by Natalie Ann
“That’s the other problem. I didn’t want to make that big of a deal out of it. I didn’t want things to get worse.”
“So you don’t trust me to handle this without making matters worse?” he argued.
Looked like she and Landon were about to get into their first fight. Something else she’d wanted to avoid.
Just because she’d always spoken her mind before didn’t mean she liked to do it. That she liked standing up for herself or confrontations.
Like him, she’d seen enough fighting in her life that she didn’t want it now as an adult.
“It’s not that,” she said. “I just thought he’d stop. He’d go away. When we were fighting and splitting up it’s not like he said he wanted me to stay. That he wanted me back weeks after it happened. I believe he said more that he couldn’t wait to get me off his back. Why would I think he’d ever want me back, least of all years later?”
It had been a blow to her ego to put so much effort into things with Steve. To feel like it was her fault by changing herself and her actions because of what she’d seen as a kid. To stick it out as long as she had only to find out he never felt the same way about her.
Then to have things end as nasty as they had. None of this made sense why he wanted her back all of a sudden.
“So what happened to have you tell me all of this now?” he asked.
She was almost afraid to tell him, but knew she had to. “He came into Hartman’s again today. He had flowers in his hand and acted like he was trying to win me over. I told him to leave. That I was dating you. I told him what you did for a living and he laughed.”
“Why?” he asked.
“He pointed out how much I hated the violence when he was racing and yet I was dating a cop. It’s not the same thing. Not that I’ve seen you be violent, but even if you were, it’s your job. You’re nothing like him at all.”
“So what did you tell him today? How were things left?”
“I told him to leave. That I was going to tell you everything. He didn’t want to go. Said that he had a right to be there and shop if he wanted. What was I supposed to do? I walked away from him and said someone else could wait on him. He waited around about two minutes and walked out. That was it. Nothing else since.”
“It’s only been a few hours. It sounds to me like he goes away for a short period and comes back.”
“I guess. I mean now that he knows who you are, I figured he won’t poke the bear.”
She was smiling when she said that, but his lips didn’t even twitch. So much for trying to make light of something when she knew better.
“Give me his name and where he works. I’m going to look into him.”
“Landon.”
“Don’t Landon me,” he said sharply. “You should have come to me weeks ago about this. You shouldn’t have waited this long because of what? You were afraid I couldn’t handle having any more ‘complications’ in my life? What do you take me for? Or do you think so little of me?”
Her eyes started to itch and burn with the telltale signs of tears forming. She had that coming. “No. I just didn’t—”
“Listen,” he said, his voice a bit softer. “Don’t mistake my tone of voice for being fine with this because I’m not. I’m pretty pissed off. I’m mad it’s happening to you. I’m livid you didn’t tell me for whatever reasons you came up with in your head.”
“I get it. I do. I should have said something.”
“You’re telling me because you’re nervous now whether you want to admit it or not. But it’s like what I taught you in that self-defense course. Listen to your body. Listen to your gut. You know something isn’t right. That alone should have been enough to come to me. Or go to the police. To tell someone other than your mother.”
“You’re right. That’s part of why I’m telling you now. But I really think he won’t do anything. I think it’s fine. I just wanted you to know and what I said. I think we can just let it play out and I promise to tell you if he contacts me again.”
“You better,” he said.
But she wondered if she would. He’d gotten mad like she thought. Would he think she was too much of a headache in his life? That maybe he didn’t need this on top of everything else he was dealing with?
It’d kill her to lose Landon because of something from her past. Not if she could fix it herself.
Stay in Control
A few days later Landon realized he wasn’t going to wait around for this asshole to make another move.
Kristen had given his name and where he worked, where he lived, and Landon had done a search on him.
Everything seemed on the up-and-up.
Steve Taylor was a senior sales rep for a manufacturing firm. He wasn’t in the office much, but he’d been at his job for about seven years.
He lived in a nice area of Clifton Park, he drove an average car, and appeared to be an upstanding citizen.
He raced dirt cars as a hobby until last year when he’d gotten in a serious accident and had some head injury. Funny how Kristen never mentioned that part...unless she didn’t know.
Landon finished up some paperwork, then headed over to where Steve worked, hoping to have a few words with him.
Luck would have it, Steve was walking out to his car and it meant Landon could avoid making an appearance in the building in his uniform. And since he talked Kristen into filing a report on what had happened already to make it official, he had no problem going there in that capacity.
“Steve Taylor?” he asked the man of average height and build. Nothing really stood out on him that would make him think Kristen would be attracted.
Then he told himself to stop it. That he wasn’t a jealous boyfriend by any means and he shouldn’t be judging her past relationships. He figured Kristen might not approve of some of the women he’d been with either.
“Yes,” Steve said. “Can I help you?”
“Landon Barber.”
Steve’s face twisted with annoyance and recognition. “I can’t believe she went to you.”
“Kristen said she was going to. What is there to be surprised about?”
“And of course you have to come down here and throw your weight around. Do you know she hates violence? I bet she’d love to know you were here.”
“We’re just having a conversation. No violence in that. Unless of course you’re threatening me? Are you?”
“I’m not stupid,” Steve said.
“I guess that is debatable. Kristen has told you repeatedly she isn’t interested. That she has asked you to leave her alone. She’s filed a report at the police department on top of it. I’d advise you to just end this. She wants you to back off. That’s what you’re going to do.”
“Because you’re in a relationship with her?” Steve asked, smirking.
“Whether I’m in a relationship with Kristen or not is not the issue. The issue is you have been harassing someone and they told you to stop. Now they’ve officially filed a report. That is what this conversation is about. Nothing more than that.”
All he wanted to do was grab the guy by the shirt and make him understand, but he’d never do that. Not in uniform or outside of uniform.
He’d trained his whole life to stay in control. To not use violence but defuse situations with words.
Who would have known love would make him into someone he never thought he’d be?
“So has she tried to change you at all? That’s her MO. Find a guy, put a lot of work into them, and get them to be the perfect mate for her.”
He wasn’t sure what Steve was talking about. Kristen hadn’t really tried to change him. Not that he was aware of.
She’d helped him.
She’d talked to him.
She’d supported him.
But she’d never once tried to make him be someone he wasn’t.
Hell, he had to almost pull her teeth to find out why she hadn’t come to him with her problems with Steve.
Because she didn’t want to
complicate his life, she’d said.
That’s not someone who was trying to change you but rather someone that was trying to protect you. Steve had it all wrong.
“Yet you want her back, if what you say is true? That she put work into you?” he asked.
What man wanted to be changed and then when they broke up wanted that woman back? No one that he knew.
“You don’t get it. We loved each other,” Steve said. “We fought, but it was part of our relationship. Kristen says a lot of things that aren’t true. She’s good at changing what she wants all the time. This isn’t anything different.”
“So you’re telling me to my face that you’re going to continue to pursue her?” Yeah, his fingers were itching to grab the prick.
“No. I heard you loud and clear. Take it from one man to another, get away from the bitch while you can. I’ve never done anything to her to make her go to the police and she knows it. She’s just as nuts as her mother. There are some loose screws in that family.”
“Then we’re done here,” Landon said, walking away before he did something he regretted. Like putting his fist through the guy’s face.
***
Two days later, Marcy called out at Hartman’s, “Kristen, there’s a call for you on line one.”
She walked over to the phone and picked it up, then hit the flashing line. “This is Kristen Reid, how may I help you?”
“You had to go and get your boyfriend to come threaten me at my job.”
Steve. “What?”
“You heard me. Did he tell you that? He showed up at my job the other day to tell me that you told him all about me trying to win you back. That you’d told me you weren’t interested and to leave you alone. You never told me to leave you alone, you lying bitch.”
She was shaking right now. First, that Landon went behind her back and approached Steve when she told him not to. She’d told him that she’d be willing to file the report but that would be the end of it. She’d let him know if Steve contacted her again.
Then the chills filled her body as if a bucket of ice cubes had been dumped down the back of her jacket in the middle of the winter.
She’d told Steve multiple times she wasn’t interested. To leave. To leave her alone. How could he say she didn’t? Why was he lying and twisting everything around on her? He’d always done that before, but not recently.
And if he felt this way about her, why did he want her back? None of this made any sense at all to her.
“I’ve told you multiple times how I felt. I did tell you to leave me alone. I’ve ignored your flowers and your messages. I’ve got witnesses in the store that heard me tell you to leave on Valentine’s Day.”
“Whatever. Always had to be the boss. Always had to get what you wanted and get things your way. If they weren’t going your way you’d whine and complain and try to change everything.”
Was that how everyone saw her? Sure, she’d always wanted what she didn’t have, but she never had to get things her way. If that were the case she wouldn’t still be single all this time with horrible taste in men.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She shook her head, looked down and saw her hand was trembling and wondered why she was still on the phone with him. Why she hadn’t just hung up.
She couldn’t though. She wanted to know why he was saying these things. Why he was making her out to be this horrible person she’d never thought she was.
“I get it. You’ve put a lot of work into him now. Just like you did with me. Maybe you see something more in him. Or maybe it’s the ready-made family that you wanted and I wasn’t willing to do. Whatever it is, consider me gone. You’re on your own. Don’t think I’ll ever take you back.”
He hung the phone up on her before she could say anything else and she took in a few gulps of air.
“Everything okay?” Marcy asked her. “You look a little white.”
“Yeah. I’m fine. Not a big deal.”
She decided she needed a few minutes to herself and went back to Olivia’s office and sat down. When her eyes landed on a picture of Olivia, Finn, and Trey it hit her. How did Steve know Landon had a child?
Deliver the News
After Kristen calmed down enough, she finished up her shift and left. She hadn’t planned on going to Landon’s tonight, but she couldn’t avoid it. She had to know what he’d said to Steve the other day and why he didn’t tell her he’d done it.
“Hey,” Landon said when he opened the door. She had pizza in her hand and was hoping that would be a distraction while Chloe was there and he wouldn’t suspect how ticked off she was. The last thing she wanted to do was get into a fight in front of the child.
“Dinner,” she said.
“Thanks.” He grabbed it out of her hands, gave her a kiss, and carried it into the kitchen. When Chloe was in bed two hours later, he said, “So are you ready to tell me what is going on?”
Guess she didn’t do that great of a job hiding her thoughts or feelings. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, I don’t know. You call me out of the blue you want to bring dinner over, which I appreciate not having to cook. Then I’ve caught you staring into space a few times and biting your lower lip like you want to say something but know you shouldn’t. Or don’t really want to.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you confronted Steve a few days ago?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t think I needed to. I went on an official capacity. You filed a report and I was making him aware of it. I could have sent another officer to do it, but why bother when it affects you and I wanted to deliver the news myself.”
“You didn’t tell me you were going to do that,” she said. “I told you not to talk to him. You never said you had to do it in an official capacity.”
“Would you have filed the report if I told you that we make it a habit of contacting the person and making sure they were aware of what was going on?”
She might not have. “I don’t know.”
“It had to be done and you know it. Now I want to know how you know I talked to him. He better the hell not have contacted you.”
She started to squirm on the couch. There was a look in Landon’s eyes she hadn’t seen before.
Not just a violent one, but a protective one. “He called me today,” she admitted. “He was pissed off that I sent my boyfriend after him.”
“He was warned to leave you alone. He said he would. The fact that he trashed you the way he had made me think he had no interest in you, but I’ve learned not to believe people like that.”
“Trashed me?” she said, her voice rising. “What did he say?”
“It doesn’t matter what he said. I didn’t believe any of it.”
“I want to know, Landon,” she said, standing up and starting to stalk around the room. “I want to know what crap he has been saying about me.”
“Kristen, it’s just gibberish from a guy that feels he’s backed against a corner.”
“Tell me then.”
“He said you put a lot of time into men to get them to be the way you want. To change them for your own good. I’m in a relationship with you and I’m still the same person I’ve always been. You’ve done nothing to change me that I didn’t want to change myself.”
“Meaning I have changed you though,” she argued.
“No. Any changes in my life have been done with my own knowledge and willingness. I’m not so weak that I let a woman decide what decisions or things I’ll do.”
Her face paled. “I’m trying not to be insulted that you just said that. That you think it’s weak to make any changes in your life for a woman.”
She’d never considered herself weak before, yet she’d always compromised or made changes to herself in relationships.
“That isn’t what I meant at all and you are completely turning this around. I meant I’m not him. If I love someone, and I love you, then I’ll make changes to keep the person I love as long as it doesn’t compromise who I am. What I b
elieve in. I’d expect no differently from you. I’d never ask you to be someone you aren’t, or don’t want to be, and I’d like to think you’d feel the same way about me.”
There was that damn shame again. She always had to jump to the wrong conclusions. “What else did he say?”
“Nothing to be concerned about. I want to know what the hell he said to you and why he called you after he was warned not to.”
She started to cry. “He just said some nasty things to me. About how I had to always be the boss. And I always had to get my way. It sounds like he said the same to you. Do people see me that way?”
He pulled her into his arms. “I don’t see you that way and I’m surprised that you believe what he is saying. He’s not stable.”
“That’s the other thing. He lied. He said I never told him to stay away from me. That he told you I never said those things to him and he was shocked when you’d told him that.”
“He’s lying, Kristen. First off, you have a witness you told him what you did on Valentine’s Day. Second of all, he never said you didn’t say those things to him when I talked to him. He’s trying to get under your skin and he succeeded. The question is why you are letting him do that.”
“I don’t know,” she said, wiping her tears. “I’m attracted to losers and this is just more proof of it. I’m so sick of doubting myself. Even my mother has told me time and again that I always wanted what I can’t or didn’t have. It makes me feel shallow and selfish.”
“You’re one of the least shallow and selfish women I know.”
It was nice someone thought that of her. “I guess I let him manipulate me. He always turned things around on me. He always made me doubt myself. And yeah, he said I tried to change him, but I turned into someone I never used to be. Someone I didn’t like. I did things and spent my time doing stuff I didn’t even enjoy for him.”