“Under normal circumstances I would have been in the audience that night because Triple M is solid music and Maggie’s got an exceptional voice I enjoy hearing. But Lynne would be distracted—‘My boyfriend’s here, I should introduce him to Maggie’—and she’d stew over how to do it without making Maggie uncomfortable, get stuck in a planning loop on what exact words to say and when . . .” Jim stopped and grinned. “I love that about Lynne, even as it causes no ends of problems, that true-north sense in her about how things are supposed to be. She’s got a good heart.
“So instead of the concert, I worked the coffee-shop counter, let Lynne have her perfect night without distraction. I knew she’d be here by the time I was closing up at midnight to tell me about every—and I do mean truly every—minute of her special night. So I pushed off eating, figuring I’d put in a pizza and get a slice into her when she came—she wouldn’t have thought of touching food once she went in to work about two that afternoon.
“The door chimes at two minutes to midnight as I’m turning chairs up, getting ready to mop.” Jim blew out a steady stream of smoke. “It’s not Lynne.”
Evie could see the soap opera setting itself up. Lynne’s most exciting night, and Jenna’s timing for when to stir the pot playing out to perfection.
“I realized later that Steve was out of town. Had I caught there was an away game, I would have been braced and prepared. Instead, here’s Jenna with her apologetic smile and her, ‘Am I too late to get the last coffee in the pot? And can you add whipped cream?’
“It’s been policy ever since the coffee shop opened that a customer even a minute before midnight gets served, and the full menu stays available. Doesn’t matter if it’s Dillon nursing a black eye after a fight with his wife and wanting a pizza, Officer Kelly looking for a refill for his thermos, or a group of eight students wanting specialty drinks. So I get Jenna her coffee and reopen the register to make change. Jenna’s chatting away, and I’m not paying much attention. I’m finishing out closing and watching the door for Lynne. I don’t notice Jenna’s getting annoyed with my lack of attention.”
Jim paused as he considered what came next, glanced over to see if Evie was still engaged, seemed relieved she looked relaxed. “Jenna never mentioned she’d been at the concert, never mentioned she’d been at her apartment only long enough to drop off her things and head back out. No, her spin for this is she’s got an important paper to write, but she can’t stand to be inside another minute, even if it’s coming up on midnight; she just had to get in a walk. She’d just walk over here, stop for coffee, and if I was through for the night, I could be a gentleman and walk her back home.
“It wasn’t the first time she’d done the late-night-stroll, I-walk-her-home pitch—it had become just something else to avoid with her. I’d started leaving Greg on the clock—the guy who covers nights on the music side—paying him the extra half hour so I could send him to walk Jenna home, given he lived two buildings down from her. It wasn’t worth the grief I’d get from the women in my world when it got around—and Jenna would make sure it did—that I had told her to walk herself home.”
Jim gave a pained smile. “Jenna was setting Lynne up to see us in a clinch. Only thing I can figure she was thinking. ‘Steve’s out of town, I’m bored, not ready to call it an evening, so let’s make some mischief.’” He stubbed out the cigarette. “Lynne was going to walk in on a kiss or a slap to the face—I’m not sure which way Jenna had it planned. But Lynne doesn’t show. Jenna’s checking her watch, nursing that coffee to make it last, and I finally realize what the witch has in mind. Burns me good. The best night of Lynne’s life, and Jenna’s looking to cause her grief.
“So I move to the door, watching the street, ready to intercept Lynne, while Jenna takes her sweet time on the last sips. It would have worked. I’m sure Jenna had her cover story planned. She was waiting at the coffee shop because ‘I just had to hear about how great your night with Maggie went. I had no idea Jim was going to get flirty,’ and Lynne would have bought that in a heartbeat, even as she looked at me with crushed hurt for kissing someone else. Jenna was out to ruin Lynne’s happy evening, use me to do the hurting.
“It’s getting later than normal for Lynne, and I’m getting worried about her. Her agreement with her mom to ‘settle somewhere by midnight’ has always been pretty much gospel with Lynne. So I kill the lights at twelve-thirty, walk Jenna home mostly to get rid of her, who’s stewing now and not talking. I figured I would meet up with Lynne, because if she’s coming from either her home or the Music Hall, that’s the street she’ll take. I know she’s going to be brimming to overflow about her night, wouldn’t just decide she’s tired and turn in for the night. But there’s no sign of Lynne.