The MORE Trilogy by T.M. Franklin Read Free Book Online Page B

one.”
    Callie was a single mother of three boys under the age of six. She worked two jobs and took online classes in the hopes of becoming a paralegal one day. Ava liked and respected her a lot and often wondered how in the world she did it all.
    “Oh, no,” Ava said, setting down her fork. “I hope he’s okay.”
    “He’ll be fine,” she said with a wave of her hand. “But he feels awful, and he’s crying for me. Jake’s gonna kill me if I ask to leave early.”
    Ava didn’t hesitate. “I’ll close for you.”
    “Oh, I couldn’t ask you to do that. You have your own stuff to deal with,” Callie said, tapping on Ava’s notebook.
    “It’s no problem,” Ava said, packing away her stuff and carrying her dishes to the bus station. “I’m as ready as I’m going to be for this test, and your baby needs you.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “Definitely. I’m supposed to be off in an hour. I’m sure Jake will let you go now that things have quieted down.”
    Callie considered it for a moment. “Thanks, Av. I owe you. Big time.”
    Ava waved a hand then tied an apron over her jeans. “Don’t worry about it.”
    Callie thanked her repeatedly before heading out, with Ava smiling and shooing her out the door as she wiped down the counter. The blonde waitress ducked into her car and sped out of the parking lot, and Ava started to turn away, only to have her eyes drawn by a movement across the street.
    Her hand froze on the counter mid-swipe as she recognized the tall, dark-haired woman standing in the dim arched doorway of a closed shop, half-hidden by a pair of topiaries flanking the entry.
    It wasn’t the woman who sent a chill down her spine, though, even when Ava recognized her as the same woman she’d seen watching her from the shadows of the administration building. It was the fact that the woman was speaking to a man—a large, muscular man dressed all in black.
    A man who bore a strong resemblance to the man from her dream.
    “Ava?”
    She jumped, shrieking slightly as her boss touched her arm.
    “What’s wrong with you?” Jake asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
    Ava turned back to the window, but the doorway across the street was empty. She ran to the front doors, slamming through them as she looked up and down the street, her heart pounding and mind racing wildly.
    It couldn’t be, could it? Where could they have gone? There was no way   .   .   .
    Jake came through the doors a moment later, wiping his thick hands on his apron before running one through his short, gray hair. “What the hell’s going on?” he asked. “What are you doing out here?”
    Ava blinked at him, eyes blown wide with shock. “I . . . uh . . . I thought I saw someone,” she said.
    Jake scanned the empty road. “Where?”
    Ava shook her head. Obviously, she was losing it. Her lack of sleep and the freaky recurring dream was messing with her mind, making her see things that weren’t there.   “Nowhere,” she mumbled with a heavy sigh. “I just . . . I need to get back to my tables.” She pushed her way back into the diner and swept behind the counter to grab the coffee pot, forcing a smile as she filled cups and cleared plates. Her hands trembled, the plates clinking as she set them down, taking a deep breath. She gulped down a glass of water, trying to make sense of it all.
    It wasn’t possible. It was her imagination. She definitely needed more sleep.
    And maybe professional help.
    “You sure you’re okay?” Jake asked quietly, dark eyes kind in his creased face as he refilled her water glass.
    She took it with a grateful smile. “Yeah. Sorry,” she said, taking a sip. “Just a lot on my mind, you know?”
    “You need to leave early?”
    “No,” she said quickly, and Jake frowned in understanding. She needed the money, and she knew he wouldn’t force the issue. He patted her arm and walked back into the kitchen as she got back to work, smiling her way through the rest of her