, and somewhere a dog was barking endlessly.

This whole thing felt surreal. Like I was watching myself from outside my body. When did my life turn into this mess?

Through the coffee shop window, I could see Olivia sitting at a small table near the back. She was fidgeting with her phone, checking the door every few seconds.

"Meeting someone, are we?"

A guy walked in about five minutes later. Tall, broad shoulders, wearing a flannel shirt like he'd just stepped out of an L.L. Bean catalog. He looked familiar, but I couldn't place him.

He spotted Olivia immediately and walked over with a smile. They hugged—a quick, friendly hug—and he sat down across from her.

I moved closer to the window, staying in the shadows between two parked cars. The glass was fogged up from the heat inside, but I could still make out their body language.

Olivia was leaning forward, talking fast. Her hands were moving a lot, which meant she was either excited or nervous. Probably nervous.

The guy—whoever he was—listened intently. He nodded a few times, reached across the table to touch her hand. Supportive. Caring.

"Great. Just great." I kicked at a loose piece of concrete. "She's telling him everything."

They talked for maybe twenty minutes. I watched other customers come and go, a steady stream of people with their simple problems and simple lives. Must be nice.

Finally, Olivia stood up. She gathered her purse and jacket, said something to the guy, and headed for the door.

This was my chance.

I jogged around the block to position myself near her car. The street was mostly empty except for a few vehicles and the occasional person walking their dog.

The coffee shop door chimed as she came out. She walked quickly, her breath visible in small puffs in the cold air.

"Olivia."

She spun around so fast she nearly dropped her keys. "Jesus! Ethan? What are you doing here?"

"Funny. I was about to ask you the same thing." I stepped out of the shadows, keeping my voice casual. "Little late for coffee, don't you think?"

Her face went pale under the streetlight. "I... I was just meeting a friend."

"A friend." I nodded slowly. "Anyone I know?"

"I don't think that's any of your business."

"Oh, but it is my business, Olivia. Especially when that friend is hearing stories about things that should stay private."

She took a step backward. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really? Because from where I was standing, it looked like you were having a pretty intense conversation in there."

"You were watching me?" Her voice cracked slightly.

"I was in the neighborhood."

"Bullshit." The word came out sharper than she probably intended. "You followed me here."

I shrugged. "Does it matter how I got here? What matters is what you were discussing with your friend."

"Nothing that concerns you."

"Everything concerns me right now, Olivia. Especially anything related to what happened with Celeste the other night."

Her eyes widened. Bingo.

"You remember, don't you? You remember all of it."

"I don't—"

"Don't lie to me." I stepped closer. "The question is, what are you planning to do about it?"

She was pressed against a car now, fumbling with her hands. "I'm not planning to do anything."

"Good. Because that would be smart. That would be the right choice."

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm having a conversation. A friendly conversation between old friends."

"This doesn't feel friendly."

"Then maybe you should listen more carefully. Because I'm trying to help you understand something important."

Her hands were shaking now. The keys jingled as she tried to find the right one.

"What I'm trying to explain," I continued, "is that some things are better left alone. Some stories don't need to be told."

"Ethan—"

"Hey!" A voice called out from behind me. "Everything okay over here?"

I turned to see flannel shirt guy jogging toward us, something clutched in his hand.

Perfect. Just perfect.

"Everything's fine," I said, forcing a smile. "Just catching up with an old friend."

But the guy wasn't buying it. He looked at Olivia, took in her body language, the way she was pressed against the car.

"Olivia? You all right?"

"I..." She started to say something, but the words seemed stuck.

"She's fine," I said, louder this time. "We're just talking."

"Doesn't look like talking to me." The guy stepped between us. "I'm Thomas, by the way. And you are?"

"Ethan. And this really isn't your concern, Thomas."

"When someone looks uncomfortable, it becomes my concern." He held up what was in his hand—a blue scarf. "You left this on the table."

Olivia took it with trembling fingers. "Thank you."

"You want me to walk you to your ride?" Thomas asked, never taking his eyes off me.

"Her ride is right here," I pointed out.

"I wasn't talking to you."

The guy had balls, I'd give him that. But he was making this more complicated than it needed to be.

"Yes," Olivia said quietly. "That would be good."

"Great." Thomas put himself between me and Olivia. "Nice meeting you, Ethan. Have a good night."

It was a dismissal. A polite but firm dismissal.

"Olivia," I said as she opened her car door. "Think about what we discussed. Think carefully."

Thomas stepped forward. "I think that's enough discussion for one night."

"Is it?" I looked at him, really looked at him. Clean-cut, confident, probably played football in high school. The kind of guy who always did the right thing. "And what exactly makes you think you have a say in this?"

"Basic human decency."

I actually laughed at that. "Human decency. That's rich."

"What's rich is a grown man cornering a woman in a parking lot at night."

The words hit like a slap. "Cornering? I was having a conversation."

"Conversations happen when both people want to be there."

Olivia had gotten into the car by now. She was watching us through the windshield.

"You don't know what you're talking about," I said.

"I know what I saw. And I know what I'm seeing now."

"Which is?"

"Someone who needs to walk away before this gets worse."

The threat was subtle but clear. I had to admire his technique.

"This isn't over," I said, stepping back.

"Yes, it is." Thomas's voice was calm but firm. "Because if I see you bothering her again, we're going to have a different kind of conversation. The kind that involves badges and handcuffs."

Olivia's engine finally turned over. Her driver pulled out of the parking space slowly, giving Thomas a small wave as she drove past.

I watched the taillights disappear around the corner, then looked back at Thomas. He was still standing there, watching me.

"You have no idea what you just stepped into," I told him.

"Probably not. But I know what I stepped out of."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning she's safe now. And that's what matters."

He turned and walked back toward the coffee shop, leaving me standing alone in the empty parking lot.

I pulled out my phone and scrolled to Celeste's number. Maybe it was time to change tactics. Maybe it was time to get ahead of this story before it got ahead of me.

The wind picked up, scattering dead leaves across the asphalt. Winter was coming early this year.

Just like everything else I wasn't ready for.