One evening when Kennedy went to the burger shack, he noticed Jen was fidgety and kept looking over her shoulder at the cars pulling in. “Is the jock still pestering you?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Not really. I blocked him on my phone, so he can’t even text me now.”

Kennedy didn’t like the sound of that. “After getting into that much trouble, he still had the nerve to text you?”

Jen wrinkled her nose and tried to smile, but Kennedy could tell it was forced. “He’s a spoiled brat. Has a rich daddy who never tells him no, and his mom’s not around to change that.”

“Where is she, always at a spa?”

Jen laughed. “Rob’s folks are divorced, and Rob was old enough to choose which parent he wanted to live with. He hates his mom. At first, I thought she was a really bad person, but now I think she just had the guts to tell Rob no.”

“Maybe he wouldn’t be such a dick if she was still around.”

Jen shrugged again. “Sorry if I’m acting nervous. I’d recognize the sound of his car if he pulled in, but last time I was inside when he came. When you’re in the kitchen, you can’t hear much of anything outside. People are yelling back and forth.”

Kennedy wished she could quit working for a while. Eventually the jock would find some other girl to fixate on. “I don’t blame you for being nervous. I was there, remember. I get it.”

This time her smile was genuine. “And I’m glad you were there. If you hadn’t stepped in, they would have gotten me into the car.” Her lips thinned and she glanced over her shoulder again. “I shouldn’t think about what might have happened. But I do. And it’s always in the back of my mind that Rob might come in one of his friends’ cars. You know? No glasspack muffler to warn me.”

The outdoor buzzer went off, which was Jen’s signal that another order was ready to be delivered. “Sorry. Gotta go.”

Kennedy watched her skate away, wishing the jock would leave Mystic Creek and never bother her again. He couldn’t believe the stupid jerk had dared to send her threatening text messages. And there was no doubt in Kennedy’s mind that the messages had been threatening. There was something haywire about that kid. Maybe he was doing other drugs besides weed. Kennedy just hoped Jen would tell him if the dude was still giving her trouble.

* * *

The next evening when Kennedy pulled in at the burger shack, the place was hopping. All the parking spots were taken, and people were honking their horns for service. The owner, a stout guy in his fifties who wore an orange Burger Shack hat and shirt, was outside without any skates, trying to deliver orders, and he looked totally pissed off. Kennedy positioned his truck next to the building and got out to ask what was wrong. He didn’t see Jen, which was odd, because she’d texted him earlier that she was working.