Matt ordered the filet mignon with a salad and Italian dressing and handed the menu back to the waiter. Then he gave all his attention to Tory.
“Do you remember when we ate here before?” Matt asked Tory.
“When was that?”
“The night you graduated from high school. Remember now?”
“Oh, right. The night we planned our entire life together. How could I have forgotten?” Tory answered.
“No reason to get your panties in a wad. I thought it would be a nice drive down memory lane tonight.”
“Memory lane was a bumpy road the way I remember it. I hope you don’t have anything else planned for tonight. We really need to talk.”
“Okay, Tory, what’s so urgent? Let’s get this talking over with so we can enjoy the rest of the evening.”
Tory squirmed in her seat not sure how to start. Her friends she had known most of her life and had graduated with in high school had started working or got married and had children by the time she had graduated from college and planned her wedding to Matt Wilson.
After a few drinks and loose lips, she found out what she had suspected all along. Matt had been cheating on her. She had rushed out of the party and chose once again to seek her safe haven behind the wooden door with the glass etching.
She lay awake most of the night while time passed slowly. The following morning after her ruined party, she came to the realization there was no way she could put on her “special” dress and walk down the aisle of the church she had been baptized in to marry Matt. She took another gulp of wine to settle her nerves just as the waiter appeared with their salads.
“How’s your dinner?” Matt asked Tory halfway through the meal.
“It has a very nice atmosphere, the food is good, and the service has been excellent.”
With the table cleaned off and their wine glasses refilled, Tory reached into her purse and took out the white jewelry box. She handed it to Matt.
“Since this was your grandmother’s, I thought you would like to keep it in the family and pass it on to your daughter or daughter-in-law one day.”
Matt opened the treasured box and his eyes grew large.
“I didn’t remember how big and beautiful it really is. Thank you for returning it, especially under the circumstances. It’s going to be hard to hold onto it in this tough economy.”
“It belongs in your family.”
“I was hoping we could take things slowly, maybe see how things go. I never stopped caring about you, Tory. I got trapped into marrying Paige. I keep searching for someone like you, with your soft, sexy voice, your cute laugh, your overall sexy and generous demeanor.”
“I think we better go now. We have a long drive ahead of us,” Tory interrupted Matt.
“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Matt answered as he stood from his chair. Tory stood ready to go as well, and together they made their way through the restaurant and out to the car.
Their conversation on the way home was stilted, talking about Wilson Construction, the hard financial times he was going through, the new business plan he had in mind, and her job in Myrtle Beach. It was a relief when they finally reached Tory’s house.
He walked her to her front porch. He turned her around to face him and started to lean in to give her a good night kiss. She pushed away from him, shaking her head back and forth.
“Thanks again for a nice evening, Matt. Good night!” Tory turned the lock in the door, turned the doorknob, entered her house, and shut the door. With the door firmly closed behind her, she leaned up against it and slowly slipped to the floor. She had remembered the first time they’d eaten at the restaurant and all the other good times they’d had back then, but now it was a blurry past she wanted to bury. A cold numbness filled her body as if she were grieving for something she never had.
On the drive home Tory prayed she could forget all the recent bad experiences and simply enjoy Dave. Now that the worst was behind her, thoughts of him made her smile. When they had arrived home she noticed one of her potted plants had been turned over. “Must have been the wind,” she muttered to herself.
When she reached the porch and bent to upright the plant, she noticed a small footprint in the dirt. I wonder who was here snooping around while I was out. Or maybe they were here last night snooping around while Dave and I...That’s an awful small footprint for a male, so it must have been another woman, maybe a teenager.
She reached up the wall far enough to find a light switch. Flipping it on, she was dumbfounded at the sight of her living/dining room. Everything was moved and helter-skelter throughout. Drawers on the floor, their contents strewn around as if a small tornado had ripped through, papers and books littered the floor in front of an empty bookcase, and cushions from the sofa and chair lying in the center of the room. Someone had ransacked her house while she was out.
Chapter 15
Tory stared at the disheveled mess that had been her nice and neat
“home.” She picked up her cell phone and looked at the numbers. She wanted to call Dave but didn’t want to explain to him where she was tonight. She felt like she had cheated on him, and it made her feel dirty and cheap. She called 911 instead.
“911. Is this a medical emergency?”
“No, not medical, but someone turned my place upside down.”
“Is the perpetrator still there? Do you hear anything?”
“I don’t hear anything, so I don’t think they’re still here.”
“Stay on the line with me until a police officer arrives, okay? Can you do that?”
“Sure.”
“This is what I want you to do. I want you to go outside and wait there for the officer. Turn on all your outside lights so it’s nice and bright.”
“Okay, I turned on all the lights and I’m going outside on the porch right now.”
“An officer is on his way.”
“I see the police car.”
“Good. They will take it from here.”
“Thank you. Good-bye,” Tory said as she stood in the bright front porch lights, watching a police cruiser pull up in front of her house. Two officers got out and asked her to sit in the car while they checked everything inside, especially to make sure no one remained in the house. Tory sat in the cruiser, trying to slow down her breathing with long deep gulps of air. She realized her legs were trembling and tears were welling up in her eyes. Why me? What do I have that someone wants so badly? I feel so violated and stomped on.
The two officers soon emerged from her front door and motioned for her to get out of the cruiser. She stood on wobbly legs, searched her pockets for a tissue, and finally found one.
She didn’t recognize the officers at first, and then she vaguely remembered one of them from the car accident.
“Ma’am, whoever was in your house is now long gone. We found a jimmied back door lock. You’re going to want to get that replaced with a deadbolt for more security. We’re going to see if we can get some prints from the door. You’re welcome to come inside now if you want to.”
She wobbled on trembling legs inside the house and looked around. Amazed. Baffled. Disbelieving.
“If you see anything missing, please let us know, okay?” one of the officers said to her. “Otherwise don’t move anything just yet.”
“Sure, okay,” Tory said in a fog as she surveyed her surroundings. Chairs were turned on their sides, the cushions removed from the couch, lamps broken on the floor.
She quickly took out her camera from her purse and began taking pictures. When she went upstairs she found her bedroom was in even worse shape. All the dresser drawers were open, her clothing hanging from the sides and tossed everywhere. Everything in the closet was on the floor. The mattress on the bed was only partially on the box springs.
At the recommendation of the police officers, she called her landlord. Trevor immediately arrived on the scene and installed a deadbolt lock on the back door.
The officers gave her the “go-ahead”
to start the cleanup and Trevor stayed to help with the larger things. The rest would be done tomorrow. Tory felt safe enough to stay for the night thanks to the new deadbolt. She tested it to verify it was working properly.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Trevor asked Tory.
“Of course, you heard the officers. They don’t expect anyone to come back. They did a thorough enough job looking for ‘whatever’ the first time. I’ll be perfectly fine, I swear. And I do know how to call 911 all by myself.” Tory smiled.
After Trevor left she went through the house again, checking her jewelry one more time. She couldn’t find anything missing. Not that she had anything except her camera worthy of stealing, and it had been with her in her purse.
Chapter 16
Tory woke the following morning thinking about Dave, not Matt. Her dealings with Matt were over, thank god, and she could devote all her thoughts and plans to Dave and their planned date tonight. She thought about how kind and generous he was, so unlike anyone else she’d dated. He was also very easygoing, enabling her to relax in his company and enjoy herself. It was an easy relationship.
She showered, hurried with her coffee, and planned to have a good day at work, leaving the past in the past.
The aroma of coffee greeted her as soon as she opened the office door. Trevor was helping himself to a cup.
“Good morning, Tory. Feeling better? How about a cup of coffee?”
Tory nodded at Trevor for the coffee and said, “Thanks for yesterday. I really needed the day off. Coffee smells great, by the way.” She accepted the cup of coffee from him and added cream and sugar. While she stirred her coffee she asked him, “How did yesterday go? Were there many calls?”
“The usual. Mr. Walker called. He’s interested in looking at one of the larger factory buildings with office space. I told him what we have available and he’ll call back in a day or so. Otherwise, it was quiet.”
“What do I need to do to get caught up?” Tory asked as she made her way to her desk.
Trevor went over some paperwork with her and disappeared to his office. The day progressed quickly.
Tory, anxious to leave to get ready for her date with Dave, wondered where he was taking her. “Out” could be anywhere. On her way home, she debated whether to dress casually or formally.
Shivers went through her as she thought about Dave. Her heart started to race and she felt butterflies in the pit of her stomach. Her nipples became erect and showed through her T-shirt. She could hardly wait to see his handsome face again, feel his lips caressing hers, and smell his masculine scent that was only his. She wanted to feel his strong arms around her holding her tight and spend time with him making love. Spending time with him doing anything would be wonderful. Spending time with him doing nothing would be wonderful, too.
She finally decided to wear dress slacks and a soft silk blouse with a scarf she could remove to be casual or fix to be more formal. She changed her purse to match her outfit and came down the stairs. She checked her watch. Dave was ten minutes late. He had been very prompt for their previous dates. I hope nothing’s happened to him.
Twenty minutes later, after tidying the living and dining rooms and repeatedly looking out the front window and at her watch, Tory began to pace the floor. Annoyance turned to anger. Her heels pounded into the floor, her one hand fisted at her side while the other was in her mouth biting her fingernails. As more time passed, her footfalls increased and her sighs became louder and more frequent.
She thought about whoever was in her house last night. Could it have been Dave? After all he claimed to be a detective, could he be doing some illegal “detecting” on the side?
By ten o’clock, when he hadn’t arrived or called, she knew she had been stood up.
Chapter 17
“Hey, Tory, it’s Sue. Did you get everything put away and cleaned up before Dave showed up?”
“Sure, I had plenty of time to get everything done that needed doing.”
“How was your date with Dave? Where did he take you?”
“Nowhere.”
“What? You stayed home?”
“He never showed, never even had the nerve to call. I thought he was different from all the other men in this rotten town.” Tory paced again, her hand clenched the phone, her lips tight.
“Just because he didn’t show up is no reason to take it out on the town, for heaven’s sake. Maybe something came up with one of his parents and he hasn’t had time to call yet.”
“That’s very unlikely though, isn’t it?”
“I’m so sorry. I know how much you were counting on this date. So he’s a rat, now you have to move on to something else. What are your plans for today?”
“I’ve got to meet with the loan officer from the bank and sign the note paperwork so Mom can finish the house. And we want to try to get some volunteers to help with the finishing touches, things like that. What about you?”
“I may as well come with you. When were you leaving for the bank?”
“In about a half hour.”
“I’ll meet you there, and we can go to Lana’s and talk, okay?”
“Sure, we can talk about anything but men. I’ve had enough already.”
* * * *
Tory and Sue met at the bank, signed the loan papers, and began the short walk over to Lana’s. As they walked to the coffee house, Tory kept glancing over her shoulder.
“Who’re you looking for, Tory? You’ve been looking behind your back ever since we left the bank.”
“I don’t know. I have this feeling I’m being followed or watched. I’ve had it ever since I got to town, but when I look there’s never anybody there. I had the same feeling last night.”
“You’re just being paranoid now. You’re probably feeling insecure because it happened before. Where does it happen at and who do you think it could be? You maybe are just having aftereffects because of last night with Dave and your feelings for him,” Sue said as they entered the door to Lana’s. “Speaking of Dave, he’s here in the back corner booth reading the paper.”
“You’re kidding. Stop it, it’s not funny.”
“Look for yourself then,” Sue said as she moved toward a booth at the opposite end of the room.
Tory looked toward the booth that Sue had indicated, and there sat Dave, as handsome as you please, reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee. He looked up at her when she glanced his way. Their eyes met and locked. Neither could turn away from the other.
Finally Sue interrupted. “Tory, come and sit down. I don’t have all day,” Sue said with annoyance. “Do you want to leave or sit somewhere else?”
Tory made her way over to Sue and sat down in the booth facing her.
“I already ordered us each a coffee. It should be here any minute. Did you want anything else?” Sue asked.
Tory shook her head and moved farther into the booth so she couldn’t see Dave and he couldn’t see her.
“Do you suppose he saw me with Matt when we left town? Maybe someone else did and told him and that’s why he stood me up.”
“You can still talk to Dave and explain the break-in, your relationship, or lack of it, with Matt. It’s not too late. Maybe you can talk to Dave now and explain what you did and why—like you talked to me—open, honest, and sincere.”
“You’re right. But it’s so awkward.” Tory took a long gulp of her coffee.
“It has to be soon, Tory, or you could lose him. You don’t want to start a relationship based on secrets or lies. It won’t last. I have to leave soon anyway. Why don’t you take your coffee over and ask if you can join him. Then neither of you will be sitting by yourselves.”
“Okay, but if it doesn’t work out, I’m blaming it on you because it was your idea.” Tory picked up her purse and coffee cup and walked hesitantly toward the corner booth, her heart pounding and her palms sweaty.
She saw Dave look up at her as soon as she came closer.
“Hello, Dave. Do you mind i
f I join you?” she asked as he folded up the paper and put it aside.
“No, have a seat. We need to talk anyway,” he answered with a gentle smile.
“We do,” Tory said with a stiff upper lip, trying to keep her emotions under control. She didn’t know whether to scream and yell at him or be nice and apologize for going out with Matt. Does he have a right to be mad at me? After all, we aren’t dating exclusively. I should be able to see whomever I want. It’s my life and I can do whatever I want to with it.
“I’m sorry about last night,” Dave said as she watched him run his fingers through his thick hair. “Something came up that I had to deal with right away, and I couldn’t make it.”
“Which are you sorry about, the ransacking of my place, or standing me up, or not bothering to call me?” Tory said.
“Whoa. Your placed was ransacked? Did you call Chief Carr?”
“Of course, who else would I call?”
“Did they take or steal anything?”
“Not that I could tell, but they had to be looking for something.”
“Do they know who did it or have any suspects?”
“No.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t call,” he said, “but how can you think I would ransack your place?”
Her gut clenched when she thought about him, and she tapped her fingers on the table. She pursed her lips, frowned, trying to stay stern. Was he another smooth-talking liar, like Matt?
“This isn’t the time or place to talk about last night. How about if we take our time when we can discuss it to death if you’d like, but not right now,” Dave said while tapping his fingers on the table loudly.
They glared across the table for a few moments.
Tory broke the stare down. “Actually, I don’t have any plans, but I don’t want to go out. Would you like to come to my place?”
“How about seven?” he asked.
“Seven will be fine.” Tory stood. “My place at seven. If you don’t show up, then don’t expect another chance.”
* * * *
Confer, Lorelei - Deadly Revenge (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Page 8