Read Chapter One of Broken Paradise…
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ROWAN
���Order up!���
The shout came from the kitchen and Rowan moved swiftly on her feet. She had already spilled coffee, sugar, and creamer on her apron when all she really needed was a steaming cup of them combined in her veins.
���I heard you the first time,��� she shouted to Lou as she pushed through the door to the kitchen. ���We���re swamped out there, and Aunt Stacey isn���t back from her doctor���s appointment. Can you cut me some slack?���
When the lunch crowd came, they came with a vengeance, and it was usually an all-hands-on-deck situation.
Lou looked down his sweat-beaded nose at her. ���Sorry, kid, I didn���t think you heard me.��� His tone was considerate, but his expression showed her he was just as tired and not impressed much either by the way his morning was going.
���I���m sorry I���m cranky,��� she said as a yawn escaped her mouth.
���It���s not late enough in the day for that.��� Lou looked away and shook his head. His rough exterior was only a shell of the kind heart he kept inside.
���I had a rough night.��� Her dreams were getting worse, but she didn���t want to alarm anyone by sharing. They would just call her crazy again. She grabbed the order for table six.
Lou took the towel from his shoulder and wiped his gray brows and beard. ���I worked a double. We all had a rough night.���
As she was going out, Mandy was on her way in, wide-eyed and frantic. ���You don���t want to go out there,��� she said, standing in Rowan���s way.
���Yeah, I do. This chicken-fried steak is getting cold.��� She tried to get by, but Mandy was against it.
���I���ll take it out.��� She tried to take the dishes, only for Rowan to resist.
���No, you won���t.��� She wasn���t sure what had come over the woman, but she didn���t want to give her any of her tips.
���Look, Mandy, unless there���s a grizzly bear or armed assailant out there, get the hell out of my way.���
���Fine. Take a look for yourself.��� She gave a shrug. ���You���ll wish you listened to me.���
���Thanks for the detailed warning,��� she mumbled as she pushed through the door, only to see what all the fuss was about. And then her eyes locked in on the only explanation.
Officer Tyler Harper sat across the room in a booth, all to himself. His hair was slicked back from wearing his cap, which he had taken off and put on the table.
Rowan felt her breath hitch but knew she had to do her job. She was already earning more than a few dirty looks from the crowded room, and not one of them would care about her ex-boyfriend drama.
She went across to the table where the chicken-fried steak belonged and placed it in front of Clark Peters, who looked like he had been working hard all morning with a prominent sweat stain down the front of his shirt.
���Thanks,��� he said, wasting no time digging in.
Temple Ridge was a small but active town, with many people passing through daily to work in the nearby plants and refineries, lumber mills, or in Clark���s case, the local highway department a town over, where he operated heavy equipment.
Come midday, everyone came to Dip���s Dig-in Diner, or as known to the locals, Dips, for a hearty, not so healthy lunch.
Everyone but her ex-high school sweetheart and former Temple Ridge quarterback turned police officer, Tyler Harper, who had not graced the diner with his presence for the past ten years.
She took a deep breath and focused. ���Can I get you anything else, Clark?���
The man smacked his lips and spoke with his mouth full. ���I���m good, honey. Maybe a coffee to go when I���m done?���
���You got it,��� she said, patting his shoulder. She took a deep breath and turned to Tyler. ���Officer.��� She gave a curt nod.
The fact that he greeted her with a shit-eating grin didn���t help his case any. ���Hey, Row,��� he said. ���I wasn���t sure I���d see you in here.���
Rowan looked around her and forced a smile that was steeped with so much acid it smelled like vinegar. ���Yeah, right. What do you want?���
���I just came in for something to eat,��� he said defensively.
She tried very hard to hold her temper. ���What do you want from the menu?��� she said with a tight jaw.
���Oh, yeah, um. Gosh, it���s been so long.���
���Well, I���ll give you a hint. The menu is the same as it was back then.���
���Well, that���s good to know.��� He glanced at her and quickly turned his eyes back to the menu. ���Um, I guess I���ll have what I used to get.���
Rowan let go of a sigh and rocked back on her feet. ���Which is? I know you don���t expect me to remember what you ate ten years ago.��� She could recite it in her sleep.
���Well, you���re just as sassy as ever,��� he said with a frown. ���At least some things haven���t changed.���
���And you���re wasting my time. I have orders piling up in the back. So, what will it be?���
���Jalapeno burger and fries.���
���Regular or curly?��� She took the order but wasn���t going to give him the satisfaction that she still knew it by heart. No mustard, extra cheese. Curly.
���Curly,��� he said as if she should remember all the times they shared them after school. ���And a������
���Root beer?��� She marked it down, frowning that she had given herself away.
���See? You do remember.��� He gave a big grin.
���I remember plenty. How���s the wife?���
His goofy grin faded. ���Divorced. But you knew that too.��� He looked her dead in the eye. ���How���s the mental health?���
Rowan turned and walked away. She didn���t have to stand there and listen to that. She went to the back to put in the order, trying not to scream.
Aunt Stacey came out of the back office about the time that Rowan walked over to the sink to wet a paper towel. When she placed it on her forehead to cool down, Stacey joined her.
���Are you feeling okay?��� she asked with a concerned tone.
���Yeah, what about you? What did the doctor say?���
Aunt Stacey gave her a reassuring look. ���Still cancer free. Nothing to worry about.��� She gave her a look. ���Something is wrong.���
Mandy breezed by with a plate of food in each hand. ���It���s Officer Harper. He���s out front.���
���Did something happen while I was gone?��� said Stacey, knowing that the policeman wouldn���t stop in unless someone was being arrested.
���He just came in to get a bite,��� said Rowan, waving her hand dismissively.
Mandy rushed by again, her sandy-blonde ponytail swinging behind her. ���I told you I���d do it. But no, you wouldn���t listen.���
���You can bring him his food,��� she said. ���I don���t want his tip.���
���Anymore,��� Mandy muttered with a grin.
Stacey moved in on Rowan and gave her a big hug, pinning her arms down at her sides. ���I���m so sorry, honey. I know it brings up bad memories. But you can���t let him get to you.���
���I���m fine. And he���s the last person who could get to me.���
���When was the last time you spoke with him?���
���After the first search for Jessica.���
Stacey gave her a sideward, pleading look. ���Are you going to ever forgive him, Rowan? It isn���t healthy carrying around all of that hate for another person.���
���I���m good. I don���t hate him. I just don���t have anything to say to him. And I just want this shift to be over.��� She was growing frustrated
She went to take the next order out and refilled a coffee on the way past the front counter. When she was all caught up, she did some transactions and made small talk with a few of the regulars, trying her best to keep her eyes away from his table.
Twenty minutes later, after ringing up another bill, she looked over to see that Tyler was taking his time with his lunch. Eating slow had never been a problem for him in the past. Whatever he was up to, she didn���t have time for it. Her life was complicated enough without him wanting a post-divorce one-night stand.
Rowan strolled over and looked down at him. ���You know, one thing I do remember is how you could finish that burger in three bites. And by the looks of it, your mouth didn���t get any smaller.���
���I bet there���s more you remember.��� He smiled at the well-earned dirty look she gave him but quickly decided to change his tune. ���Actually, it���s hard to eat with everyone wanting to make small talk and say hello.���
���Well, I won���t bother you. I wouldn���t want to slow you down.���
Rowan walked away and saw the crowd was finally thinning out and slowing down. The mad lunchtime rush was finally over, and she could breathe until the afternoon rush hit.
Susan Ford, the town���s librarian, was standing in the parking lot wearing a frayed sweater in the boiling heat. She came into the diner with a concerned look on her face.
���Rowan,��� she said, waving her over.
���What���s going on?��� she asked the woman, who had a habit of being a bit dramatic.
She gestured toward the parking lot. ���Do you know that little girl out there?���
She looked around the restaurant as if to see if there was someone the girl might belong to.
Rowan looked out into the lot. The little girl���s back faced Rowan. Her blonde hair was up in two pigtails, and something about her uncertain posture sparked her curiosity.
���I���m sure I don���t know her,��� she said. ���Are her parents around?���
���I don���t think so,��� said Susan. ���She looks lost, and she wouldn���t say a word to me.���
Rowan didn���t know what to make of the little girl being there alone but was sure there was a good explanation. ���I���ll go out and check on her. She may have wandered away from Ms. Opal���s.���
���You���re probably right.��� The woman checked her watch. ���I���d stay and help, but I���ve got to get my to-go order and get back to the library. But I would keep an eye on her.���
���Thanks,��� said Rowan, knowing she wasn���t going to leave the little one alone in the parking lot. She would at least have her come in and eat a slice of pie until they figured things out.
As Susan went to get her to-go order at the counter, Rowan walked out to say hello and to see if the little girl knew where her parents were.
As she approached, the little girl turned away, but Rowan called out to her. ���Hey there. I���m Rowan.���
The little girl kept her head down and her mouth shut. She wore a denim jumper dress, pink socks to match her shirt, and white tennis shoes. Her knees looked a bit scuffed, but otherwise, she didn���t seem like she was hurt.
���What���s your name?��� Rowan asked the little girl.
The girl looked up and met her eyes, which sent a bolt of blue straight to her heartstrings. The little girl reminded her so much of Jessica.
It was as if someone had taken a photograph from her childhood and made it come to life.
Rowan���s emotions stirred, and a shiver ran through her. She knelt down in front of the little girl. ���Are your mom and dad around here somewhere?���
No answer. Not one blink.
Rowan wasn���t sure if the little girl spoke the same language for all the recognition she gave. She was pale and a bit dirty too. And given that she was very thin, she was most likely hungry too. ���Do you want to go inside? I could give you a slice of pie. Any flavor you want.���
The little girl met her eyes again, this time with an anxious look, but her silence was unrelenting.
���It���s okay to talk to me. My aunt owns this place. I���ll give you anything you want for free. We even have pancakes with peaches or strawberries if you want. Or maybe a hamburger and fries?���
Susan walked out with her order. ���Did you find her mother?��� she asked.
���We���re working on it.��� Rowan looked at the little girl and saw that she had pursed her lips, causing her dimples to show. And that did it.
The resemblance was now so uncanny that she couldn���t ignore it.
Susan waved at the little girl, who didn���t wave back. ���Well, I guess I should get going,��� she said as if her feelings were hurt. ���Good luck.���
Rowan didn���t reply. She couldn���t get over how much the little girl looked like Jessica. Unfortunately, when it came to Jessica, Rowan couldn���t always trust her own judgment. She needed to double-check with someone else, to see if they saw the same resemblance.
She thought of Tyler, who was sitting just inside. She didn���t want to make small talk with him, but he had known Jessica as well as Rowan, well enough to possibly see the similarities.
���Don���t go anywhere.��� Rowan walked over to the door of the diner and stuck her head inside. ���Officer, your assistance is needed out front, please.���
Tyler, who seemed to be finished with his meal and waiting on a check, got up from his table and walked over. ���At your service.���
���There���s a little girl out here. I don���t know where she came from, but I think she may have walked down from Ms. Opal���s.���
Ms. Opal was a licensed child-care advocate who ran the Haven of Hope Children���s Home in Temple Ridge. It was located just down the street from the diner, and the little girl wouldn���t be the first kid who had wandered too far. Although Rowan had to admit, most of the children who made the trek in the past had been much older.
���I���ll handle it,��� he said, patting his stomach as if it were full. He gave her a wink and headed over.
Tyler came out to see the little girl with Rowan and gave her his big, puppy-dog grin that used to melt Rowan���s heart. ���Hey, there, little miss. What���s your name?���
The little girl turned her knees to the side and angled away from him.
Rowan nodded. ���Don���t worry, kid. He makes me feel the same way.���
���Hey,��� he said, giving her a dirty look. ���It���s okay. She doesn���t have to look at me if she doesn���t want to. But I do have to know who brought you here. Did you walk? Or did someone drop you off?���
The little girl glanced up at him and then turned her face away again.
Rowan couldn���t help herself. She had to ask. ���Does she look familiar to you?���
���No, why? Do you think you know her people?���
She knew if she brought up Jessica, he would only tease her again. ���No. I was just wondering.���
He hadn���t known Jessica for as long as she had, so the resemblance, at that age, probably wouldn���t stick out.
Tyler let go of a breath and turned to Rowan. ���Someone is bound to miss her soon enough,��� he said. ���I���ll take her down to the station and get her printed.���
The little girl���s eyes widened with fear, and Rowan wasn���t about to allow that. ���I don���t think so. You���re not taking her anywhere. You���re scaring her just mentioning it.���
���Rowan, this is police work.��� He tried to dismiss her, but she wasn���t going to stand for it. ���Someone is probably already up there looking for her.���
���Well, call them and find out. But I���m calling Ms. Opal,��� she said. ���At least she���s a professional.��� If anyone would see the resemblance to Jessica, it was the woman who raised her.
