Quicksilver Dreams(167)
I grabbed a paper towel from the roll in the kitchen, grabbed a pen from my purse and wrote a quick note that I left on the granite counter. It would have to do. Snagging my purse and phone, I started to pack my smartphone into its holder when I realized it needed to be charged. I hadn’t charged it the previous two nights, being that I was on a different planet and all, so I needed to plug it in now, which I did. There was a plug next to the nightstand in the guest room, and I was able to leave it there, where it was already programmed to serve as an alarm tomorrow morning for work. My everything phone. My one luxury. I loved it.
I slung my purse over my shoulder and went downstairs.
The restaurant was very quaint, rustic and casual. Small, bistro-size tables graced both inside and out space, each containing miniature glass vases with a fresh rose. The glass case had all kinds of this-will-equal-more-time-at-the-gym pastries and sweets that were calling to me. Evil things! Pure evil! My good angel must have been prostrate with hunger on my left shoulder, totally failing me, because my little devil took over on my right shoulder, telling me that I needed to grab a chocolate croissant as dessert for later. I got in the line, which felt extraordinarily long, but which also gave me time to thoroughly analyze the menu options. A black chalkboard behind the cashier sported a simple menu of sandwiches, wraps and salads, all of which looked tasty. I chose some turkey-and-cheese sandwiches, thinking that would be generic enough for everyone’s tastes, and I happily paid for it with my credit card.
It took fifteen minutes for all of the food to be ready, so I took a quick stroll along the boardwalk to peek in at the different shops and vendors, wanting a few moments of normal before reentering my alternate reality of other planets, mind reading, dreamwalking and people trying to kill me.
When the food was ready, I liked the ambiance of the restaurant so much that, figuring the guys were probably still working in their secret room, I went ahead and decided to eat comfortably at a table on my own. I hadn’t had any alone time in days, and I needed the peace. Letting down my wall to see if being completely open helped me to be successful, I practiced my telepathic abilities—shamelessly listening in on thoughts and feelings, justifying it by telling myself that I needed to practice, that I wasn’t doing any harm and that I needed to experiment with this amazing ability. Yeah, right. It was actually just fun, but no one was giving up any good gossip, so I started thinking about my to-do list.
My car had to take priority. Was there anything I could sell? Did I have anything valuable? Maybe I could put up a few of my nicer shoes and clothes for sale online. It wouldn’t have to be too many, as I only likely needed a couple hundred dollars. Was the car even worth it? Would it just be easier to use public transportation? That would save me gas money, insurance and registration fees. Hmm. Verifying where the car was would probably be most important. Maybe I could call the police for that. I did have to get back to work tomorrow. It would do me no good to get fired at this point.
Feeling like I could breathe again, I grabbed my purse, trashed my sandwich container and grabbed the food bag for the guys.
I was feeling pretty good again, in control, until I went back upstairs.
Sy met me at the door with fiercely drawn eyebrows that eradicated his dimples completely. He looked worried and impatient. Obviously, something was wrong. “Taylor, where have you...” Sy broke off with a groan. “I can see where you’ve been. You went down to get food.”
“I left a note.”
“You did?”
“On the counter. Where’s Ryder?” I glanced around with a sense of foreboding. He felt gone.
“Out looking for you.”
“What? Why? I went to get sandwiches. I haven’t been gone all that long. Maybe forty minutes at most.” I sounded defensive to my own ears. My blood pumped with a frisson of alarm.