by Sara Mullins
“Impossible,” he exclaimed.
A man’s voice could be heard from a distance on a loudspeaker. “Don’t go anywhere, folks. We’ll start barrel racing in about fifteen minutes. Stick around.” Nicole practically choked on the sip tea she’d just taken. “Barrel racing! We gotta go watch.”
“Yeah, let’s go,” he said.
“I mean, I’ve never done it and I really don’t know much about horses, but I love watching it. It’s crazy what people can do on a horse, ya know?”
He nodded. “We can take our stuff and go get a seat,” he suggested.
“Okay.”
They walked over to the stands and climbed up the steps, gazing into the crowd, scanning for empty seats. “Over here,” she said. “Next to this lady, she’s our only hope.” The woman smiled at them as they walked up and sat down. Nicole sat next to the lady, giving Mark the seat by the aisle.
“This is a good spot,” Mark said.
“I know, we got lucky.”
“Is that fish good?” the lady asked.
“It’s so good,” Nicole answered. “You should try it.”
“I always tell myself that I’m going to, but I go right back to the steak sandwich,” she said. “Guess I’m just too afraid to try something new.”
“I understand,” Nicole said looking up at Mark, crying for help. He turned his head toward the aisle so he could hide his laugh from the woman.
The woman continued to talk to Nicole well into the barrel race competition. Nicole finished what she could of the giant piece of fish, then she asked Mark if he wanted it. He took the basket and began picking at it. Nicole stared out to watch the newest rider start.
A strange, uncomfortable feeling came over her suddenly. She looked at Mark. He sat facing forward, focused on the rider. She looked at the lady, who was now chatting with the woman on the other side of her. Nicole’s insides churned intensely. She turned her head to look back in the stands; everyone looked normal.
Mark pulled down his sunglasses to look at her. “Are you okay? Your face looks really pale.”
“I’m alright, I think I just need to get out of here,” she said.
“Alright, we can go for a walk if you want.”
Nicole politely told the woman to have a good day. “Thank you, dear. It was nice talking to you,” she said, as Nicole and Mark walked away.
“What’s wrong, honey?” he asked again. They walked off the steps and started through the grass.
“I don’t . . . I don’t know. I got this awful feeling out of nowhere.”
“Is the food bothering you?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s hard to explain,” she said, staring at the ground. She looked up at his confused expression and stopped. “Okay, you know how you feel when you’re watching a scary movie and you’re waiting on something to jump out suddenly? You know that nervous feeling you get?”
“Yeah . . .” His voice faded off.
“That’s what I felt.”
“Why?”
“I have no idea,” she said, shaking her head. “It makes no sense. I feel a little better now, though.”
“You need me to take you home? I will if you want,” he offered.
“No, no. I’ll be fine. Maybe we can walk around for a little bit.”
The two of them walked around the fairgrounds discussing all the chit-chatting that Nicole had been blessed with in the stands. The hot sun started to sink lower in the sky. They lost track of time and how many laps they had done.
Nicole looked up at the lights. “You like the Ferris wheel?” she asked him.
“Yeah. You wanna go?”
“Yeah. The sun will be setting soon. It should be a great view. Of course, I forgot my camera as usual,” she said.
They bought some tickets and waited through the long line. They were finally next to get on and the carny shut the gate. “We’re full. I’ll get you on the next one,” he said.
They watched the ride start again and Nicole looked at the horizon.
“You were right, the sun will be setting by the time we get on,” Mark told her.
“I know. I’m kinda glad we had to wait.”
After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, the ride began to slow down. The operator unloaded the passengers one seat at a time, then he strolled back over to the gate and opened it up. Nicole and Mark climbed into the available seat and the man closed and latched their lap bar. As the wheel turned to load more passengers, Nicole let out a quiet squeak and squeezed in closer to Mark.
“You scared?” he asked laughing.
“No, I’m not scared,” she said. “It just caught me off-guard, that’s all.”
They enjoyed their ride together and admired the sun sinking below the horizon. The sky warped into beautiful, saturated orange and the mere handful of clouds resembled fuchsia. When the ride came to a stop, they hopped down and started back out into the grass.
“You ready to call it a night?” Mark asked.
“Yeah, I’m getting tired,” Nicole answered.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said. He took her hand and they strolled across the fairgrounds toward the truck. They passed by the small building that housed the restrooms. This marked the endpoint for the sidewalk and the lights. The ground grew dark.
The strange and uncomfortable feeling flooded Nicole’s body again. She stopped in her tracks and turned to look back at the restrooms.
“What’s wrong?” Mark asked.
She stared at the brick building for a minute then looked up at Mark. “Nothing, I’m okay,” she said.
“I got ya,” he said.
“I know. I’m fine. Let’s go.”
They continued toward the truck.
A dark character leaned out from the far side of the building. Josh looked on in fury at the man holding Nicole’s hand.
Chapter 10
Monday afternoon, Nicole walked to the counter to fill a prescription for a Yorkie. She watched the clock drag on for hours. She dreaded Mondays anyway, but they were exceptionally torturous when the weekend had been exceptionally fun.
“Bleh, is it over yet?” she asked Becky, as closing time finally approached.
“Hell, you only got twenty minutes left,” Becky told her.
“I know, it’s just taking forever today.”
“Go ahead and go, I’ll cover for you,” Becky insisted. “He’s with the last appointment for the day. I’ll just tell him you didn’t feel good.”
“Thanks, I owe you.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. Let me guess, your man is waiting on you?”
Nicole smiled and opened her locker to grab her purse. “He’s making me dinner tonight.”
“Ooh, he’s definitely falling for you. No question,” Becky said.
“You think so?” Nicole asked.
“Oh, yeah.”
“He’s such a sweetheart. I still can’t believe that I’m with someone like him.”
“Why not?” Becky inquired.
“’Cause he is so, so amazing. And I’m so ordinary,” Nicole said.
“You’re not ordinary, Nikki. You’re funny and beautiful and smart. Any guy would love to have you.”
“Aww, thank you, Becky.”
“I mean it.”
“I’m just nervous, I guess.” Nicole paused. “I think I’m in love with him. I don’t know if I could handle losing him.”
“Calm down, girl. It will be okay. Have a little more confidence in yourself. You gotta remember, he doesn’t want to lose you, either,” Becky said.
“Thanks, I hope you’re right. Sometimes it feels easier to be prepared for the worst.” Nicole looked at the clock. “I guess I’ll go ahead and go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See ya. Have a good night.”
“You too. Thanks again,” Nicole said.
She had a quick chat with Sherrie on the way out and left the clinic. Fumbling through her purse to look for her keys, she stumbled down the sidewalk to th
e alley in a daze. The loose rocks on the crumbling alley asphalt crunched underneath her shoes until she reached her car. She pulled the keys out, flipped to the correct one, and stuck it in the door. A hand suddenly rested upon her shoulder. Nicole let out a quick scream and whipped around.
“Hi, Nicole.”
“Josh . . . what are you doing here?” Nicole asked nervously, her heart pounding.
“I had to see you, Nicole. I miss you,” he pleaded.
She stared at him in silence for a moment, trying to think of what she should do. This was her worst nightmare. “Josh, I . . .”
“Look, I know things didn’t end well, but I can’t live like this. I can’t live without you. Please give me another chance.”
“I can’t do that. I promise you can find someone better than me,” she said.
“I know what your problem is. You have another man now, right? You never could stay away from other men, you tramp!” he screamed, slamming his hand down on the roof of the car.
“Nicole?” Ashley asked curiously as she walked up. “Are ya alright?”
“I’m okay,” her voice quivered, “I was just leaving.”
Ashley made eye contact with Josh for a minute and gave him a threatening look. Josh looked back at her and smiled. “No, actually I was leaving,” he said. He looked back at Nicole. “I’ll see you later.”
Nicole stood in silence and he walked away, brushing past Ashley. He turned onto the sidewalk and disappeared on the other side of the veterinary clinic. Nicole exhaled and her shoulders relaxed.
“Who was that?” Ashley asked hurrying up to Nicole.
“That was Josh. He was my boyfriend in college,” she said sniffling.
“In college? What’s he doing here?”
“I don’t know. I broke up with him before I finished school. He was so overbearing and jealous, always accusing me of cheating on him.”
“Yeah, I see that,” Ashley said concerned.
“He’s got a really bad temper,” Nicole said shaking her head. She began sobbing. “I didn’t think I would ever have to see him again.”
“What do you want me to do? Do you want me to follow you?”
“No, I’ll be okay. I’ll just go straight to Mark’s house. It’ll be alright.”
“Okay, but I don’t like this at all. You need to file a restraining order or something,” Ashley suggested.
“Yeah.” Nicole knew it wouldn’t matter if she did. It wouldn’t stop him. “I’m gonna get going. Thanks for saving me.”
“No problem. Call me if you need anything.”
“I will,” Nicole said as she climbed in the driver’s seat.
She found herself speeding down the highway to get to Mark’s road. She looked in her rearview mirror numerous times to make sure he wasn’t following her. Her car whipped into Mark’s driveway in a hurry and she stopped as quickly as she pulled in. She jumped out and jogged up the steps and into the door. Bentley greeted her when she walked in.
“Hey, baby. I hope you’re hungry,” he said, reaching into the oven. “I know it’s July, but I decided to make a roast and . . .” He faded off, noticing the look on her face. “What’s wrong?”
“I need to talk to you about something,” she said nervously.
“What’s up?”
“Do you remember that guy I told you about? The one from college?” she asked.
“Yeah, why? What’s wrong?”
“He’s back,” Nicole told him. “He’s here.”
“You saw him?” he asked confused.
“Yes. He came up to me at my car after work.”
“What? How did he know where to find you?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure at some point I told him where I was from, but I don’t know how he knew to go to the clinic.” She stopped talking and her face grew pale. “Mark, he had to have been following me. I don’t know how else he would know. He knew about you, too. Oh, my God. Does that mean he knows where I live? What am I gonna do?”
He walked over to her and they sat down on the couch. “Okay, we need to call the police and explain to them what happened. Maybe you can get a restraining order.”
“I can try, but I seriously don’t know if it will make a difference,” she said, looking up at him.
“If you want, I’ll go with you to your house. You grab Salem, some clothes and whatever else you need and come stay with me for now. That would make me feel better, at least until we get this taken care of.”
“Okay. Yeah, let’s do that. But we gotta eat first,” she demanded. “You did all that work so I can’t let it get cold.”
“Deal.”
The two ate the mouth-watering roast and vegetables then headed to Mark’s truck. Nicole stared at the corn, full of jitters on the ride to her house. The sun was still up but low in the sky when they arrived. There weren’t any cars and there wasn’t any sign of movement in the house. Mark hopped out and led the way with a baseball bat in his hand, anyway. Nicole unlocked the door for him and swung it open.
Salem meowed and greeted Nicole as soon as they walked in the door. She picked him up and squeezed him tight. “Hey, kitty. We’re gonna go away for a few days.”
Mark walked forward and looked around the room. “Come on,” he told her.
She followed him to the bedroom, and he continued to check the place out. She dug out a suitcase that she had buried in the bottom corner of the closet when she moved in and threw it on the bed. Mark helped her take clothes out of the dresser and pack them in the bag. She ran into the bathroom and grabbed her essentials, then stood for a moment to make sure she had everything she needed.
“Alright, I think I got what I need,” she told him. She held her suitcase with one hand and Salem with the other. “We just gotta grab his food, bowls and litter box on the way out.”
“I’ll get ‘em,” he said.
Nicole locked the door and climbed in the truck. “This is so crazy. Is this really happening?”
“It’ll be alright,” he reassured her. “I promise it will be okay.”
“I know, it’s just unbelievable.” She stared out the window. “On the other hand, I’m kind of excited. It’s like I’m going on vacation or something. And I’m not at all disappointed that I get to stay with you.”
“Me neither.” He looked at her for a moment, then looked back at the road. “You can stay with me as long as you want, you know.”
“Thank you. I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t here. I would have no one.”
“Well, you have me.”
When they got there, Nicole and Mark carried her things in, and she set up Salem’s belongings in the laundry room. Bentley thoroughly investigated the situation immediately. Nicole changed into her pajamas, grabbed a glass of water, and flopped down on the couch. “Is it okay if I find a movie or something? I need something to help take my mind off of this.”
“You don’t have to ask me. What’s mine is yours.”
“Well, I didn’t know if you were wanting to go to sleep.”
“Nah, I’m not that tired yet,” he said.
“Me neither,” she said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to sleep.”
They sat together on the couch and watched movies for hours. Nicole finally began to get groggy. She looked up at Mark. His eyes were half-closed, trying to focus on the TV. “Let’s go to bed,” she said.
“Okay,” he mumbled.
She stood up and grabbed his hand to help him up. “Goodnight, Salem,” she told the sleeping cat lying on the end of the couch.
The couple brushed their teeth and climbed into bed. He rested on his right side and her on her left, facing him. He reached up and brushed her hair back, examining her face. She closed her eyes and enjoyed his touch, then an eerie thought turned her stomach.
“He was following us at the fair,” she said.
“What? Is that what he told you?” he asked.
“No, he said something about me having another man. But I k
now he was there. He was watching us,” she said.
He stared at her in silence. His expression changed as he realized what had happened. “That’s why you felt weird,” he told her. “You knew.”
“Well, I didn’t know he was there, but something inside me knew there was a problem. I could feel it.”
“That’s your gut talking. Always listen to your gut,” he said.
She smiled. “I think I will.” She pulled herself over to him and pressed her lips against his.
The next morning, the sun lifted enough to create a soft glow in the bedroom. Nicole raised her head slowly. The alarm clock displayed 7:24. She squinted and focused on the numbers. Once her brain registered what her eyes had seen, she sat up and slid out from under Mark’s arm. “I gotta go, Mark. We gotta get up.”
“I’m up,” he mumbled.
“You’re taking me to work, right?”
“Yeah, I figured it would be best, and I’ll be right across the street from you all day.”
She nodded, slipping her scrubs on. “You think I should go down to the police department at lunchtime, just to see what they say?”
“Yeah, I think it’s a good idea. I’ll come over and pick you up.”
“Thank you. I’m glad I don’t have to go alone,” she said.
The pair finished getting ready and headed out the door. He drove her up to the front door at work. She exhaled slowly, then climbed out and walked into the clinic.
“Good morning, Sherrie,” Nicole said, trying not to sound nervous.
“Good morning, dear,” she exclaimed.
“Hey, you got a sec to come back here? I need to talk to everybody real quick.”
“Sure, is something wrong?”
“Everything’s fine, no worries,” Nicole reassured her.
When they reached the back room, Nicole made eye contact with Ashley for a moment. She looked around to make sure everyone was present. “Okay, I need to talk to everyone for a minute. I want everyone to be aware of what’s going on, just in case.”
“Oh no, did Mark break up with you?” Sherrie asked.
“No. Um, last night when I left work, my ex-boyfriend from college approached me in the parking lot and sort of yelled at me. He didn’t hurt me or anything, but he has in the past. He’s not a nice person. I’m a little concerned now that he might be following me. Luckily, Ashley walked out and saved me just in time.”