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didn’t crack, but it was near to it, betraying her nerves.

She had no idea why Peter Radcliffe was in her store. She

recognized him easily from the photos she’d seen of him

online. His blue eyes, nearly the same shade as Emily’s,

chased around the store for a few seconds before landing back

on her. They narrowed as if he was sizing her up. Dani

swallowed hard. She didn’t like that this man was here. He’d

come in person, which couldn’t mean anything good. His hair

was totally gray, so it was impossible to tell if it had been

sandy like Emily’s before or not. Dani looked for other signs

of Emily in her father’s face but found little.

“Emily’s not here,” Dani whispered.

Radcliffe nodded. “I know that. She stays late at the college

on Thursdays.”

It was something Dani didn’t even know, but she reminded

herself that this man was Emily’s father, and he should know

those things about his daughter. He’d had a lifet

ime to build up

that information, whereas she’d only had a couple days. Then

she wondered why she was making things into a competition

at all.

Peter Radcliffe turned, slid the bolt into place, and clicked

off the sign beside the door. “I think you were just about to

lock up,” he said, which meant he knew what time the store

closed, either because he’d just read the hours on the door, or,

more likely, because he’d looked it up ahead of time and

decided to ambush her right when she was trying to leave for

the day. That way, he could be sure to have her undivided

attention.

Dani gulped and nodded. Her palms were horribly clammy,