The next morning, I was less of a mess than I’d expected to be, thanks to Liam’s evening visit. Even though we’d been tense, both afraid to put a foot wrong, we’d had a civil conversation, and it felt like progress. It had been kind of him to check on me when we weren’t on speaking terms, so I wanted to thank him.

I walked to Taste of Destiny a little before the change of shift happened at the station. I’d asked how the roster worked when I’d discussed a donation with Parks, and it was useful information to have. My intention was to bring him a coffee to start his shift. I made my way inside the cute cafe and joined a line of locals looking for their caffeine fix before work.

“Kennedy, hey.”

I jolted in surprise, my hand flying to my throat. Aiden Waldron stood behind me. Discomfort curled in my gut. My security team had cleared him of having any prior convictions or allegations of stalking or abuse, and they confirmed that he had a valid reason to be in the area, but my gut told me not to trust the guy.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in Queenstown?” I asked, unnerved.

His eyebrows drew together. “We stayed there Saturday and Sunday nights, then came back late last night. Hey, are you okay after what happened yesterday?”

I felt a chill. “What do you mean?”

He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the barista interrupted, calling my name.

I turned and gave Eden a tight smile.

“What can I get for you?” she asked.

“One trim latte and one cappuccino with cinnamon, please. Both large.”

She jotted down the order. “Coming right up.”

I paid, and she took Aiden’s order, still surreptitiously sneaking glances at me. The girl could never have a career in acting. She was too obvious.

“So, who’s the other coffee for?” Aiden asked me as we stood to the side to wait for our drinks.

“An old friend of mine.” I didn’t like the way he asked as if he had a right to know.

“Just a friend, or…?”

I left the question hanging. No way was I going to answer that. “What did you mean before, about what happened yesterday?”

He frowned. “You were at the scene of a fatal accident.”

My fists tightened reflexively. “How do you know that?”

He cocked his head. “You haven’t seen?”

“Seen what?”