It was nearly dark by the time I stumbled into the restaurant.

I had been walking for hours. Blisters covered my feet. I felt dirty—grimy, gritty, and I could smell exhaust fumes in my hair. I would’ve killed for a shower.

Lucky for me, the restaurant didn’t seem to have a dress code. I had always heard about “greasy spoons,” but this was my first time inside one.

“Sit anywhere you want, hon,” a waitress called out.

I took the first booth, grateful to be off my feet for a while but sure they would hurt even worse when I got back up. I had never felt so tired, so rumpled and hopeless. Heartsick. My faith in humanity was never exactly strong, but it was lower than ever when I eased myself into the padded seat, wincing.

I couldn’t trust anybody. That much was for sure. The days of hitchhiking were over, if they had ever existed at all. None of the many, many drivers who had passed wanted to help—they either thought I was a prostitute or a drug addict. Or both. I had covered far more miles on foot than I ever expected.

“Honey, you need a cup of coffee.” The waitress set one in front of me before I even had to ask. “And a whole mess of food, judging by the looks of you. Skinny little thing.”

I had never thought of myself as skinny, but it didn’t seem the time to argue. “Do you have pancakes?”

“Do we have pancakes? Oh, child. Wait until you see our pancakes.”

I smiled in gratitude as she went to put in my order. I needed comfort right about then, and pancakes were the first thing that came to mind.

What I really needed was Smoke. Smoke wouldn’t have let me suffer the way I was. I should’ve fought to stay with him. It wasn’t right to pin all my hopes on him, but my thoughts kept flowing back to him again and again. He wouldn’t let that trucker get away with thinking I’d move in with him. He wouldn’t let the two men in the white van get away with propositioning me. Or the man in the blue pickup, or the couple in the red SUV. On and on. I felt ashamed, even though I wasn’t who those strangers thought I was.

Where was I supposed to go? It was dark, and getting damp. Rain was on the way. I had to settle on a place to spend the night and come up with a new plan in the morning. I had done too much thinking and worrying already. I needed sleep.

What were George and Bradley thinking now? Did they know I was gone? Were they looking for me?

The platter of pancakes was a much nicer thing to focus on, and just in time. The pancakes nearly hung over the sides of the plate. “Oh, my goodness!” I managed a smile.

“I told you. They’re delicious, too.” The waitress—Dotty, according to her name tag—brought fresh coffee, then sat across from me without being asked to. The restaurant was fairly quiet.

“Thank you for this,” I whispered, wondering what she wanted. Would she assume terrible things about me, too?

“You have a place to stay for the night?” Her eyes were older than the face they were in. She had seen a lot.

I wanted to lie—but I couldn’t. “No. Not yet.”

“You look worn out, and that’s a fact.” She leaned in. “There’s a little motor court behind this place. Not fancy, almost always empty, but the rooms are clean. I’ve spent the night there more times than I care to recall, when things weren’t going well at home. You know what I mean.” She rolled her eyes.

“Sure.”

“Anyway, it’s cheap, and it’s somewhere for you to rest for a while. You’d never know it was there if you were passing on the road.” She leaned back, embarrassed. “I mean, if you were looking to lay low for a while. That’s all I meant.”

“Thank you.” I gave her a smile in between bites of the soft, fluffy, fragrant pancakes. “That’s just what I need right now. But is it safe?”

“You mean, are there a bunch of creeps roaming around?”

“Yes. Exactly. I can’t tell you how many creeps I’ve seen today.”

She chuckled without humor. “I’m sure I wouldn’t be surprised if you did. You should be okay. Just keep your door locked, but I’m sure you would, anyway.”

“That’s true.” I felt stronger. Better. I even had a little hope. “Thank you, Dotty.”

“You’re welcome.” She stood and patted me on the shoulder. “And don’t worry about the check tonight. You can get me tomorrow, if you come in again. And if you don’t, I’ll understand.”

“Oh, please, no…” But she was already gone, taking care of another customer. I decided to accept her good deed as a blessing and see it as a sign that things were getting better.

Maybe I’d even find Smoke after a while. I could dream.