Safe In His Arms (Life Unexpected #1)

by Melanie D. Snitker

  “Ha-ha. Cute.” Joel sat down next to her. “How was your afternoon?”

  She shrugged. “Hours of running my fingers through strangers’ hair. What’s not to like?”

  Brooke had been a hairdresser for the last year at a family beauty shop in town. She talked about how much she liked it, but wasn’t fond of the gossip that ran rampant in the place. There were times he thought she might quit and search for another form of employment. She had tenacity in spades. One thing he admired most about her.

  Chess fixed his plate and took a seat next to Joel. “Nice to see you in the light of day.”

  “You see me Sundays and Mondays. I have a diner to run.”

  “That’s what managers are for,” Brooke said around a bite. “You have a great crew. They can get along without you once in a while.”

  Joel bit back a “Yes, Mom,” comment. He usually stayed at the diner from nine in the morning until closing at eight. Then there was an hour of clean-up. Yes, it made for a long day, but he didn’t mind. He’d always been the type to focus on one thing and put his all into it.

  Even still, everyone else encouraged him to back off on the hours. But he didn’t see how opening another diner would do anything but add more to his day.

  Chess cleared his throat. “Brooke said you hired someone.”

  Joel ate a forkful of beans. “She’s supposed to start tomorrow morning.”

  Chess dipped a chicken strip in white gravy. “Oh, I remember you talking about Sam quitting. He was good. You think she’ll be able to take his place?”

  “Honestly? I’m not sure. But there was something about her… I knew I had to hire her.” He just hoped he hadn’t made a mistake. He half expected her to not show tomorrow.

  “A God thing?” Brooke raised an eyebrow.

  “Yeah. A God thing.”

  Chess groaned. “I thought we’d agreed to leave God out of our conversations.”

  Silence descended on the room. Joel ran a hand over the stubble on his chin and jaw.

  Religion had been a sore spot with Chess since Joel first met him. But it was Chess who kept them together, provided for them in the early days.

  And they’d been relying on each other ever since. They were the family none of them would have had otherwise.

  ~

  The next morning, Joel was relieved when Anastasia marched into the diner five minutes before nine. She was punctual and that spoke a lot about her work ethic already.

  She’d pulled her hair up into a high ponytail. Joel was struck by how short she was — especially compared to him. There’s no way she was any taller than five foot two.

  Anastasia strode right up to the counter, back straight. “Good morning.” Her brilliant eyes looked determined.

  “Good morning,” he greeted. A light citrus scent reached his nose. “Courtney, come up here for a moment, please?”

  “Sure thing, boss.” Courtney came around the corner with a paper towel in her hand. “What’s up?”

  “This is Anna. She’ll be here in the mornings to help with prep and then stick around until six.” Joel watched as the two women shook hands. “Courtney’s been with me for a year now. She works mornings until noon. She knows what she’s doing — at least when it comes to prep work.” He winked and Courtney rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “More of the crew will arrive at ten and the manager at ten-thirty. I’ll introduce you as I can.”

  Anastasia nodded, her eyes wide.

  He motioned for her to follow him. “Come with me and I’ll get your timecard set up and show you how to do that. Then I’ll turn you over to Courtney.”

  Anastasia curled a section of hair around a finger while she seemed to take it all in.

  “You will be one of two people responsible for prepping lunch and then again for dinner later. That includes slicing the veggies for burgers, getting salads ready, filling condiment containers, and anything else that needs to be done.”

  “What will I be doing during the rest of the time?”

  “I’ll put you on the line building burgers once you’re up to speed. For the first couple of days, you can watch and see how we operate.” Joel tipped his head towards the dining room. “And clean up whenever you have spare time.” She looked thoughtful. “In those rare moments when you have nothing to do, I usually send the newest employee to clean out the duct work.” He nodded towards the ceiling, working to keep a straight face.

  Her jaw dropped a little and her gaze lifted to the panels above her. “Oh. Sure.”

  “I’m only teasing.” She stared at him as though she weren’t sure what to believe. “No cleaning out the ducts. I save that for the employees who don’t show up for their shifts on time.”

  One corner of her mouth lifted briefly before falling again. She was taking everything way too seriously, as though her entire life depended on doing this job as close to perfect as possible. Joel didn’t think she’d relaxed at all since coming in. As pretty as she was now, he could imagine what she’d look like when she smiled. He resisted the urge to put a hand on her shoulder. “This is a job and it’ll keep you jumping during rushes. But there’s no rule against having fun. Ask questions if you have them.”

  “I will. Thank you for the opportunity. You won’t be sorry.”

  He offered an encouraging smile and left her with Courtney. He was going through paperwork when he overheard Courtney’s voice in the back.

  “What kind of music do you like to listen to?”

  There was a pause before Anastasia’s soft voice responded. “Pop. Country. I guess almost anything.”

  A moment later, country music played from the radio on the counter in the back. Courtney’s voice promptly joined in.

  When Courtney had originally asked for permission to listen to music while working on the prep, he’d agreed. Whether it was thanks to the music or not, he didn’t know, but the college student was crazy fast. And she had decent taste in music, even if her voice wasn’t always on key.

  In the beginning stages of putting together a business plan, Joel had been certain he wanted the diner to be a fun place for his employees to work. In his opinion, a crew that enjoyed going to work would translate into an establishment his customers not only remembered, but wanted to go back to.

  It’d proven true. His people were happy to be there.

  His thoughts went back to Anastasia. He didn’t understand what her situation was or what brought her to his diner. But it was clear she needed this job.

  There’d been more than one college student come through that Joel had taken under his wing. He had that same inclination towards Anastasia, except it was much more urgent. I gave her a job, Lord. What else do you want me to do?

  Chapter Four

  Anna’s first day at the diner flew by at lightning speed. She spent both of her breaks and her entire lunch hour at the park with Epic. The cheeseburger for lunch was great and her dog concurred. It would make the sandwich at dinner much more palatable.

  She met several other co-workers over the course of the day. That included Adam, one of the diner’s managers. He’d been working there for less than a year but had moved into the position quickly. Anna could see why. He had a take-charge personality and everyone else respected him.

  Both Adam and Joel had patiently showed her how the diner operated as the day progressed. It was still a lot to absorb.

  By the time six o’clock came around, her feet ached. And to think, she’d be coming back for round two tomorrow. Truthfully, it felt good to be active and productive. She thought she preferred this over what she did at the agency.

  She was clocking out for the evening when a sound behind her brought her around. Joel gave her a reassuring smile.

  “You did great today. You’ll be fine here. Do you have any questions for me?”

  Exhausted, Anna wasn’t sure she could carry on a conversation, much less form an intelligent question. “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Then I’ll see you again tomorrow at nine
?”

  “Yes, I’ll be here.” Anna was again struck by how much taller Joel was than her. She was sure his lean stature made him seem even more so. No doubt about it, he was handsome. And those eyes…

  Anna realized she was staring at his face. Heat flooded to her cheeks and she put her timecard back in its slot.

  “Have a good night.”

  “You, too.” Anna raced out of the diner. She jogged across the parking lot and smiled when she saw Epic with his nose pressed against the window of the van. The moment the door opened, he bounded out and knocked her to the ground. It was hard to protest when his tongue bathed her face and he wagged his tail excitedly.

  Moments later, Epic was sniffing her pants and shirt, his nose making wet marks as he snuffled. “Oh, come on. I can’t smell that bad.” She lifted the neck of her shirt to her nose and grimaced. “Never mind. Let’s go for a run. Then I guess it’s back to the truck stop for a shower.”

  There were several other vehicles in the park today. Anna kept an eye out, attempting to identify which people went to which car or truck. The odds were small that Liam would track her here. The remote possibility was enough to make her blood run cold.

  The sooner she saved enough money to get into an apartment or something similar, the better off they’d be. As it was, she felt the most exposed at night.

  She’d much rather have more than a van separating her from everything else in the world. She could only imagine how nervous she would be, though, if not for Epic.

  ~

  At a new truck stop, Anna relished the hot water as it pelted against her neck and back. She washed her hair twice to get all of the grease and diner smell out. She couldn’t wait to have her own place and be able to take a hot shower whenever she wanted to.

  She leaned her head back into the water and rinsed the conditioner from her hair. As she wiped the water from her face, she heard the handle on the outer door jiggle.

  Anna froze. She locked the door when she came in, didn’t she?

  Yes. She definitely locked the door. Maybe someone was checking to see if the shower was occupied. After a few minutes of listening, Anna relaxed again.

  The flip-flops on her feet clung to the shower floor and made slurping noises as she turned to finish rinsing the soap off her body.

  Anna turned the water off, reached for the towel she’d left on the bench nearby, and dried herself. Then she wrapped the towel around her hair.

  By the time she blow dried her hair and got dressed again, she was ready to get back to the van. A snack and sleep were in order. She stuffed her things into her duffle bag.

  With the bag over one shoulder, she went through the truck stop store and exited out the double sliding doors. The air was already cooling off for the night.

  Anna turned the corner of the building. A man stepped in her path without warning and she bumped into his chest.

  “Excuse me, miss. Do you have any spare change?”

  “No.” She shrank from him, stumbling several steps backwards. The lights of the truck stop seemed miles away. He met her retreat with forward strides of his own. He was too close.

  Suddenly, Anna was back in the supply room at the agency. She’d dropped a box. The lid came off and sheets of paper scattered all over the floor. Liam stepped into the room moments later, his face turning red when he saw the mess.

  She apologized and promised she’d clean it up. He said she’d better. He then grabbed her by the arm and pushed her against the wall, insisting that every last sheet of paper had better be usable when she was finished.

  Anna felt fear creep up her spine and burrow itself in her chest.

  She took another step away from the man in front of her. “Please, leave me alone.”

  His eyes widened and he held up his hands in surrender.

  She didn’t wait long enough to see what happened next. Turning towards her van, she took off at a run. She paid no attention to traffic. The sharp sound of a horn blasting barely made it through the fog.

  At the van, Anna hit the side with more force than she’d intended. She unlocked the door, jumped inside, and locked it again.

  Her heart pounded in her chest and she realized she was panting.

  Calm down, Anna. Lord, help me calm down.

  Epic whined and lifted himself until the front half of his body draped over her lap. His weight combined with the extra oxygen helped slow the adrenaline coursing through her body. She allowed herself to bury her face in Epic’s fur. “Thanks, friend. You always know exactly what I need.”

  Tears pricked at her eyelids.

  She shuddered against the memory that running into the guy in the parking lot had evoked. It was the first time Liam had put a hand on her when he became angry. Her confusion and shock still registered as though it’d just happened.

  Even states away, Liam still had a real hold on her life.

  ~

  The next morning, Anna held back a yawn. After the incident in the parking lot, she hadn’t slept well most of the night. She’d also decided she wouldn’t be going there for showers in the evenings anymore. Getting up earlier in the morning sounded like a much better alternative.

  She tried to focus on slicing tomatoes before she added the tip of a finger to the bin.

  The song on the radio ended and a commercial aired. Courtney cleared her throat. “How long have you been in Quintin?”

  Anna guessed her co-worker to be around twenty-one. The only thing Courtney seemed to like to do more than talk was sing.

  “I’ve been here a while.” Anna cringed at the half truth. Well, compared to an afternoon, it had been a while. “It’s a nice town. You?”

  “I was born here. I’m going to college in Fort Worth now.”

  “What are you studying?”

  Courtney moved her pile of onion slices to one of the food bins. “Business.”

  A song came on then and Courtney went back to singing. The less anyone here knew of her past, the better. Which was fine by Anna.

  Courtney reminded Anna a little of Callie, a friend she’d made at the advertising agency. While Courtney was more of a free spirit, they both had an air of positivity that Anna found refreshing.

  Thinking about her friend made her frown. Callie had been proof you never truly knew a person. When Anna shared how Liam reacted to the dropped paper, Callie told her maybe she overreacted and she should be grateful to have Liam for a boyfriend. Anna didn’t confide in her friend again after that.

  Anna finished with the tomatoes and moved on to the lettuce. There was no sense in dwelling on the past now. She had to take things one day at a time. One goal at a time.

  “It’s five minutes till ten!” Joel’s deep voice carried to them from the front.

  Without missing a beat, Courtney switched the radio off and kept singing along to the tune that must’ve continued to play in her head. She halted. “You going to the cookout?”

  Anna’s confusion must have been obvious because Courtney elaborated.

  “Joel has all of us over to his house the first Sunday in March for a steak dinner. It’s awesome. He does this almost every spring and fall break. Are you coming?”

  Anna shrugged. “I hadn’t heard about it. I’m not sure I’m invited.”

  Courtney raised her voice and shouted to the front, “Hey, boss! Anna’s invited to the cookout, right?”

  Joel appeared around the corner. “Of course. Wow, that’s this Sunday, isn’t it? I guess I’d better order some steaks.” He gave them a wink. “I’ll print out directions. I’ll provide the meat and drinks. All you’ll need to bring is your favorite side or dessert.”

  “That sounds like fun.”

  Joel left the room. The scent of his cologne, however, remained. Anna was beginning to associate the hints of pine and spice with him. Too bad he was her boss. The man was helpful, handsome, and he smelled good, too. A dangerous combination.

  Anna forced her mind to a safer topic. The cookout. She had mixed feelings about t
he event. A big part of her looked forward to it. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a steak.

  But a social gathering would undoubtedly lead to questions. Questions she didn’t want to field. The thought alone turned her stomach into knots.

  She couldn’t avoid other people forever, though. And eventually she’d be at home here in Quintin. That meant making new friends. Right? So far, the people she’d met at the diner had been nice enough.

  Anna shivered. After everything with Liam and Callie, she wondered if she might be better off staying on her own. Someday, she’d own a large place and become the old cat lady — but with dogs instead.

  She pictured a houseful of Epics and chuckled. No one in their right mind would step a toenail into her home.

  Chapter Five

  “Have you heard from Brooke?”

  Chess’s insistent voice brought Joel’s attention to him. He paused the boxing game he was playing on the console and checked the clock. It was Thursday and a few minutes after ten in the evening. “Not a thing.”

  Chess grunted and leaned against the bar that separated the living room from the kitchen. He hooked his thumbs into the belt loops of his pants.

  Joel stood from the couch and turned. “What’s wrong?”

  “She went on a dinner date with Paul. She has work first thing in the morning. I didn’t expect her to be out this late.”

  Joel figured Brooke would be back by now, too. But it wasn’t like this was the first time she’d stayed out late. Especially with her boyfriend. “This is the first date they’ve had in a couple of weeks. She works hard, Chess. She deserves to get out once in a while.” Even so, concern had him anxious for her to return now.

  Chess clenched his jaw but said nothing. He disappeared into the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with a bottle of soda. He sat down on a chair to watch Joel play his game but was up moments later pacing the room.

  At eleven thirty, Joel turned the game off. He glanced over to find Chess glaring at the clock, his expression tight.