The Last Customer

Nora Bell has learned that being a waitress means noticing everything.

The husband pretending he is not heartbroken. The wife who cannot look him in the eye. The customer who wants to talk and the one who needs to be left alone.

But on a rainy night at Bellwether, while an eleven-year marriage collapses at one of her tables, Nora cannot stop watching the black sedan parked across the street.

It has been there before.

Always during her shift. Always waiting until closing. Always disappearing shortly after she leaves.

Everyone tells her it is probably nothing-except Daniel Harper, the quiet regular who remembers her favorite drink, notices when her hands shake, and believes her when she says she is afraid.

But as the restaurant empties and the doors are locked, Nora begins to realize the person watching her may not be outside at all.

Some monsters do not break in.

They wait until you feel safe enough to let them stay.