“I’ll pick you up. Text me.”
She nodded and left the room.
There wasn’t a tension ball in the world that could absorb all his feelings.
* * *
Cosette found Jody in the CCM kitchen eating a bran muffin. “Can you take me to the clinic?”
Jody paused midbite, laid her muffin down and eyed her. “You’re upset. You’ve been in the office with Wilder?”
“He said Jeffrey has photos of me in his house.” That was as disturbing as Wilder jumping to the conclusion she’d been in a physical relationship with Jeffrey. After Wilder’s glimpse of her past relationships, could she truly fault him? And while he knew she was a Christian, she hadn’t talked much about or to God lately. Doing so only reminded her that Dad had been trying to reach out to her and that she should forgive him. It was easier to ignore Him than face it.
“Did he tell you that before or after you had it out with him? Your face is telling. He does things to you.”
“Gets under my skin.”
“It’s worse lately. You’re falling for him. One day, you could be my cousin.”
After pulling out her compact, Cosette applied her lipstick and ran a clear sealer over it to keep the color from bleeding. Twelve-hour guarantee to hold. Jody continued to drill her with a glare. “Not happening.”
“You’re single. He’s single. Y’all have a lot in common. Both hardheaded, always have to be right and have the last word... You both keep secrets really well...”
Cosette cocked her head and put her hands on her hips. “Thanks. I don’t keep—”
“We’ve been friends a long time and you never confided in me about Jeffrey stalking you. I should be hurt, but I’m not. I get the need for privacy, but you never told Wilder, either. Why?”
“Fear, I guess. I’ve had a string of bad relationships. I’ve been...needy and codependent. I call my mom a textbook case. Well, I am, too. Or was. But no more. After Jeffrey, I resolved to be whole on my own. I don’t need a man.”
Jody sucked her top teeth. “You can be whole and need a particular man. I need Evan. But that doesn’t make me weak or not whole. It makes me a woman in love.”
Cosette couldn’t explain it to Jody. She was strong and independent. It wasn’t the same kind of need. “Every man I’ve ever been in a relationship with had possessive qualities. Obsessive behavior. Wilder exhibits those behaviors as well as the need for control. I can’t fall into that kind of relationship again.”
Jody folded her arms. “You’re going to compare Wilder to crazy Jeffrey Levitts and drunk-jerk Beau Chauvert and anyone in between? To your father...?”
No. And yes.
Jody leaned against the butcher-block kitchen island. “Cosette, Wilder isn’t possessive or obsessive or whatever about people. He’s that way over their safety. There’s a difference. You can’t see it, because you’ve never had it. You’re projecting, and the fact I can stand here and use that term says I spend way too much time with you.” She grinned. “As far as not belonging to anyone, I beg to differ. Belonging to someone is safety. It means someone else has their stamp of love on you and you on them. It means they have your back. They’re there for you. With you. They want what’s best for you. They’d sacrifice it all for you. I belong to Evan. Evan belongs to me. It’s not about possession or ownership.”
Cosette swallowed the lump rising in her throat.
Pointing to her, Jody said, “And if Wilder falls in love with you, you can bank on the fact it will be just like his name. Wild. It will be fierce. Relentless.” She teared up. “Like the way Jesus pursues us to make us His. You are His, Cosette. You chose Him a long time ago. He chased after you like a relentless obsession. Whether Wilder knows it or not, he’s a lot like that.” She wiped a tear and sniffed.
Cosette’s stomach tightened. She’d never had anyone obsessed with her that it hadn’t turned into destruction. “I don’t want Wilder to be obsessed with me.” Or God, for that matter. She just wanted to be left alone to take care of herself. To make her own choices. To be...happy.
Jody squeezed Cosette’s arm. “Not everything is scary in a bad way.”
“What if things go wrong between us?”
“What if they go right?”
Nothing had gone right before. She couldn’t take the chance on it all going to pot now. Cosette checked her cell phone. “I’m going to be late.” They walked to the car together.
“How much do I owe you for this couch session?” Cosette teased. Her phone rang. “My dad’s lawyer. Again.”
Jody placed her insulated cup of coffee in the holder, cranked the car engine and sped down the long driveway. Some days Cosette wondered if the woman thought she was a NASCAR driver. “I haven’t been asked for my opinion, but in all fairness, you never ask me if I want yours. How bad would it be to at least answer one phone call?”
“He murdered my mother. You tell me.” Cosette didn’t have Jody’s fairy-tale childhood.
“When I hated Evan for betraying me in the Secret Service, I hated myself, too. It was like a cancer growing inside me. I forgave him for myself. Not for him.” Jody switched lanes. “We’d never be together now if I hadn’t. And I’d be miserable. So would he.”
It wasn’t the same. Not at all. By forgiving Evan, Jody didn’t betray the person she loved most. Forgiving Dad meant betraying Mama. Deep down, truth worked to wiggle free.
Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine.
The scripture ballooned in her chest. If she truly belonged to Him, she’d have to forgive her dad, and answering the phone call was the first step, which is why she’d kept ignoring them. Lord, I just can’t. Please don’t make me. I want to be Yours. But I want to be my own person, too. I need that.
The rest of the ride in morning Atlanta traffic was consumed with talk radio and less intense conversation. Jody pulled under the portico at the clinic. “I’m done being the therapist. Now to be Jody the security specialist. Evan said Wilder is mulling over those muffins. Have you mentioned to your patient what happened?”
“No.” Cosette grabbed her purse. “She’s fragile and if I tell her I almost died from her kind gesture, it could trigger some of her insecurity we’ve worked through. Now, I’ve said more about her than I should.”
Jody handed Cosette her cell phone, from where it was lying in the console. “Is there any possible way this psycho after you could have enlisted her somehow? Even used her indirectly? The timing is weird and, like I said, Wilder is obsessive about safety. Which means if you don’t put his unrest to bed, he’s going to dig on his own. Nothing will scare that girl more than Wilder Flynn in her face.” Jody gave her the you-know-it’s-true look.
“I’ll check into it.” She’d give Kariss a call after her appointment. Cosette closed the car door and headed inside.
If she studied the same people every day or even twice a week without them noticing, she’d discover a lot about them. Their demeanor, from the way they walked to how they sat, would say much. Shy. Outgoing. Insecure. Confident. If she followed said persons and observed where they went and who they interacted with, that, too, would give her plenty of information. If she then created an opportunity to connect with them, she would be able to tell within minutes if she could manipulate them on some level.
Jeffrey had the skills to do the same. If he’d lurked outside her building, noting which patients were hers, he could gather this information. Kariss had a hard time telling someone no. If he’d handed her the box and given her some trumped up story, she would have complied. But why would Jeffrey want to kill Cosette?
She strode to her office, waved at Dr. McMillian.
“Cosette, when you get time, I want to go over a few patient files with you. No rush.” He saluted her and disappeared into his office. Head of the clinic, he was a brilliant doctor, though a
bit quirky. And he saluted everyone, even his patients. She’d already informed him of the situation and he’d agreed that taking on shorter days was a good decision. Best not put him off since he’d been so kind.
After leaving his office, she entered hers and dropped her purse, now stocked with a new EpiPen. Which brought back her thoughts on Jeffrey. He knew about her nut allergies. He also knew she carried an EpiPen everywhere. He may not have tried to kill her.
Punishment.
That would be in order in his mind. For rejecting him. But not from three years ago.
Wilder.
Jeffrey must have assumed she and Wilder were a couple. They’d gone to eat. To a movie. To the reunion together.
Cosette wasn’t the only one in danger anymore.
Wilder was, too.
“Knock knock.” Roger poked his head in her office. “Crista said you were patient-free.” He entered, carrying an adorable yellow Lab.
“Is it bring-your-pet-to-work day?” Cosette asked and scratched the furry puppy’s head.
“No. It’s gift-a-pup-to-Cosette day. It was in a dog kennel on the steps when I came in. Card is to you.” He handed it to her. That’s when she noticed the red gift bow around the pup’s neck.
She opened the card, a ball of nausea growing in her stomach.
To keep you company when I can’t. It won’t be long now. I have a special surprise for you.
She didn’t want the surprise or the dog—not under these circumstances.
“Where should I put him?” Roger asked. “He looks like a Charlie. I checked. He’s a male for sure.”
Spots formed in front of her eyes. The room tilted.
Jeffrey had always told her she needed a dog—they should get a dog.
“Um...” She couldn’t think straight. This had to stop. “Just put him back in the kennel.”
Crista entered the office. “Miss LaCroix, your appointment canceled.”
“Thank you.” She’d call Malcolm back later and reschedule. Hopefully, he hadn’t canceled to set a mall or something on fire. “Roger, can you give me a ride to Sufficient Grounds?”
“Sure. We taking the dog with us?”
She shivered. “Yeah.” She couldn’t just leave him here or dump him on the side of the road. But accepting him was something she couldn’t do no matter how adorable he was. After following Roger to his silver Sonata, she waited while he put the dog in the back seat and opened the door for her. “Thanks.”
“You sure your boyfriend won’t get up in arms about me driving you somewhere? Not that I can’t hold my own, but he isn’t exactly average size.” He nervously chuckled.
Well, of course Wilder scared every living, breathing thing with a look and his sheer size. Not that he was Mr. Universe, but he was as big as the Man of Steel. And probably as impenetrable. “He’ll be fine.” Or he’d get over it. “Did you see a car or anything in the parking lot when you got here?” If she hadn’t been running late due to Jody’s kitchen talk this morning, she would have found the dog first. Jeffrey might have taken the opportunity to kidnap her after Jody dropped her off—or worse.
“Can’t say I did. You don’t know who this is from?” Roger frowned as he glanced at her.
“It didn’t say on the card.” Yes. She knew.
“You have no idea?” he asked.
“I might have an idea, but I’d rather keep it private.”
“Cosette, is everything okay? Are you and that Terminator guy you work for having some...issues?” He turned left into the business district.
“No.” Well, yes, but that was neither here nor there. “I think I have a secret admirer.” She’d leave it at that.
“Well, be careful,” he said, as he pulled in front of the coffee shop. “Secret admirers don’t stay secret for long, and they don’t like having their gifts rejected.”
That was something she knew all too well.
Roger helped her with the puppy and she hurried inside alone. Guess Roger didn’t want to chance it with Wilder.
Maybe Aurora would take the dog. She and Beckett lived outside the city on a good bit of land. The pound might put the poor little guy to sleep. That wasn’t fair to the Lab.
“Hey, Cosette...” Amy grinned, then cocked her head when she saw the dog. “I don’t think pets are allowed in here.”
“I know. Is Aurora here?”
“What are you doing here? And how did you get here?” Wilder entered the café area from the hall that led to conference rooms. Wheezer followed him.
“I have a dog.”
A blank stare was his only response.
“Another unwanted gift. It was under the portico at work.” The idea of Jeffrey leaving her a puppy... She fought a panic attack.
Wilder closed the distance between them and studied the dog. “He’s cute. Is he chipped? Leave it to the crazy to use a dog to track you.”
“He’s not coming home with me.” She studied the fur baby. “I don’t think he’s chipped.”
“I can take him,” Wilder said. “It’s not his fault a psycho is dropping dogs at your door.” He stuck his fingers inside the metal cage door and scratched the pup’s ear.
“He’s not coming home with you, either. I live with you. Sort of. This dog can’t be anywhere near me. Wheezer? You need a dog? The pound will put him down.”
“Dog shelter?” Wilder asked, as patrons scowled or smiled at the puppy, and moved past them to get in line.
“I’m at CCM more than I’m at home,” Wheezer said.
“Ain’t that the truth,” Amy retorted, but smiled. “I can take him. Our building allows pets and I’m almost done with classes. If you change your mind, you can have him back.”
“I won’t want him back. Are you sure?”
Amy opened the kennel door and lifted the puppy out. “He’s so stinkin’ cute. What do you think, Wheezer? Should I keep him?”
“I’m down with a dog,” Wheezer said and scratched the pup’s ears. “Let’s name him Mac after the computer.”
Amy rolled her eyes. “We can discuss it later. I have to work. I’ll put him in the back room. He probably needs something to eat.” She disappeared and Wheezer followed.
“Let’s sit down.” Wilder led Cosette to the table in the corner. No windows. “Did he leave a message?”
She showed him the card.
“Wilder, I have to tell you something. It is possible that Jeffrey could have used Kariss to deliver those muffins. He’s good enough that if he wanted, he could’ve befriended her and had her make them. I was going to call her but this happened. The muffins might have been punishment for being with you so much.”
“He might think we’re together.”
“We’ve been together a lot. Movies. Dinners. I know someone was watching us that night and you do, too.” She leaned forward and clasped the top of his hand. “You’re in danger. He’ll see you as an obstacle. A threat. Competition. He’ll try to eliminate you.”
Wilder placed his free hand over hers and leaned in, as well. “Try is the key word here, Cosette. Don’t worry about me. Now, explain why you didn’t text or call me to come and get you from the clinic. Why is Mr. Bow Tie your new ride? I assume that’s how you arrived. You still that mad at me?”
“Would it matter if I was?” Cosette heaved a sigh. “I trust Roger. He’s a nice guy.”
“You’re right. Maybe. But you know how I feel about bow ties.” Wilder raised a hand before she could comment. “How many more appointments do you have today?”
“One, but I think I’m going to cancel it, and if it’s an emergency they have my cell number. Dr. McMillian will be fine with it, especially after I tell him about this.”
Wilder scowled. “I don’t think it’s smart letting patients have your private number, Cosette. Can’t the office forward a message and you si
mply return the calls?”
“Yes, but it’s about trust.”
Wilder opened his mouth, then clammed up. “Good idea about canceling. Jeffrey’s been to the office more than I like.”
“I do need to get in touch with Kariss, though. I can call her once we get back to CCM.” She stood. “Ready?”
Wilder shifted uncomfortably in his chair and glanced at the entrance. “Sure. But Wheezer can give you a ride. Beckett’s there.”
Why couldn’t Wilder drive her? Was he putting distance between them after everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours? “Are you still mad?”
“Mr. Wilder!” Renny raced across the café and jumped into his lap.
Ah. He was trying to get her out before Macy Moore and her niece showed up. No wonder he’d asked what she was doing here. He hadn’t planned on her wrecking his time with them. Jody said nothing was going on, but Cosette had red flags flying.
“I want hot chocolate and oatmeal cookies,” Renny said.
Macy smiled and ambled their way. In fitted jeans and a flowy white top, she could be a model. “Am I early?” She looked at Cosette. “Nice to see you again.”
“You, too.” She pretended to look for something in her purse and pulled out a pack of gum. Spearmint. Like Wilder chewed. “I should go.”
“No, stay,” Macy said. “I’ll buy you a coffee.”
“Cosette has things to take care of. Phone calls to make,” Wilder said.
He was not only trying to get rid of her, but dictating her plans. Jody had no idea what she was talking about. “You know what? I will stay. I can make that call later. What are you having? I’ll go get drinks and cookies for Renny.”
“Great!” Macy said. “Skinny vanilla latte. Light foam.”
Of course she drank skinny drinks. But skinny drinks tasted...skinny. Cosette excused herself and ignored Wilder’s expression, a mix of panic and irritation. Nobody was going to tell her what to do.
A few moments later, she returned with a tray of coffees and cookies. She sipped her chicory brew while Wilder and Macy chatted. Macy was all breezy and fun, while Wilder’s conversation felt stilted and awkward unless he was talking to Renny.
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