“Excuse me.”
She turned around.
“This is going to sound strange, but do you know someone named Ryan?”
Every bit of color disappeared from her face. She took a small step backward. I read her expression. Her face had turned red, not from confusion or surprise.
Fear.
My heartbeat pounded. “Are you okay?” I asked.
For several long seconds, she said nothing. Then she looked past me toward the bakery entrance, as though checking to see if someone was watching.
When she finally answered, her voice was barely audible.
I nodded. Somehow her expression grew even worse. The fear remained, but now another emotion appeared.
Sadness.
“Is he okay?”
The question caught me completely off guard. I had expected denial. Maybe embarrassment. I had never expected concern.
“He’s fine.”
The woman briefly closed her eyes. Relief crossed her face. Then she looked at me again.
I swallowed because suddenly this conversation felt far more complicated than I had imagined.
