Forever Hers by Walters, Ednah (new ebook reader .TXT) 📗

and she was taking out her frustration on poor Eddie. At one time, she’d had more allowance than she knew what to do with it. Wasted it away on parties and her friends. Now, she pinched pennies and could hardly afford to buy her daughter treats. She couldn’t even charge anything because she didn’t have a credit card. Fear of Nolan tracing it back to her had been more important.

What good did that do to her? Zilch. He still found them.

Amy shuddered and searched the parking lot again. A glimpse of a man at the end of the aisle was all she had. Same tan cargo pants, navy-blue shirt under a black leather jacket and a red baseball hat, Nolan’s signature outfit when off duty. She had rushed outside praying she had been mistaken.

By the time she’d reached the entrance, the man was gone, yet the prickly feeling of being watched persisted. She hated these mind games Nolan played. Why couldn’t he just act like a man and approach her?

“Mommy?”

Amy tensed and turned to face her daughter. She’d been afraid to ask Raelynn what she’d seen…if she’d seen Nolan too. “Yes, sweetie.”

“Is Mr. Eddie going to fix our car?”

“No, sweetie, but he’s calling someone who will do it.”

“Did Nolan break it?”

Dread knotted Amy’s stomach. He had done it a few times back in Virginia. “Why do you say that, honey?”

“I saw him,” she whispered.

Ice fingers crawled up Amy’s spine.  “Where?”

“In the store. He waved.”

That sniveling sack of shit. Amy reached out and caressed Raelynn’s cheek. Her skin was no longer clammy and her shaking had subsided. That was the last time he screwed with her child. Amy was done running. He wanted a piece of her, he’d have to come and get it, but on her terms. She didn’t know what she’d do, but she would think of something. It was time to fight back.

“Is he coming to get us?” Raelynn asked just as the door open and Eddie joined them. “I don’t want to go back.” She shoved the thumb in her mouth.

“No, sweetie. I will never, ever let that happen. I promise.” She patted her soft cheek then turned to face Eddie.

He didn’t ask questions or push for an explanation, which was just as well. She wasn’t ready to answer them. Interestingly enough, she felt safe with him even though she knew she shouldn’t. She couldn’t afford to lower her guard or depend on anyone. Nolan was her battle and the less anyone knew the better.

“I’m sorry for being snappy,” Amy said. “My daughter is not used to strangers and every time she freezes, it…it just kills me.”

If he bought her explanation, it didn’t show. “That’s okay. The tow guy will be here in ten minutes.”

“That’s fast,” she said. “Where are they towing it to?”

“The guy mentioned Jack’s Auto.”

Amy groaned.

“Is that a problem?”

It could be. “Not really. When I arrived here, I had a broken tail light and went to Jack’s Auto to have it fixed.”

Eddie’s eyes narrowed. “They were not nice to you?”

“No, no, that’s not it. They were very nice and friendly. Maybe too friendly.”

“Someone hit on you?”

“Not in a bad way.” Two guys had asked her out. She hoped they did that to all the women who stopped by their shop and didn’t remember her. It would be hard to explain to Eddie she was Amy Kincaid and Jessica Franklin—the names on her fake I.D. Other than Lauren and the Fitzgeralds, everyone knew her as Mrs. Franklin.

A flash of red from the corner of her eyes had Amy whipping around, her heartbeat hiking, but it was the red tow truck pulling up into the parking lot. Eddie left the SUV to talk to the guy. A few minutes later, he slipped behind the wheel and followed the guy.

The closer they got to Jack’s Auto, the more Amy worried about being recognized. That changed when they parked and Eddie jumped down then came around to the passenger side to open her door. She had the solution.

“Could you keep an eye on Raelynn while I take care of the paperwork?” she asked.

A surprise look crossed Eddie’s face, but he nodded. “Sure.”

“Thanks. Hey, sweetie, I’m going to talk to the car people. I’ll be right back, okay?” Raelynn nodded, her thumb slipping back inside her mouth. That habit was going to take forever to break. Amy hurried toward the service tech she’d dealt with before.

“Jessica Franklin,” the buffed up young man with shaggy blond hair said, standing up to shake her hand. “Please, sit. I never thought we’d meet again.”

She glanced over her shoulder, but she shouldn’t have bothered. Eddie had stayed by the car, where she’d left him. He was chatting with one of the mechanics, another one she recognized from her last visit.

“It’s a small town, uh, Randal,” she said, reading the name on his desk. “We were bound to run into each other.”

“What’s wrong with your car this time?”

She explained what happened and Eddie’s attempts to restart the engine.

“We can take a look at it and give you a call once we figure out what the problem is,” the mechanic said.

Amy waited as the tech filled out the paperwork and wrote down the house phone number instead of her cell phone number. She was very particular about who she gave her cell number to. She signed the form, thanked Randal, then headed back to the SUV.

They were pulling out of the parking lot when Randal flagged them. “You forgot to give me the key, Mrs. Franklin.”

“Oh, so sorry.” She dug into her purse until she found it, her face aflame. “Thanks, Randal.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow with some answers.”

A glance at Eddie confirmed her suspicions. He was studying her with narrowed eyes. She cocked her brow in a silent what?

“Mrs. Franklin?” he mouthed.

“Married name,” she fibbed, but on the insides, she wondered how many more lies she’d have to come up with to cover her tracks.

Silence filled the car as they drove away. Refusing to allow