Well, if I was worried about facing Gunner the morning after sex, I didn’t have to be. He’s gone when I wake up. There’s not even a note from him to say good morning or to tell me where he is.

The only indication he’s even left — other than the fact he isn’t here, of course — is a scrap of paper that I find on his kitchen island. It’s a phone number. That’s all. Since it wasn’t here last night, I assume it’s Gunner’s number. Which means he left it for me on the off chance that I’d need to get hold of him for some reason.

I push the paper aside, angrily and frustrated without even knowing why. What did I expect, a dozen damn roses? Last night was unbelievably amazing, at least for me. The sex was unreal. But I’d have to be a fool to think it meant anything more — for him or for me. He wasn’t under any obligation to stick around this morning. And actually, I should be glad he didn’t. I ended up telling him way more of my life story than I’m comfortable with last night. It’s just as well that I didn’t have to face him over the breakfast table today.

I rummage in a cupboard for the rest of the bread I bought yesterday, then make myself some toast and coffee, which I consume sitting at the kitchen island while staring into space.

Gunner told me he was going to help me find Gonzalo. But we never got to the part about how.

Trust me, he said.

I guess I have to trust that he hasn’t forgotten his promise. And that it wasn’t just a line he was using on me to get me into bed.

Strangely, I do kind of trust him — about that, anyway. I believe he’s going to try. And the more I think about it, it’s true that he probably does have a better chance of finding anything out than I do. For one thing, he’s from here. He’s definitely got more connections than I do. For another thing, he’s a man. And a large, strong, dangerous-looking man at that. People are likely to take him a lot more seriously than they are me. I need to face facts: whether I like it or not, Gunner’s my best bet to getting answers about where Eden is.

Which means it looks like I’m going to be staying here in Tanner Springs — and at his house — a little while longer.

Once I’ve finished doing my dishes and putting them in the little rack next to the sink, I glance back over at the kitchen island, to the paper with his number on it. Reluctantly, I pull out my phone and punch it into my contacts. After all, Gunner is basically the only person I know within a four-hundred mile radius, and this number is my only link to him. Last night notwithstanding, I should be grateful that he was thoughtful enough to leave it for me.

After breakfast, I turn anxiously in circles in the house, not knowing what to do with myself. It’s driving me a little crazy that this isn’t my space, and I don’t have any of my stuff with me. All I can do is wait for Gunner to come back so we can talk more about how he plans to help me track down Eden.

In the meantime, though, there is one thing I do need to do. A call I was hoping I wouldn’t have to make. But at this point, I know it’s inevitable.

Going out to sit on Gunner’s front porch, I search in my phone for the number I want, and press the call button. A couple of rings later, someone answers on the other end.

“Valuland Grocery,” a familiar female voice says.

“Renee?” I answer? “This is Alix. Is Todd there?”

“Hey, girl,” Renee says cheerfully. “Yeah, he’s here. Hold on a minute.”

Renee puts me on hold, and I listen absently to the staticky muzak, interspersed with short ads about our weekly specials on vegetables, canned goods, and meats. About a minute later, there’s a loud click as the phone picks up.

“Valuland, this is Todd.”

“Hi, Todd, this is Alix.”

“Hey.” My manager’s voice is clipped and suspicious, almost as though he already suspects what I’m about to say.

“So…” I begin, inwardly cringing. “I’m calling to ask if I can get a couple more days off. I’m still out of town, and I, uh… well, things have gotten a little more complicated than I thought they would be.”

“Alix,” Todd says in an irritated tone, “I already arranged your schedule to give you two days off in a row.”

“I know, I know,” I agree hastily. “And I appreciate it. I just need a few more days. Three, max. I’ll even switch shifts with anyone who’s available. I just…”

“Alix, I’m not going to point out how lucky you are to have enough hours to get benefits,” he interrupts. “Half the cashiers in this store would kill to have as many hours as you do.”

“I know, but…”

“I’ll give you one more day.”

“But that’s not…”

“No buts,” he says, cutting me off impatiently. “If you can’t get it together after tomorrow, I’m giving your hours to someone else.”

I try to argue with him, but Todd’s not having it. Never mind that I’ve worked at Valuland more than a year, and until now, I’ve never once asked for so much as an hour off from the schedule he sets — not even when my mom died. Never mind that he knows how much I need this money. He just doesn’t care, and I know I can’t make him.

I hang up the phone dejectedly, the full weight of what this means hitting me.

I’m basically going to be fired from Valuland.

Screw it, I think irritably. It’s not like working as a grocery store cashier is my life’s ambition.

And it’s not like the money I make there has been enough to save Mom’s house, anyway.

That ship has sailed. Foreclosure proceedings started not long after she got diagnosed. Without Eden’s help, there’s nothing left to be done. One way or another, the house is going back to the bank soon.

Which means my last reason to go back to Lynchburg before finding my sister just evaporated into thin air.

Fuck it. I’m in Tanner Springs for the duration. Eden may not want to talk to or hear from me, but she’s the only family I have left. One way or another, I’ll pursue this to the end. I will find out where my sister is and what’s happened to her, no matter what it takes. After that, I’ll cross the next bridge when I come to it.

For hours, I wait for Gunner to come back or call me. I try to watch soap operas on TV. I flip through some of his paperbacks. I just barely resist snooping through his stuff in search of more information about who he is.

In the end, I last until a couple hours after lunch time. When he still hasn’t called by almost three o’clock, I jump up and make my decision.

I can’t stand it anymore.

I’m done waiting around twiddling my thumbs for Gunner to get home. Who knows how long it will take for him to get around to helping me, after his club business is taken care of? I’ve never been able to rely on anyone but myself in the past, and I’m not going to waste any more precious time doing it now.

Grabbing my purse from the coffee table and Gunner’s keys from the hook by the door, I step outside and lock the house behind me.

It’s time for a road trip. I have exactly one idea of a lead on tracking down Gonzalo again, and I’d rather do that than sit here doing nothing, even if it gets me nowhere. If I’m lucky, I’ll have just enough gas in my tank to get me to the Smiling Skull bar and back to Tanner Springs.