Page 10 of Forever Dead

Jessie nodded. “Glad you’re around to keep an eye on her, Eric.”

Eric blushed then noticed the plates. “Hank’s?”

Jessie nodded. “Delivery service.”

“None for me?” Eric said. “I’m being neglected.”

“You own a motel,” Selena said. “You could start serving them here.”

Eric considered that for a moment. “Me cook?” He laughed. “You’ve eaten my grilled cheese sandwiches, Selena.”

Jessie smiled and moved a strand of her blue-dyed hair behind her ear. “Maybe I should try one sometime.”

Eric seemed surprised by that. “Sure.”

Then he turned back to Selena. “We on for a movie tonight in reception? I’ve got Undead Diner Dames 3 on the old VCR.”

Jessie laughed. “VCR? It’s not the 80s.”

Selena shook her head. “Don’t get him started.”

Eric’s expression became immediately serious. “It’s the only way to watch old horror movies.”

Selena had heard the argument before and had no intention of hearing it again. She lifted her plate. “I’m there, Eric. Just make sure you keep the whiskey coming.”

“It’s a date.”

Selena sighed. “It’s not a date.”

Eric glanced at Jessie. “She always says that.”

Selena shook her head. “Because it never is.”

“Later.”

He gave them a small wave and walked back toward reception.

Jessie watched him go, then closed the door. “He is kind of cute.”

“Cute can be dangerous.”

“You really don’t see it?”

Selena maneuvered the empty plate onto the small table beside the chair. “He means well. And we’ve become good friends while I’ve been staying here. But there’s nothing between us like that.”

“That’s good.” Jessie gathered the plates and pushed them back into the paper bag. “You have a lot of them, Selena.”

Selena paused. “Maybe.”

The answer came out quieter than she intended. Five weeks confined to the motel had shown her how many people noticed when she disappeared from ordinary life. Jessie brought food. Eric checked on her too often while pretending he needed something from the room. Connor called. Her father called. Kelly sent messages from work that carefully avoided details of anything Selena might interpret as a case.

Even Diane had signed a card. It should have made the weeks easier, and mostly it did.

Jessie checked the time on her phone. “I’ve got a yoga class. You going to be okay?”

Selena looked at the cane and put both palms on the chair arms. “I’ll walk you out.”

“No, just rest.”