Bethany,
I’ve waited years to see you again. Know that other guy wasn’t good enough for you. But I’m here. All you have to do is embrace your music again. Embrace who you once were. You’ll see how much we belong together. I’m always here for you.
Forever Yours,
Jeb
“This is a nightmare.” She shook her head, never taking her eyes off the box as though it might open up again on her own.
Had this Jeb been the reason she was bombarded at the restaurant the weekend before last? Or were hints of her whereabouts what brought him to the area in the first place?
Either way, it was clear he wasn’t going anywhere.
Perfect.
She’d call and report this to the police, although she knew what they would say. They’d take the report and regretfully inform her that there was nothing they could do since Jeb hadn’t done anything nefarious.
Instead, she dialed Sharon’s number. After briefly trying to tell her what happened, Sharon stopped her and said, “We’ll be right over. Don’t go outside until we get there.”
As if anyone had to tell Lynn that.
Thai rubbed against her shins, causing her to jump a foot. She glared down at him. “You’d be much more useful if you were a watch dog.”
Twenty minutes later, she ushered Sharon and Walt into the house before shutting and locking the door securely behind them. “Thanks for coming over. You guys didn’t have to do that.” She was glad they had, though. “Here, I’ll show you the pizza.”
Sharon and Walt read the note, a combination of shock and disgust on their features. Walt got his cell phone out and handed it to Lynn. “Go ahead and call the police. This needs to be reported.”
Lynn nodded and withdrew her own phone. “I know, I just wanted someone else to see this besides me. Especially since the police would probably take it all with them.”
She spoke to them on the phone while Walt snapped pictures of the pizza box and note.
When Lynn hung up, her friends waited expectantly. “They said they’d file my complaint, advised me to take pictures, and call if he does anything threatening.” Frustrated, she collapsed on the chair again and resisted the urge to give the pizza box a good kick.
Sharon frowned. “At least we have a first name. I really wish you’d come stay with us for a while.” She gave Lynn a sympathetic look. “Have you called Nathan?”
“He all but told me not to. Said he needed time to think.” Lynn shrugged as if it were no big deal. She didn’t convince herself, much less anyone else. “What? I’m not going to call as though I’m desperate. Or use this as a way to guilt him into talking to me.”
What she really wanted was for him to check on her, find out about the pizza, and get all indignant and protective on her behalf. Was that really so much to ask?
She’d gone over their conversation in her head again and again. She’d tried to see it all from his perspective and knew that, if roles had been reversed, she would’ve been hurt, too. She totally got it.
But that didn’t make it any easier.
Sharon put a comforting hand on Lynn’s shoulder. “He misses you, too. Trust me.” When Lynn turned hopeful eyes to her, Sharon continued, “He always looks around for you when he drops Mia off. And when he doesn’t see you, even though he knows you’re on vacation, he looks disappointed.”
Maybe it shouldn’t have, but that offered Lynn a little comfort. “How’s Mia doing?”
“She’s well. She misses you, too. She’s not nearly her happy, bubbly self this week.”
Lynn felt bad for the little girl. It’d been weird not going to work, but even weirder to not get her Mia hugs. “Not seeing them this week has been like torture.”
“Just hang in there, girl. This isn’t going to last forever. Meanwhile, since we don’t live that far away, you and I are going to carpool to and from work next week. That way you’re never alone coming in and out of your place.”
Walt agreed. “We can meet up with you over the weekend if you need to get groceries or anything like that.”
Lynn relaxed a little and smiled at her friends. “You guys are awesome. Thank you.”
Knowing she wouldn’t get ambushed on the way in or out was helpful. But if Jeb hung on this long, another week probably wasn’t going to dissuade him. And Sharon couldn’t take Lynn to work forever. “I wonder how much a couple of cameras at the front and back doors would cost? You know, the kind that records movement and things like that.”
