Bright Moon Read Free Page B

later. I…” he stroked the stubble of his chin and
glanced to the front door as if in fear of Tim making another
appearance. “I admit the idea of us having a relationship outside
of work is not a new one to me.”
    Her heart skipped and her cheeks flamed
anew, a bit more pleasantly this time. “Mark, I—”
    “I know, things are rough. Just know I am
here if you ever need someone to talk to, or an excuse to leave
your house.”
    “Thank you, really…that means a lot,” she
said quietly.
    “Well, I had better get going before your
father lets me have it again.”
    “I truly am very sorry about that.”
    “It’s fine. Remember, if you need anything,
let me know.”
    She nodded and he went to his truck. As she
turned toward her house, she thought she heard him chuckling.
     
    The next morning, she woke with nerves
cramping her stomach. She could not decide if she should call in
sick to work or not, but time made the decision for her when she
continually failed to call and leave a message on Mark’s phone. His
truck was not there when she parked her car. Dynol had already
unlocked the employee entrance and was in the back, filing adoption
papers. Luckily, she was alone when she opened her metal locker to
toss her purse in. A folded slip of white paper had been pushed
inside and stood out against the dark grey paint. The smooth paper
made the only sound in the grayscale break room as she unfolded it
to reveal a note scrawled in a quick hand.
     
    Forgive me, Clara, but there is something I
must ask of you. I have landed myself in some trouble and don’t
know another person I can ask for help. It would mean everything if
you could meet me after work. I can’t explain things now, but I
will then. I know you will not fail me. You have always been a good
friend. I would ask one more thing of you, please take care to keep
this a secret.
    Thank you,
    Mark
     
    The tension that hung in the air changed
when Dynol entered and she shoved the slip of paper back in her
locker before slamming the door with a clang. He raised a brow at
her, but said nothing of the matter.
    “Hey, Clare,” he said. “I didn’t know Mark
would be off today, do you know where he is?”
    “How would I know?” she asked too
defensively. Dynol shrugged.
    “I only wondered because he usually lets us
know before he takes a day off.”
    Clara frowned as worry ate her stomach. She
composed herself and clocked in, going to clean the cat kennels.
Wearing rubber gloves and armed with a litter scoop, she began the
daunting process. The little fuzzy occupants did little to distract
her from the concerning nature of Mark’s note. Aside from the new
worry, her day went by as any other. She completed her tasks as the
hours wore on. She was clocking out when Dynol and Maria came into
the break room.
    “Have you heard from Mark?” Maria asked, her
dark eyes alive with worry.
    “No,” Clara said with a shake of her head.
“He never called the front desk?”
    “Not while I was there. Maybe he had a
family emergency or something.”
    They headed for the door and Dynol stopped
at the hall. “Are you coming Clare?”
    “I…was going to check my email real quick,”
she lied to stall for time.
    “Okay, well, we’ll see you tomorrow then,”
Maria said with a smile.
    Clara went to the terminal at the front
desk. She technically wasn’t supposed to open her email at work,
but she wasn’t working and no one paid attention to the rule
anyway. She really only needed a reason to stay without seeming
suspicious. There wasn’t anything but junk in the inbox folder and she was about to wipe it clean when the subject line of
one email made her stop with her eyes glued to the unfamiliar email
address. The subject’s title was her mother’s first and last name.
Something of that nature had never happened before—nobody mistook
her for her mother. Yet, it was the only solution she could imagine
as she paused with her finger poised over the mouse.
    Images of