Chapter Twenty-Eight
Stalker
Viola has no idea I took them.
No idea at all.
She’ll have no clue when I put them back, either. In her roommate’s car.
It’ll just confuse her.
I love that.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
After Mar’s invite, I do a little research on types of RVs so I don’t go in not knowing at least the basics.
A few days later, I borrow the same bike I did weeks ago from the girl in my dorm and peddle miles down the coastal highway to the RV park where Riel and Mar live.
Trailer parks in Florida are nothing like the trailer parks in Tennessee. Here they’re Snow Birdy, some with pimped-out buses like the ones famous people travel in—Class As are what I learned they are called. Others with vintage Airstreams, and even the smaller ones have decorative designs and little other things that make them unique.
I peddle past a green park home, and off to the right sprawls a pool, a Jacuzzi, and a club house. Complete with a playground, a basketball court, and a shuffle board, yeah, this place is nothing like the trailer parks back home.
I steer my bike down Row F, past a red VW Camper Van, several Class Cs, a couple more park models, and pull onto a concrete slab at spot F-115.
I wedge my kickstand down, grab my duffel from the bike’s basket, and climb off.
An awning spans out over the concrete slab giving a patio effect. In the back of the fifth wheeler stretches a fence separating the park from another neighborhood. Riel and Mar have planted flowers and vegetables along the fence line.
White with splashes of green and burgundy, I guess the fifth wheeler to be about forty feet in length. A red brick walkway leads from the sandy road across the grassy yard and to the concrete slab I’ve parked the bike on.
Surrounded by tropical bushes, a small ceramic fountain bubbles in the front under the tongue of the fifth wheel. Under the awning an antique fan slowly whirls with Adirondack chairs, a small round table, and a wind chime tinkling softly.
Homey and cute. Like an oasis.
Carrying my small duffel, I make my way under the awning and knock on the front door. Seconds tick by and I knock again. “Hello?”
Riel yanks the door open. With stubble on his face and uncombed hair, he looks like he’s just crawled out of bed. Wearing an undershirt, plaid boxer shorts, and no socks, he holds Mar’s hairbrush in one hand and has his cell pressed to his ear.
I check my watch. “Am I early?”
He waves me in and walks away. “I had a reservation. How can the flight to Atlanta be full?” He shoves his fingers through his already messy dark hair. “Fine. Put me on the next one. Can you connect me with the shuttle bus?”
Obviously, his travel plans aren’t going smoothly. Listening to him talk, I climb the three steps up and step inside their RV.
I’ve never been inside an RV before. It looks just like a regular home with leather couches, wood flooring, and full-size appliances in the kitchen. With beige walls, blue throw pillows, and green granite counters, it has a masculine feel to it.
The living room, eating area, and kitchen make up one great room with a simple bar as the divider. In the kitchen, a coffee pot and toaster dot the countertops, and a hanging basket holds green apples.
Riel clicks off the cell. “Buenos dias. Sorry.” He waves at his appearance. “Running a little late.”
“Neat place.” I turn a slow circle. “I’ve never been inside an RV before.”
“It’s small but it works for me and Mar.” He nods to my green shorts. “Those the ones you thought were in lost and found?”
I nod. “Yeah, they were in Gillian’s car, of all places.” Turns out I was being paranoid for no reason. “Show me around?”
“Sure, but not much to show.” He motions to the right where two steps lead up into a bedroom. “That’s my room and where you’ll sleep.”
My belly does a delicious clench at that.
“Bathroom’s straight back.” He points across the great room to a closed door. “Mar’s through there. She’s got her own bathroom so you two won’t be bumping into each other.”
He takes my duffel from my hand and tosses it up into his bedroom. “Everything works just like a house. Toilets flush. Faucets have hot and cold. Stove boils water. Microwave…well, microwaves. Except don’t run the microwave while the air’s on or you’ll blow a fuse. Limit your showers to ten minutes or you’ll run out of hot water. The black tank’s just been emptied so you don’t have to worry about that. If the campground loses power you can always crank the generator. Oh, and um, don’t flush anything except toilet paper down.” Riel’s dimple flashes. “Okay, it is a bit different than a house I suppose.”
“Blown fuse. Black tank. Generator. I suppose Mar knows all this?”
“Yes.” He nods. “Definitely.”
Mar opens her door. “I can’t find it, Riel.” She takes one look at me. “Hey.”
“Can’t find what?” he asks.
Mar holds up one blue Converse. “The other one.”
“Wear something else,” Riel says and Mar shoots me a desperate look.
I point to the corner where her dirty clothes basket sits. “Check there. For some reason when I’m looking for a missing item, half the time it’s with my dirty clothes.”
Mar turns to her dirty clothes, and while she picks through them, Riel leads me back into the kitchen. “I wrote all the important information on this tablet. I put Mar’s doctor’s number, my travel details, and other miscellaneous items on the list. I bought plenty of groceries, but there’s some extra money if you need any. I put fresh sheets on my bed and…”
He continues rattling on, and the more he talks the more it strikes me how much of a father’s role he really does play in Mar’s life.
“…I’ll check in tonight. If you don’t answer I’ll just leave a message. Mar’s easy. You’ll see.” He takes a breath. “Any questions?”
I shake my head. “Think you’ve covered it.”
“I’ll leave my Jeep keys.” He frowns. “You have a driver’s license, right?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to change?”
“Nah, I’ll drop her off and get my uniform on in the dorm.”
“Okay. Mar,” he yells. “You and Viola need to get a move on. I don’t want you late for school.”
Mar comes out of her room, both Converse in place. “You were right,” she tells me and wraps her arms around Riel. “I love you. Good luck.”
He squeezes her back. “Love you, too, hermanita.”
Riel looks over at me, and we both have this second of should-we-hug or just-say-bye moment. I choose the latter at the exact second he chooses the first, and it’s one of those awkward hugs, where our bodies barely touch, and I hate that it is. Maybe it has to do with the fact he’s leaving for something he knows I want. But in this moment, I realize how much I really do hope he gets it. Because he deserves it.
I pull back first. “No worries on anything here. You’re going to do fabulous in the interview.”
He breathes a sigh of relief. “Thanks, I really needed to hear that.”
“Don’t be nervous.” I honestly mean it.
With those words, a weight lifts. Like if he gets this it’ll somehow balance out the fact I took the scholarship from him and maybe, just maybe, I can be rid of the lingering guilt.
Chapter Thirty
After school, Mar walks across the highway and meets me in the academy’s library. She does homework while I finish up a few things.
In Riel’s Jeep we drive home, she rides her bike on the beach while I jog, and we make fajitas for dinner. After Mar goes to bed, I lie in Riel’s room imagining him lying in the same spot, stretching, snuggling in. I imagine him in the bathroom, shaving, showering, toweling off.
My cell rings and I jump. Quickly, I look at the display, and my heart does a happy little pit-pat when I see who it is. “Hello?”<
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“Hey, it’s me.”
I cozy into Riel’s pillow. “Hey.”
“Everything good?” he asks.
“Oh, yeah, no prob. And the interview?”
He blows out a breath. “Stressful, but good. Second round starts tomorrow, first thing.”
“Wow, didn’t know it was so involved.”
“Intense, but so going to be worth it.”
I know only too well how “worth it” the Edwards Engineering internship is.
“I’m going to check out some summer programs for Mar, too, in case I get this.”
I hadn’t thought about that, but now that’s he’s mentioned it, he can’t just up and move to Atlanta for a summer. He’s got Mar.
“Luckily the internship comes with housing, so we’ll be good there. Okay, I’m starting to ramble. Need to go to sleep now. Not that I’ll be able to as excited as I am.”
“Just be yourself,” I tell him. “Your amazing self.”
He doesn’t say anything to that, but I swear I can feel him smiling through the phone, which makes me grin right back.
“Good night,” he whispers.
“Good night,” I whisper back.
But neither one of us hangs up the phone. Instead, we lie and listen to each other breathe until one of us, though I’m not sure which one, drifts off to sleep.
Chapter Thirty-One
The next morning, I help Mar pick out something to wear, brush her hair into a ponytail, and make eggs.
Someone knocks on the door right in the middle of eggs. I open it to a smiling Abbie holding a basket loaded with crackers and cheese, sausage and cookies, and a variety of other things.
She takes one look at me and her smile slides away. “What are you doing here?”
“I think the question is more what are you doing here?” I counter.
She glances past me and into the fifth wheel. “Where’s Riel?”
“Atlanta, interviewing for an internship.”
“Oh…I didn’t—he didn’t tell me,” she stammers out.
Does he normally tell you his whereabouts, I want to snide but nod to the basket instead. “For him?”
“He didn’t come to school yesterday.” Abbie looks down at it. “I thought he was sick.”
I almost feel sorry for her. Almost. “Want me to give it to him?”
“No. I’ll give it to him myself.” She takes a step back. “When does he get back?”
Mar comes up beside me. “He’ll be back tonight.”
Abbie glances between me and Mar. “You babysitting or something?”
I nod. “I am.”
“Oh.” She honestly looks bummed. “Well, I would have babysat if he’d asked.”
“I’m sure he knows that.” I’m trying to make her feel better, though I’m not quite sure why.
“I asked for Viola,” Mar announces, making Abbie look even more bummed.
“Well.” Abbie backs away. “Guess I’ll get to school.”
I nod, and after she drives off, I turn to Mar with a nosy question. “Has she been here before?”
“She stops by every now and then.” Mar shoves a bite of eggs in her mouth. “I don’t think my brother really likes her.”
“Hm,” I mumble, more pleased at that than I should be.
After my last class, I go to Mar’s swim practice. I see Joe, the cute guy from the first meet I went to, and take a seat beside him.
We talk while we watch the kids practice, and as Mar and I get ready to head out, he asks, “Don’t suppose you’ve changed your mind about going on a date?”
Mar giggles, and I smile. “Thanks, but I’m still going to pass.”
He dramatically slams his hand over his heart, and I laugh. I’m sure he has no problems in the dating area.
Mar and I do dinner and both fall asleep on Riel’s bed, watching TV.
The door opening is what wakes me up, and I eye Riel as he tiptoes in. He climbs the two steps up into his room and glances at me and Mar snuggled on his bed. In the shadows he can’t tell I’m awake, and so I lower my lids to watch him.
Quietly he puts his suitcase down and stands for a second looking at us. The more he looks, the more my heart picks up pace. I concentrate on deep breaths, faking the sleep he thinks I’m in.
He shuffles into the bathroom, and as he brushes his teeth, he picks up the stuff I’ve left on his counter—lotion, hair cream, lip gloss. He reads them, smells them, opens the cream and feels it. Were it anyone other than Riel, it’d be weird, but his curiosity is more adorable than anything.
Hell, I did the same thing to his stuff, so who am I to call someone weird?
After rinsing his mouth, he comes back over to the bed and lowers himself to the edge closest to me. My heart kicks in even harder.
Slowly, he leans toward me, and my pulse jumps to hyperdrive as I shift and open my eyes. I think I must startle him, because he sits back.
I blink, my thoughts clogged with the word “what?” What was he about to do? What if I didn’t open my eyes? What if—
“Hi,” he says, smiling.
“Hi.” I smile back.
Then we just look at each other. Smiling. Smiling. Smiling.
He chuckles softly, I’m sure at all the goofy smiling, and glances over to Mar.
I scoot up in the bed, staring at his lingering dimples. “Second round of interviews go okay?”
Riel nods. “I’m worn out, but very hopeful.”
Hopeful, hm. That sounds confident.
Mar stirs. “Riel?”
“Yes, it’s me. Sorry to wake you, hermanita.”
Mar reaches over me and gives her brother a hug. “I missed you.”
And while they visit, I pack to go back to the dorms.
“That stupid girl, Abbie, came by,” Mar says.
“She’s not stupid, Mar, be nice.” Riel glances over to me. “What did she want?”
“She thought you were sick,” Mar answers for me. “Brought you a basket and everything.”
“A basket?” He seems genuinely surprised. “She didn’t have to do that.”
“Looked like a great one, too.” I’ve never given a guy a basket like that. Can’t afford it.
“Oh!” Mar announces. “Joe asked Viola out! He’s so cute.” She sighs.
“Mar,” Riel jokes. “You’re only eleven. Please don’t think boys are cute until you’re at least, I don’t know, twenty or something. No, make that thirty.”
She giggles.
Riel glances over to me. “And?”
I zip up my duffle bag. “And?” I tease.
He gives a shy smile, and it has to be one of his best ones yet. “Guess it’s none of my business,” he admits.
Interesting. I decide to leave him hanging. “Take me home?”
“Sure.”
We all load up in the Jeep, and as we pass through the campground’s gates, I catch sight of a dark SUV sitting in the parking lot. Riel pulls out onto the coastal highway, and I fix my gaze to the side mirror and the vehicle. About a half mile down the road it pulls out behind us.
Swallowing, I tell myself I’m imagining things. I mean, why would someone be following us? Just because it’s an SUV doesn’t mean it’s the same one as before. Lots of people drive SUVs.
Its headlights grow brighter and brighter, drawing closer.
“Just pass me,” Riel mutters.
Through the open windows, the SUV’s engine roars, and my gut clenches. It guns past us, speeding ahead, and seconds later its taillights disappear into the night.
I blow out a relieved breath.
Minutes later we pull into the academy’s parking lot. I say goodbye to Riel and Mar and head inside.
In my dorm room, Gillian is already sleeping, so I quietly put my duffel beside my bed. I flick on my bedside lamp, take my shirt off, glance out my window, and freeze.
In the academy’s parking lot sits a dark SUV.
Chapter Thirty-Two
I trudge down th
e hall toward my room, dazed and in need of some major z’s. I open my door, see Gillian’s bed empty, and fall into my comforter and right to sleep.
A person in dark glasses sits crouched in the corner and somewhere in the depths of my mind I wonder how I didn’t see him.
As quietly as possible he stands, and I squint my eyes to make out his features. Manny…? Bud…? Peter…? Riel?
He takes a step toward me, the floor board creaks, and he freezes.
Seconds pass, and I swear I hear his heartbeat vibrating the air between us.
An evil smile creeps into his face, and through the shadows his teeth shine bright. Too bright.
“I won’t hurt you,” he whispers, his voice a little garbled. “I just want to watch you sleep.” He tiptoes over to my bed. “I didn’t think you’d be so pretty when you slept.”
The comforter and sheet barely cover me, and groggily, I reach for them.
He beats me to it, slowly sliding them up to cover my body. He touches my hair, gently running his fingers through it. “So soft.”
My eyes flutter open, and I immediately realize something isn’t right. Our window sits open, letting in a morning breeze. Scooting up in bed, I glance over to Gillian to see her still asleep.
I look around the room as I recall the dream, and I shiver.
Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I glance at my desk chair to see my bra gone. I had put it there, hadn’t I?
My gaze goes to the open window. I closed it last night before I went to bed. I know I did. Maybe Gillian opened it to get some air. I stand up and glance down to the parking lot, but don’t see that SUV.
Gillian stirs, yawns, takes one look at me and asks, “What’s wrong?”
“Weird dream.” Shaking my head, I point to the window. “Did you open that?”
“Yes.” She sits up. “Why?”
I nod to my chair. “Do you remember seeing my blue bra there?”
“You mean that one?”
I look across the room to our closet door and my bra hanging from its handle. “Huh,” is all I say, although I’m pretty damn sure I didn’t put it there. “Do you know anybody who drives a dark SUV?”
Watching You Page 10