Hunt frowned. He didn’t like thinking someone had scared her.

“What happened, and what creep? Do I know him?”

“No, you don’t know him. Remember you asking me if I’d ever been married or engaged, and I told you I’d only had the one serious relationship when I was in nursing school and none since because it was a less-than-positive experience?”

Hunt nodded.

“So, that same person nearly ran me over in the Crown parking lot this morning, and then kept blocking me from going around his car, going forward or backward, and laughing. He kept calling me ‘baby’ and wanted me to get in his car. I told him I wasn’t his baby, and if he didn’t get out of my way, I was ramming my shopping cart into the side of his fancy red car. He called me a bitch and sped off.”

The hair was standing up on the back of Hunt’s neck. He knew men like that. Bullies who got a kick out of intimidating other people.

“What’s his name?” Hunt asked.

“Vince Lewis.”

“What’s he driving?”

“A red Porsche.”

Hunt’s face was suddenly expressionless. “Does he live in Blessings?”

“No. That’s the weird part. And he only came here with me once for Sunday dinner with my folks when we were dating.”

Before Hunt could ask more, their waitress appeared with a basket of Mercy’s famous biscuits.

“Sorry about the wait. We’re slammed today. Do y’all know what you want to drink?”

They ordered drinks and their food at the same time, and as soon as she was gone, Ava reached for a biscuit.

“Want one?” she asked, and scooted the basket toward Hunt.

“I want to know if you’re afraid of this man,” Hunt said.

Ava sighed. “I honestly don’t know how I felt. But unsettled, for sure.”

“Did he ever hurt you before? Or threaten to?”

Ava rolled her eyes. “No, just cheated on me, and when I walked in and caught him in bed with another woman, he laughed and tried to get me to join them. I walked out and never looked back.”

Hunt took a deep breath. “You’re serious?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” she said, and then leaned across the table and smiled. “But that’s enough about the jerk. When I was a kid, I used to dream about you asking me out on a date, so right now I’m living out that fantasy and I’m not letting anything spoil that dream.”

Hunt was falling deeper under Ava’s spell, and she wasn’t even trying. She was genuine in every way, and so matter-of-fact about her childhood crush that it was actually charming.