She was about to walk next door when she spotted the PT Cruiser, parked a little way down the street. She stepped back inside the house.
“That was fast,” Louise observed.
“I forgot something,” Zona lied. She ducked into the kitchen and called Alec. “Your sister is parked down the street. I’m not coming over.”
“Shit,” he said.
“She followed me into the grocery store and warned me away from you.”
This time he swore. “What exactly did she say?”
“That you’re the only family she has. Oh, except for her sister, who is under medical care.”
“She’s a liar.”
“She also told me you’re not stable and to stay away, and to make sure I got the message she slashed one of my tires. If I could prove it, I’d call the cops.”
There was a long silence before he said, “I’m sorry, Zona. I’ll make this right.”
The anger leaked out of her, replaced by sadness that this had happened just when she was getting to know Alec and like him. Once again, Cupid had stuck it to her.
“We need to go back to being nothing more than neighbors,” she said.
“Do you really want that? I don’t. I want to see where this goes. Don’t you?”
“I can already tell where it’s going,” she said.
“Don’t give up. Give me a chance to fix this.”
“You can’t.”
“Oh, yes, I can,” he growled. “I’ll be over in a few.”
True to his word, ten minutes later Alec was ringing the doorbell.
Zona led him through the house and out onto the back patio, ignoring her mother’s suspicious look and leery, “Hello, Alec.”
“This really isn’t going to work,” she said once they were seated at the patio table.
“Yes, it is,” he said. “I talked to her. She’s been served that restraining order and I threatened to call the cops on her if she breaks it. She’ll stay away now.”
“From you maybe, but not from me.”
He reached across the table and covered her hand with his big one. It felt comforting, reassuring. She wished she felt reassured.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring this into your life.”
“But you did. Alec, I’ve had two men turn my world upside down. I’m not up for a third time.”
“I promise she’ll be gone from now on.”
“How are you going to make that happen?”
“I already did. I also told her if she doesn’t leave us alone, I’m going to have her arrested for credit card fraud. She knows I mean it this time.”
But did he? Probably not. If he meant business, he’d have already turned her in.
“Let’s not call it quits before we’ve barely gotten started,” he urged.
