“Do you have homework?” I asked.
“Did it at school.”
“Good job.”
He left and I looked at Regan, who was staring at my outfit. “Where did you get that outfit, mom?”
“I found it in my closet. I lost a couple of pounds and it finally fit.”
“It doesn’t fit that well around your chest,” she said.
I sighed. “I know.”
“But you still look nice,” she said.
I smiled. “Thanks, honey.”
She left the kitchen and I started unloading the dishwasher. After adding the dirty dishes, my cell phone began to ring. The phone number appeared as a private one.
“Hello?” I asked.
“Stay away from the cop,” whispered a feminine voice.
“Excuse me?”
I heard a choked sob and then the woman hung up.
Staring at my phone, I felt a cold shiver go down my spine.
Chapter Eighteen
Darcy breezed through my front door shortly after six, carrying two iced coffees and an excited gleam in her eye. The look on her face made me forget about the strange call, which I’d come to the conclusion had been Tina trying to warn me about her husband.
“Spill the beans,” I said. “What’s with the pleased look on your face?”
She took a sip of her coffee and smiled. “I have a date Saturday night.”
I raised my eyebrows. “With who?”
“This guy I met on the Internet.”
I frowned. “What do you mean? Where?”
She waved her hand. “Oh, just on one of those online dating services. Anyway, we’re going out to dinner and then…well, who knows.”
The look on her face told me that after dinner, she planned on making him the dessert.
“Do you know anything about your date?” I asked.
“Well, I know he’s some kind of investor and travels a lot. He looks pretty handsome in his picture and has never been married, so no extra baggage. Unlike me.”
“How old is he?”
She shrugged. “Around our age.”
I sighed. “Well, just be careful. It makes me a little nervous that you’re meeting up with someone from the Internet you’ve never met before.”
“Hey, it’s a lot safer than meeting a man when I’m already inebriated at the local bar. Anyway, everyone’s doing it these days.”
I pointed to her. “Well, you’d better call me as soon as you’re done with him.”
“He may never leave,” she said with a wicked grin.
“Then call me between orgasms,” I said.
She licked her lips and smiled. “My mouth might be full.”
“You are so bad!”
“Speaking of being bad, maybe I can get him to spank me, too,” she said with a wistful look.
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, for the love of God…”
“Hey, sister, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”
I raised a hand and laughed. “No thanks, I’ll just take your word for it.”
She grinned. “Wimp.”
“I won’t argue that.”
She shook her head and glanced at her watch. “Okay, we should probably get started on that resume.”
I led her to my computer and we spent the next hour trying to glamorize my short career as a fast food cashier, back when I was in my teens.
“Well, at least you have some current experience on the computer and are a pretty fast typist. Those online classes have to count for something, as well. Anyway, I’ll send this off to Sheriff James and see if they’re still hiring.”
“Thanks, Darcy.”
“No problem. It gives me a chance to correspond with the hunky sheriff a little more, too.”
I laughed. “Oh, the stud-muffin sheriff; I should have known why you were so gung-ho on helping me get a job at that place.”
She wiggled her eyebrows. “Girl, if you saw him, you’d understand.”
“That’s what you always say.”
“No, this time I’m serious.”
“Right.”
She laughed.
“Tell you what, if I get a job with the sheriff, I’ll tell him what an awesome woman you are and then find a way to set you two up.”
“In that case, I better send him your resume tonight!”
I winked at her. “That’s what I’m thinking.”
“So, do we have everything?” she asked, scanning over my resume again.
I sighed. “It is. Kind of pathetic, huh?”
She shook her head. “No, not at all. You spent most of your adult life taking care of your kids. That’s a lot of work and it’s admirable. Don’t be ashamed of it.”
I smiled. “Thanks. I still wish I would have taken a part-time job or something. Every time I brought it up, however, Scott put the kibosh on it.”
“Well, now you’re on your own and can make those decisions all by yourself. Freedom is a very empowering.”
“I wish I could feel it. Right now I feel trapped more than anything.”
“It will get better. Take it from me.”
I nodded.
“Okay,” she said, looking at her watch. “Well, I’d better get going. I need to do some laundry when I get home.”
I walked her to the door and gave her a big hug. “Thanks again, chick. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“That goes both ways,” she said. “Listen, I’ll talk to you either tomorrow or Friday. I still plan on taking you shopping before my date, Saturday as well. We’ll go to the mall; I want to purchase something sexy to wear.”
“Okay, thanks,” I said, opening the door to let her out.
“Yumalicious,” said Darcy, staring outside.
I peered around her and noticed Jake coming towards us in the darkness.
“Hi there,” I said as he stepped up to the porch.
“Hi, ladies. I was just stopping by on my way to work to find out how you were doing, Lindsey.”
I smiled. “Well, thank you. I’m doing fine.”
Darcy held out her hand. “I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced, I’m Darcy.”
He took her hand and gave her one of his sexy smiles. “I’m Jake Sharp, nice to meet you.”
“So Lindsey tells me you’re in law enforcement? How exciting,” she purred.
“Well, it definitely has its moments,” he answered, looking amused.
“I bet,” she said.
“Looks like you dropped something, Lindsey,” he said, bending down to pick up the screwdriver I’d forgotten on the porch.
Darcy and I both stared at his firm behind. She quickly turned to me and nodded her approval.
Stifling a giggle, I gave her a warning look as he turned back around to face us.
“Well,” said Darcy, clearing her throat. “Although, I’d love to stay and chat, I really have a lot of things to do tonight. It was very nice meeting you, Mr. Sharp.”
“Just call me Jake.”
Her eyes gave him the once-over. “No, I think ‘Sharp’ is much more appropriate.”
Jake’s eyes met mine and he smiled.
I could only groan.
She burst out laughing. “Sorry, Jake. I live for embarrassing my little friend here,” she said, hip-checking me.
“Thanks.”
“Talk to you tomorrow, Linds,” she said, stepping off the porch.
“Okay,” I said.
After she left, Jake folded his arms across his chest and studied me. “So, what happened with Scott?”
I sighed. “He’s still trying to come back home.”
He nodded. “I figured as much. I guess I don’t really blame him.”
“Well…”
“Do you want him to come back home?” he asked.
I stared at him, and right then and there, the answer rolled easily off my tongue. “No, I guess I don’t.”
He grinned. “Good. Because I don’t like to share.”
My c
heeks turned pink as I thought about earlier. We’d both acted like a couple of horny teenagers, and now that my head had cleared, I felt silly. “Jake…”
He moved towards me and slipped his arms around my waist. “Shh…it’s okay,” he murmured, nuzzling my neck. “Let me just breathe you in for a second before I go to the stakeout.”
I pushed him away and looked up into his eyes. “Stakeout? That sounds dangerous.”
He smiled seductively. “You’re already starting to worry about me? I like that, it turns me on.”
I rolled my eyes. “Just be careful.”
“I will – if you give me a goodnight kiss,” he prodded.
I glanced across the street at the homes facing us, already feeling like the other neighbors had their noses pressed against their windows, gawking at us. “I can’t,” I whispered. “The kids might come out here, and they wouldn’t understand.”
He pulled me into the corner of the porch where the shadows surrounded us. “I think you can,” he said, caressing my buttocks with the palms of his hands, sending a rush of heat to my pelvis. “Just one little kiss for luck, tonight?”
I could see the fire burning in his sultry eyes and couldn’t resist. “For luck,” I whispered right before his mouth captured mine, taking my breath away. I closed my eyes as one of his hands moved up and slid into my hair, holding me in place while the other pulled my hips against his. When I felt his hardness pressing against my stomach, it took everything I had not to reach for it.
“Jake,” I breathed, pushing him away. “We really have to stop doing this.”
“Why?” he whispered, staring at my lips. “We’re both adults.”
Just then, a white car pulled to a stop right in front of my house.
“Anyone you know?” Jake asked me as we stepped out of the shadows.
I shook my head. “No.”
We watched as the person let the car idle while he lit a cigarette. I could see the clear silhouette of a bald head as the lighter flickered out and the hair stood up on the back of my neck.
The guy from the restaurant?
“Well,” said Jake when the man eventually pulled away. “I supposed I’d better go. Hey,” he said, staring down at me with concern. “Are you okay?”
I stared at him for a minute, wanting so much to tell him what had happened the night before, but the stranger’s warnings wouldn’t allow me to. I’d never risk the lives of my children.
“I’m fine. Just tired,” I said.
He smiled. “Well, get a good night’s sleep. If you feel like running tomorrow, I’ll be stretching out at ten o’clock sharp.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
He moved towards me again as if he was going to kiss me, when the front door opened.
“Hey, Jake,” said Jeremy, stepping onto the porch. “I thought it was just Darcy and mom out here.”
“Darcy just left,” said Jake. “By the way, is your computer running any better?” he asked.
Jeremy nodded vehemently. “Yeah, thanks for cleaning it up. It runs so much faster now. It’s like night and day.”
“Good, now remember what I told you and be very careful of what you’re downloading on the Internet,” said Jake with a stern look. “Some websites are a haven for viruses which will destroy your computer. Stay away from those sites and you won’t have to worry about your computer acting up again.”
I raised my eyebrows. Jeremy’s face was flaming red and he looked slightly mortified. I began to wonder which websites he was referring to.
“It wasn’t me,” stammered Jeremy. “It was Hugo.”
“What kind of websites are we talking about?” I asked.
Jake smiled. “Just some stupid sites hosting malware that the boys must have clicked on by accident. No big deal, I helped him fix it the other day after his computer froze up.”
“Thanks,” I said. “We can’t afford to buy him a new computer, obviously.”
“His should work just fine now. Well, I’d better get going. Jeremy, take care of your mother and your computer,” said Jake, walking down the stairs. “Okay, bud?”
“Yeah, sure,” said Jeremy. “See you, Jake!”
Jake waved and then jogged back to his house.
“That guy is cool,” said Jeremy. “He knows a lot about computers.”
“Lucky for you. Now, let’s go inside.”
It was after nine by the time I’d gotten both kids showered and ready for bed. I then double-checked to make sure all of the new locks were engaged, grabbed the butcher knife from my kitchen, and filled up the tub in the bathroom. It had been a long day and I wanted to end it early by trying to relax in a warm bubble bath as if everything was normal. Needless to say, clearing my mind of the last twenty-four hours was next to impossible. As I closed my eyes and tried to let go, all I could think about was the man who’d broken into my home and threatened my children, and the other man, who’d lived in my home and threatened our marriage.
My life was beginning to resemble a Lifetime movie.
Chapter Nineteen
It was my landline phone that woke me up early the next morning. When I saw who was on the other end calling me at such an absurd hour, I groaned.
“Hi, mom,” I said, resting the phone on my shoulder.
“Hello, sweetheart.”
I looked at the clock. “It’s only six o’clock here, even earlier for you, why are you up so early?”
“I just couldn’t sleep,” she said. “I kept worrying about you and decided to call.”
“I’m fine. How about we talk when the sun is up?”
And I’ve had enough coffee to tackle you.
She ignored me and cleared her throat. “Lindsey, I’ve been thinking, you and the kids should move out here with me. I have plenty of room and I can even offer you a job at the store.”
“Oh, mom, that’s a great offer but the kids would be livid if I took them out of their comfort zone. All of their friends are here and Scott would never agree to that.”
“Who gives a shit about that bastard?” she said, in a thick voice.
I raised my eyebrows. “Mom, have you been drinking?”
“Oh, I may have had a couple of drinks,” she said. “But this is about you, not me.”
I sighed. “Are you okay?”
She paused for a few seconds.
“Mom?” I prodded. “Talk to me.”
“It’s Kyle,” she said. “We’re…we’re not together anymore.”
I sat up. “No! What happened? You must be going crazy.”
“I’m fine. Actually, I asked him to leave, honey.”
“Seriously?” I asked, trying to hide the relief in my voice. Kyle had always annoyed me. He wasn’t much older than I was, but his attitude was always slightly condescending, as if his intellect was far more superior to mine.
“Oh, he was getting a little too controlling. Kind of like your husband, if you really want to know the truth.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You thought Scott was controlling, too, huh?” I asked.
She snorted. “Is a tomato a fruit?”
I giggled. “I’m still up in the air about that one.”
“Anyway,” she said. “Now that you’ve kicked out Scott, I started thinking about Kyle and you know what? I was actually a little jealous that you were free and I had a deadbeat living with me. One who was trying to manipulate everything in my life but not contributing anything but sex.”
I cringed. “Oh, mom…”
She chuckled. “He certainly had the tools and knew how to use them. But a stiff wanker doesn’t pay the bills, you know, my dear?”
I shuddered, trying not to imagine Kyle and my mom in the wild throes of passion.
“Anyway,” she sighed, her voice tinged with melancholy. “He’s gone.”
I sighed. “Well, you still don’t sound very happy.”
She cleared her throat. “It’s still hard, letting someone go.”
I nodded. “I know that all-too wel
l.”
“Yes, unfortunately you do.”
“Well, so what are you going to do about the shop?”
“Aunt Ruthie is going to be helping me run it until I hire a new assistant fulltime. You know, that would be the perfect position for you, honey.”
I bit the side of my lip. “Well, I don’t know. I’d have to really think about it.”
“The kids could just as easily make friends out here.”
I rubbed my forehead and nodded. “I suppose.”
The truth of the matter was, I didn’t know if I could leave Darcy. She’d already done so much for me and we were so damn close.
“Well, I’d better call Ruthie and let her know that I’m not coming in this morning. We’ll talk more about this when I get into town for the holidays.”
“Okay, mom.”
“Love you, honey.”
“I love you, too.”
After I hung up with her, I went to the kitchen and made a cup of coffee. As I waited for it to fill, I thought about my mother’s offer and decided that it would never really work. Although I loved her dearly, I wasn’t about to relive the days of being bossed around by her, even if I was getting paid for it. It was a nice gesture, but not in the best interests of my sanity.
Satisfied with my decision, I added cream to my coffee and then went over to the kitchen table where my cell phone was resting. After noticing that my message light was blinking, I picked it up and read the screen.
Stay away from the cop!
The message had come late in the night from an unknown number.
Frowning, I sent a message back.
Who is this?
After waiting ten minutes, I received another text.
Who is this? They asked.
I sighed and answered back. You sent me a text late last night. Who are you?
I watched my phone but the other person didn’t respond. Then a horrible thought flashed through my brain. What if Tina had sent me the message secretly last night and now her husband had received my response this morning? Had I just set Tina up with another beating from her maniacal husband?
I began to panic, wondering what I should do. I very well couldn’t go over there to check on her, I was much too terrified and didn’t want my children hurt. Not for her or anyone else.
Then it hit me.
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