“No problem,” Kyle said.
The man’s gaze went back and forth between Jessica and Kyle, like he was trying to place them. Then with his free hand, he snapped his fingers. “I’ve got it.” He smiled. “I knew you looked familiar. It took me a minute, but now I remember seeing you in the paper. You were involved with that attack by Harrington, right?”
Jessica glanced at Kyle, who was staring at the man.
The man focused on Jessica. “Jennifer, right?”
“Jessica,” she said without thinking.
“Oh, yeah. Right. Jessica.” He poured some of his bottled water onto his cut, then dried it with a fresh piece of gauze. His gaze went back to Jessica’s face. “I read something about some old letters?”
Not knowing if she was supposed to talk to random strangers about what happened, she didn’t respond.
“Do you still have them?” he persisted.
She shook her head, hoping that would end his questioning.
He put some ointment onto the cut and applied a bandage, then chuckled. “I’m kind of a collector of old documents.” He gazed at her. “You didn’t happen to make a copy did you? Cause if you did, I’d love to see them.”
“No,” she said.
“Oh, that’s too bad.” Then his gaze went to Kyle. “And you were the hero in all this, right?”
Kyle shifted, like he was uncomfortable being called a hero. “Look, we’re just on a hike. We don’t want to talk about what happened.”
The man looked suddenly embarrassed. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.” He gathered up the trash from caring for his wound, and put it into his pocket. He stood and turned to go, but then turned back to face them. “Do you have to, like, testify at the trial and stuff?”
Kyle just stared at him.
“I just ask,” he went on, “because I saw somewhere that Harrington has some pretty nasty friends.” His face became serious. “I would just be scared if I were you.”
Jessica’s heart began to pound. Was this man threatening them? Or was he really who he seemed to be—a hiker who happened to come across them?
Kyle must have wondered the same thing, because he stood and faced the man. “I think your leg is okay for walking now.”
The man glanced at the bandage on his leg, then back at Kyle. “Yeah, I guess it is.” He smiled, all friendly-like. “I didn’t mean anything by that comment about Harrington. I hope you didn’t take it the wrong way.” He smiled. “You just seem like nice people.” Then his smile vanished and he turned and walked away.
“That was weird,” Kyle said as he settled on the blanket next to Jessica.
She thought about the black flowers and the text message she’d gotten. “That’s not the first weirdness I’ve encountered lately.”
A questioning look filled his face. “What do you mean?”
“A week ago someone sent me black roses.”
His eyebrows rose. “Do you know who sent them?”
She shook her head. “And today I got a text that said I should watch my back.”
He pulled her close to him. “Why didn’t you tell me before? Have you told the police?”
“Yes. I called Detective Barnes this morning.”
“What did he say?”
“That he’d look into it.”
Kyle was quiet for a minute. “Do you think that guy . . .” He pointed in the general direction where the man had walked. “Do you think what he said could be related to those other things?”
Shrugging, she said, “I don’t know.” She glanced around but didn’t see the man anywhere. All she could see was the lake, and the line of trees where he’d gone. “Maybe we should head back.”
“Sure. Okay.”
They folded up the blanket, put it in Kyle’s backpack, then headed back the way they’d come, which incidentally was the same way the man had gone. As they hiked through the woods that had seemed so peaceful and serene on the way to the lake, Jessica found her ears attuned to every crunch of a leaf and snap of a twig.
Kyle must have sensed her anxiety. “I’m sure he’s gone by now.”
She hated when people tried to soothe her with false reassurance. “You don’t know that. He could be hiding behind any of these trees.”
He sighed audibly. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, okay?”
“What if he’s one of those ‘nasty friends’ of Harrington’s that he talked about? What if it was a warning? What if he’s supposed to kill us so that we can’t testify at the trial?” She felt herself getting worked up, and she didn’t like the way it made her feel—terrified and out of control.
Kyle stopped and put his hands on her shoulders, gazing into her eyes. “What if he’s just some idiot hiker who recognized us, and has an over-active imagination? And a big mouth?”
Forcing herself to relax, Jessica nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. That’s probably all it is. I’m just letting my imagination take over.”
Pulling her tight against him, he said, “You’re safe with me, Jess.”
And she did feel safe with him. Melting against him, she rested her head on his shoulder and let his strong arms hold her while her anxiety seeped away.
After a few moments, he released her. “Better?”
She nodded.
“Good. Because I need to get home and figure out what I’m going to make for dinner tonight. I have some important guests coming.”
Jessica smiled, and they continued on.
Chapter Sixteen
After Kyle brought her back to Ellen’s house, Jessica found her aunt reading a book in the sunroom and told her about Kyle’s invitation to dinner.
“Now that’s a good contractor.” She set her book down. “Not only does he remodel his client’s kitchens, but he feeds them while their kitchens are out of commission.”
Laughing, Jessica sat in the chair next to Ellen, then Hudson leapt onto her lap and bumped his head against her arm as he purred. “Did you miss me, big guy?” Absently stroking his fur, she turned to Ellen. “I have to tell you about something odd that happened. Well, two odd things.”
“Oh?”
She told her about the text message, and about the man on the hike.
“Did you talk to Detective Barnes about this?”
“I called him after I got the text, but I suppose I’ll give him a call and tell him about the hiker.”
“Yes, I think you should. It could all be completely innocent, but it wouldn’t hurt to see what he has to say about it.”
A few minutes later she’d told Barnes about the hiker and what he’d said.
“I wouldn’t worry about it too much, Jessica.”
Somehow, hearing that coming from him made her feel better about it. If he wasn’t concerned, then surely she shouldn’t be. “Did you find anything out about the flowers or the text?”
“Like you said, whoever sent the flowers didn’t leave a trail behind. And the phone number that sent the text appears to have used an app that hides the sender information, so we can’t tell who it’s from.”
That information did not make her feel better. “What should I do?”
“Do you have anyone who might be upset with you for any reason?”
Douglas Harrington, Alex, Melanie. She ticked the list off on her fingers and felt a wave of despair wash over her. She’d never had enemies before. How had she managed to cultivate so many in a matter of weeks? “There are a few people I can think of.” Then she gave him her list.
“I understand about Harrington, but what about the other two? Why are they upset with you?”
“I broke up with Alex last week. And Melanie, well . . .” This is embarrassing. “We’re both sort of in love with the same man.”
“Ahh. I see.”
Jessica felt her face redden and was glad that the good detective wasn’t there in person to see her humiliation.
“Perhaps you should stay away from this man that you’re both . . . in love with. Who did you say he is?�
�
“Kyle Judd.”
“Oh.”
Yeah, oh.
“Do you see him often?” Barnes asked.
“Well, we went out last night, and he was with me on the hike this morning.” She paused, her embarrassment growing. “And tonight I’m having dinner with him.”
Barnes chuckled. “Okay. Evidently asking you to stay away is not realistic.”
Her face burned hotter. “Do you really think that would make a difference?”
“Does your ex, Alex, know about you and Mr. Judd?”
“I don’t think so.” But then she recalled Alex’s pointed question about whether Kyle was the reason she was breaking up with him. Had he believed her when she’d told him no?
“You want my advice?”
“Yes.”
“Live your life, but just be careful. You know, don’t be out alone at night, pay attention to your surroundings. And give me a call if anything else strange happens.”
“Okay. Thank you.” When they hung up a moment later she felt marginally better. Detective Barnes hadn’t seemed overly concerned, so Jessica decided she wouldn’t be either.
That evening, when Jessica and Ellen arrived at Kyle’s house, Kyle brought them into the kitchen where he was finishing his preparations. Jessica watched as he tossed a salad then took browned french bread out of the oven.
“Everything smells delicious, Kyle,” Ellen said.
He smiled at her. “I hope you like it.”
“If it doesn’t come out of the microwave, then I’m sure I’ll love it.”
They all laughed.
“I’ll be back on the job tomorrow,” he said. “So I’ll keep moving things along on your kitchen.”
“That’s what I like to hear.”
A few minutes later the three of them were sitting in the dining room, enjoying the meal Kyle had prepared.
“I spoke to Detective Barnes,” Jessica said as she sliced off a piece of chicken.
“What did he say?” Kyle asked.
“He didn’t seem too worried about the hiker.” Then she told him what Barnes had said about the flowers and the text.
“Hmm. I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I, but it doesn’t sound like there’s much they can do about it. Especially if they can’t figure out who’s behind everything.” Jessica noticed that Ellen was listening closely, although she didn’t speak.
Kyle set his utensils down. “Did you tell him about your . . . well, how you broke up with . . . Alex?”
“Yes.” She hesitated, wondering if she should tell him everything she’d told Barnes, but decided it was best not to bring up Melanie in the context of her doing something criminal. Somehow she didn’t think Kyle would get behind her on that.
“Is he going to talk to him?” Kyle asked.
The idea startled her a bit. She didn’t know if she wanted Barnes talking to Alex. “I don’t know.”
“Well, maybe he should.” When Jessica didn’t respond, Kyle turned to Ellen. “Don’t you think he should?”
Ellen glanced at Jessica, then looked at Kyle. “Perhaps.” Then she quickly added. “Just to rule him out, I mean.”
Jessica looked between Kyle and her aunt, not sure what to think.
“Did you tell Barnes how Alex lied to you about that email?” Kyle asked as he speared a piece of meat.
“That didn’t come up.”
Kyle shook his head as he chewed. “I don’t like him. Something about him bothers me.”
Maybe that’s because he called you an idiot, she thought. Not to mention that he wants to marry me. “He’s harmless,” she finally said, feeling a need to come to Alex’s defense. After all, she’d already broken his heart. There was no need to say mean things about him.
“What kind of marinade did you use, Kyle?” Ellen asked in an obvious attempt to change the topic.
Their conversation veered away from Alex, much to Jessica’s relief. The rest of the evening went smoothly, and when it was time to say good-bye, Jessica felt good about her day with Kyle. He walked them out to her car, and kissed her as she stood next to her door.
“Thanks for a great day,” she said, her smile showing her happiness.
“It was only great because you were there,” he said as he hugged her. “See you tomorrow.”
He walked back up the driveway as Jessica pulled away from the curb. At the end of the street she slowed to turn left, but had to stop and wait for another car to turn in front of her onto Kyle’s street. As the car passed, she gasped.
“What is it?” Ellen asked.
As she spoke, Jessica’s gaze was locked on her rear view mirror, watching the car drive further down the street. “That was Melanie.”
Ellen turned her head, but the car was too far for her to see. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Her heart pounded as she wondered if Kyle knew Melanie was coming over. She didn’t think so, as he wouldn’t have known exactly when Jessica and her aunt would be leaving. “I wonder if he’ll let her in.”
“You could drive around for a few minutes, then circle back around and see if her car’s still there.”
Jessica’s distress was replaced with optimism. “Yes. Good idea.” They drove onward, and then drove around for several minutes before doubling back to Kyle’s house. As soon as his house came into view, it was obvious that Melanie’s car was parked firmly in the driveway next to Kyle’s truck. And there was no sign of her.
“I guess he let her in,” Ellen murmured.
Jessica’s earlier distress came roaring back. “Yeah, I guess so.” She was quiet as they passed his house. “I just wish I knew what was going on inside. What she’s saying to him.” If she’s trying to get him to commit to more than friendship. Then she remembered his statement that morning that he wasn’t ready to marry anyone. At the time, his words had surprised her—and not in a good way—but now she was glad he felt that way. If he wasn’t ready to marry her, then he certainly wouldn’t be ready to marry Melanie.
The next morning when Kyle arrived, he greeted Jessica as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Though tempted to come right out and ask him when he’d last seen Melanie, she decided it would just make her look jealous and petty, and that was not the impression she wanted to leave with him as he began his day.
“Do you want to go somewhere for lunch?” he asked as he set his tools on the floor of the kitchen.
“Sure.”
“Good. Let’s go around noon.”
“Okay.” She smiled, glad that he wanted to be with her, especially after he’d spent time with Melanie the evening before.
When lunchtime rolled around, she came down to the kitchen to let Kyle know that she was ready to go. His face lit up when he saw her. “Just give me a sec,” he said.
She watched him finish what he was doing, then smiled as he walked over to her and pulled her into a warm embrace.
“Mmm. You smell good,” he murmured in her hair.
They stood that way for a moment, and then his cell phone rang. He released her and pulled his phone out of his pocket, glanced at the Caller ID, then answered. Jessica watched his face as he listened to the caller. A mix of emotions revealed themselves—excitement, concern, seriousness.
After a moment he said, “Okay. I’ll be there.” Sliding the phone into his pocket, he looked at Jessica with a frown. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to get a raincheck on the lunch date.”
“Is everything okay?”
His frown turned into a smile. “Yeah. Melanie was able to set up an appointment with an adoption attorney at the last minute, and he can meet with us over lunch.”
“Us?” She didn’t like the sound of that.
“Yeah. Me and Melanie.”
“I see.” And what she saw was the image of him standing with his arms around Melanie and Avery. The perfect picture of a happy family.
“I’m sorry, Jess.”
“I can’t believe you’re still moving forw
ard with this.”
“With what? The adoption? Why wouldn’t I?”
If he couldn’t see all the reasons why it was a bad idea, she didn’t know how she was going to convince him. Shaking her head, she began to turn away.
“What about dinner tonight instead?” he said.
She turned back to face him. In a way, she wanted to turn him down. Otherwise how would he have to work for her love? But her fear of basically handing him over to Melanie forced her hand. “Sure.” But she couldn’t hide her lack of enthusiasm.
Coming to stand next to her, he reached out and stroked her back. “Everything’s going to work out fine. You’ll see.”
She didn’t see it at all, but she nodded, then walked back up to her bedroom, wanting to lose herself in her work. However, more bad news was waiting in the form of an email from her boss.
Jessica -
I wanted to write to you personally to give you the unfortunate news that we are being forced to close our doors. I’m not sure if you’ve seen anything on the news about this, but after an extensive internal investigation, we’ve discovered that a member of our accounting team has been embezzling funds from the company for some time. Sadly, this has forced us to let everyone go. I also deeply regret that there are no funds to make payroll.
You’ve been such a good employee, please know that I will happily give you a reference if you need me to. Again, please accept my sincerest apologies for this unexpected and unwelcome news.
Take care,
Tony
Jessica reread the message, her mind having trouble accepting what her boss was telling her. She no longer had a job? And she wasn’t going to be paid for the last two weeks of work? A feeling of panic began building within her. Even though she had some money saved, she would have to find another job right away if she wanted to keep paying her bills. She went online and looked up the story her boss referred to, but beyond verifying what he’d said, she didn’t learn anything more.
Chapter Seventeen
She needed to talk to her aunt about this new development, and hurried downstairs to find her. After looking inside the house, she found her sitting on the front porch, taking a break from pruning the rose bushes that lined the front of the house.
Second Chances (sequel to Over You) Page 13