Starting Anew (Life Unexpected Book 3)

by Melanie D. Snitker

  “Are you two serious?” There was genuine interest in Mom’s voice, and even though Dad wasn’t commenting, it was clear he was listening.

  “I hope so.” She couldn’t imagine not having them in her life. Her voice sounded wistful, even to her own ears.

  The nurse came out then and motioned for them to go back inside. She gave them a quick report, assured Perry they’d be having food delivered soon, and left.

  Lynn remembered what her dad said and told Perry, “I’m going to leave when your food gets here so you can eat.” When Perry looked disappointed, Lynn added, “I’ll be back tomorrow, but probably around seven, and I’ll stay longer. Deal?”

  “Deal.”

  While they waited for her food to be delivered, she mostly listened to Perry tell them all about a weird dream she’d had while she was asleep earlier, and how she couldn’t wait to eat a cheeseburger again.

  This time, when Lynn told her sister goodbye, she didn’t feel nearly as sad about leaving. Thankfully, it was still light outside so finding her car was easy.

  She was hungry again by the time she got home. After pouring herself a bowl of cereal, she got comfortable on her couch and quickly dialed Nathan’s number.

  Her pulse quickened the moment his voice came over the line. “Hey, you. How was your visit?”

  “It went really well. My dad even spoke to me.” She told him about the evening. By the time she was done, her cereal was getting soggy. “How about you? How’s everything going there?”

  While Nathan told her about trying to get Mia bathed and his dishwasher going out, she ate her cereal and marveled about how she couldn’t imagine a better way to end the night than talking with Nathan.

  Well, maybe that and a good night kiss.

  ~*~

  “I’m glad she’s doing better, and that your dad was more open to you being there.” Although Nathan was saddened that Lynn’s dad not telling her to leave was such a huge improvement. He could only hope that God was slowly mending that family’s relationship. “So you’re going back tomorrow around seven?”

  “Yes. They said that visiting hours are until nine, so I’ll probably stay until then.”

  Nathan didn’t like the idea of her leaving the hospital that late by herself, especially right after it gets dark. “Any sign of Jeb?”

  She paused. “Not a thing. I’ve kept my eyes open, too. I’d like to hope he’s gone, but years of history say that’s not likely.” The tone of her voice changed from being hopeful and happy to hesitant and worried.

  Nathan hated that his question had taken some of her joy away. At the same time, it was a real worry, and he wanted to make sure Lynn kept alert. Especially if she was going to be out late. “I know. I’m sorry you have to keep dealing with this.” He wished he could reach through the phone and hold her close.

  “I was hoping we could have dinner soon. I’d say tomorrow between work and going to the hospital would be good, but I promised Chess I’d come over and help him load some lumber right after I picked up Mia.” Nathan thought a moment. “What about after work on Thursday? We could come to my house where it’ll be easier to talk without worrying about interruptions.”

  There was almost no hesitation before she said, “That would be great.” They settled on the time, visited a few more minutes, and then Nathan had to end the conversation to get Mia into bed. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” he told Lynn.

  “You bet. Good night, Nathan.”

  “Good night.”

  He set his phone down and scooped Mia into his arms. “Are you ready for some sleeps, little girl?”

  Mia shook her head at the same time as a giant yawn consumed her.

  Nathan chuckled. “Come on, let’s get some pajamas on. I’ll bet you were glad to have Miss Lynn back today, weren’t you?” He’d noticed Mia was clinging to Lynn when he picked her up from Little Lambs. He completely understood and sometimes envied Mia the opportunity to spend an entire day with Lynn. “So am I.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Nathan wiped the sweat from his forehead after stacking the last bit of lumber. “You’re going to have a busy weekend.”

  “Yep.” Chess told him all about his plans to build a deck and trellis for Brooke over the weekend. “When we bought this place, the lack of a nice back porch was a big drawback. I figure the sooner we have one, the sooner we can start enjoying it.”

  “Makes sense.” He didn’t envy his brother the project, though Chess didn’t seem to mind. He was the type of person that enjoyed putting all of his focus into one thing. “It was a good idea to have everything on hand so you can get up first thing on Saturday and start working on it.”

  Chess nodded. “I figure getting it done now before the summer heat truly hits will be good.” He closed the gate to the backyard. “So what about you? What are your plans?”

  “Tonight or this weekend?”

  “Yes.”

  “Lynn and I are having dinner at my house tomorrow night so we can actually talk without fear of the stalker or the press showing up.” Nathan had often wondered where they’d be now if they’d had a chance to really talk that night at the restaurant. “This evening, she’s going to see her sister at the hospital. I wish she weren’t going quite so late though. It’s horrible, but I just picture the stalker waiting for her around every corner.”

  Chess looked concerned. “It’s a valid worry. How late is she planning on staying?”

  “Until visiting hours end at nine.”

  Chess’s expression mirrored Nathan’s thoughts on the situation.

  Brooke spoke up from her spot on the tiny porch where she stood holding Mia. “Unless she got a spot close to the hospital, that parking lot is terrible, too.” Mia pointed at the pile of wood with interest.

  That didn’t make Nathan feel any better. Maybe he could take Mia over there and meet up with Lynn and walk her to her car. At least then he’d know she got there okay.

  His thoughts must have been evident on his face because Brooke rubbed the little girl’s back and said, “Just leave Mia with us. You can swing by and pick her up on the way home.”

  Nathan might have objected except they’d kept Mia many times in the past. His daughter always slept well and enjoyed spending time with her aunt and uncle. “If you guys are sure, I might do that. I keep worrying about Lynn today, and I’m not sure why.”

  “Then follow your instinct and go check on your girl.” Chess winked. “Did you still want to stay for dinner, or head over now?”

  Nathan checked his watch. It was just after seven. Lynn would be with Perry now. He didn’t want to interrupt the visit. “I can stay for dinner. I’ll just head that way afterward. Besides, I’ve been smelling Brooke’s chicken parmesan all evening. My stomach will never forgive me if I walk away from it now.”

  Brooke smiled brightly. “I’m glad you can stay. Dinner should be ready in about fifteen minutes if you guys want to get cleaned up.”

  Chess dusted his hands off on his pants. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

  Nathan agreed. He’d been looking forward to the meal, and now that he knew he’d be meeting up with Lynn later, he could relax more and enjoy it.

  An hour later, Nathan pulled into the large hospital parking lot only to find it was full. It left him no choice but to drive into the large parking garage and begin the search for an open space. He finally found one but never did see Lynn’s car.

  Once inside, Nathan thought about texting Lynn to let her know he was there, but then figured she might have her phone off if she was in with Perry anyway. Instead, he opted to surprise her.

  Thankfully, Lynn had texted him earlier and let him know about Perry’s room change. It didn’t take him long to locate it. Afraid to interrupt or wake Perry if she were sleeping, he tapped lightly on the door. Moments later, it opened.

  Nathan found himself face to face with Mr. Truitt. “Good evening, sir. I was looking for Lynn. Could I speak to her for a moment, please?”

/>   Mr. Truitt opened the door wide enough for Nathan to see that Lynn wasn’t inside. “You just missed her.”

  Mrs. Truitt leaned over so she could see him better. “She said she felt like she might be coming down with a cold and didn’t want to get Perry sick, so she left early. I’m surprised you two didn’t pass each other.”

  Catching up with Lynn shouldn’t be a big deal, but a ball of dread formed in his gut and he pushed back a sense of urgency. “Do you happen to know where she parked?”

  Mr. Truitt nodded once. “She’d mentioned she had to park on the sixth floor of the parking garage.” His eyes narrowed. “Is everything okay?”

  “Of course. I’m so sorry to have bothered you all. I’m going to see if I can catch up with her.” He waved at Perry. “I’m happy to hear you’re feeling better. I’m praying for you daily.”

  The young woman’s eyes lit up as she smiled and waved in return. “Thank you.”

  With a last courteous nod to both of Lynn’s parents, he turned and jogged to the elevator.

  He couldn’t explain it, but something was wrong. “Please, Father, place a hedge of protection around Lynn right now and guide my steps as I try to find her.”

  ~*~

  Lynn cleared her throat, more than a little annoyed at herself and the timing of this summer cold. Or whatever was going on. She didn’t feel bad necessarily, but her throat was scratchy and she had that heavy feeling in her eyes that always signaled an illness of some kind was incoming.

  It’d been incredibly disappointing to have to leave early and not stay with Perry for a while tonight. But she’d still gone in to say hi and explain why she couldn’t stay long. And she’d rather leave than risk getting Perry sick, making it more difficult for her to recover.

  If Lynn felt better tomorrow, she’d go back again. For now, what she really needed was to get home and sleep. Maybe some extra rest would help her avoid whatever this was.

  First, she had to traverse the walk back to her car. The parking was one thing she disliked about this hospital. Unless you wanted to pay for valet parking, the parking garage was almost always the only choice.

  She went down to the fifth floor of the hospital and walked to the opposite side where a sky bridge connected it with the parking garage’s fifth floor.

  The moment she pushed the door open and stepped into the parking garage, the air hit her face. It was warmer than the hospital, but not quite as hot as it’d been earlier in the day. She could easily see where she was going, but the sunlight was waning, giving the quiet parking garage an eerie feel.

  Lynn swallowed hard, her scratchy throat reminding her of her goal to get home again. Instead of walking up the stairs to the sixth floor, she decided to take the elevator. At least she hadn’t parked too far away from where the elevator was located on the next floor.

  Once inside, she breathed a sigh of relief, hit the correct button, and leaned against the wall. The doors began to slide shut, but stopped moments before closing.

  Lynn’s attention jumped to the doors and the hand that was in between them. When they opened again, a man stepped inside. She didn’t think anything of it at first, except to wonder why he was in such a hurry and didn’t just wait for the elevator to come back.

  He had a baseball cap on that was pulled down far enough to partially block his face.

  It wasn’t until the elevator doors closed completely and started moving that he pushed the bill of his hat up and looked at her with piercing eyes.

  The same eyes as the man who’d delivered her pizza that had been tampered with.

  Jeb.

  Oh, God. Help me keep calm.

  There was no way she hadn’t revealed that she knew who he was. The corners of his mouth lifted a little as though he were happy she recognized him. She gripped her handbag with both hands and shifted it in front of her.

  How were they not at the sixth floor yet?

  Just as the elevator began to slow, Jeb reached out and hit the stop button, effectively halting Lynn’s mode of escape.

  Her pulse thundered in her ears as her stomach fell to the floor. Her gaze darted to the emergency call button on the elevator wall.

  Jeb must have noticed because he shifted his body to stand between her and the only real means of calling for help. “Not so fast, Bethany. It’s time you and I had a little heart-to-heart.”

  It was the last thing she wanted. She wished she’d taken the stairs. He’d probably been following her, but at least she could try and run. Right now, she was just as caged as a hunted rabbit caught in a trap.

  She tried to calm her racing mind. Think, Lynn, think. The guy had been stalking her for years. He was clearly infatuated with her, and more than a little insane. She had to do something to keep him from going to the offensive.

  “Are you the one that kept leaving me the notes?” His eyes lit up as though he were excited she’d finally made a connection. “I can’t believe you kept those guitar picks all those years.” Smile, Lynn. Just try to play along.

  “I have a whole bag of them.” He sobered, and he stared at her as though he were trying to make up his mind about something. “Nothing was the same after you left, Bethany. All I had were the guitar picks and the videos. You should have let me know where you went. How could you not?”

  It was clear he’d created a whole story in his head, which was more dangerous because that meant Lynn had no real idea exactly what role she’d played in it. Clearly, he’d imagined them having a relationship of some kind before she left the music industry, which meant he felt like she’d dumped him without any explanation.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you where I went. There were so many people bothering me all the time. It made it impossible to focus on the ones who really mattered.” It was all she could do to keep the disgust off her face as she spoke. “I had to get some space. Clear my head.”

  “You could’ve contacted me. I wouldn’t have told a soul.”

  Lynn was certain he was the one responsible for leaking her whereabouts. She had no doubt that, if he’d known where she was back then, he would’ve shouted it to everyone just to prove his status. “I’m sorry, Jeb. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  That much was true. She’d left to escape him and everything else related to the music industry. She hadn’t done so specifically to hurt anyone. She’d had no idea he’d spent the last few years looking for her. Who could have?

  Her words seemed to placate him and he relaxed a little.

  Lynn looked at the elevator door and back tor Jeb. “It’s getting pretty hot in here, and someone else is going to need the elevator and call to say it’s broken. What do you say we get out of here?” Maybe, when the doors opened, there’d be someone else waiting. If Lynn screamed for help and made a scene, Jeb might run. She got the impression he was much more of a coward than a confrontational person. That could definitely work in her favor.

  Jeb’s eyes narrowed as he studied her face. “My car is a few spots down from the elevator. When we get out, you’re coming with me. We have a lot of time to make up for, Bethany, and I don’t want to waste another day.”

  He said the words as though he were discussing the weather instead of her potential abduction. His tone and the lack of emotion in his eyes sent chills down Lynn’s spine.

  Jeb reached out and grasped her arm with one hand, squeezing hard enough to make Lynn flinch. When she tried to move her arm away, he only squeezed tighter. He pushed a button and finally the elevator reached its destination.

  Get me out of this, God. Please.

  As soon as the doors opened, Lynn looked around, desperately praying someone else would be there to help her. Her heart sank when she realized there wasn’t a soul.

  Jeb turned right as they exited the elevator and began to pull her along beside him.

  If he got her in his car, she may never get away alive.

  The realization had her screaming with every ounce of strength in her body, “Someone! Please, help me! Help!�
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  Jeb whirled and slapped her hard enough that Lynn stumbled. She licked the corner of her mouth and tasted her own blood. He pointed a finger at her. “You shut up, or I’ll knock you again.” This time, when he jerked her arm, she whimpered with pain. “You’re just like the rest of them, you know that? But once you get to know me, you’ll change. You’ll see you love me.”

  Lynn had no way of knowing how much further they had to go before they’d reach his car. All she knew was that if she didn’t get away now, she was going to become one of those women who is kidnapped and found years and years later, only a shell of the person she was before.

  That was not going to happen to her.

  One of the moves she’d learned in Nathan’s class came to mind. She might not be proficient enough to hold Jeb, but she could at least knock him off balance. Anything she could do to buy time.

  At that moment, her phone pinged, momentarily distracting Jeb. Without warning, she allowed herself to drop to the ground. Then she threaded her legs through his, causing Jeb to slam into the pavement with a grunt. He lost his grip on her arm, and Lynn pulled it free. “Someone! Help me! Please!”

  Jeb swore as he tried to roll away from her. When her attempts to pin him down angered him further, he tried to backhand her. His position was just awkward enough that Lynn was able to avoid contact.

  He wrestled with her, and with each movement, she could feel her control slip. Time was running out. Jeb seethed with anger as he pulled free and turned on her.

  Dear God, save me.

  ~*~

  Nathan punched the elevator button multiple times. The sense of urgency he’d felt in the hospital only intensified here in the parking garage, and he decided to take the stairs. He took his cell phone out and sent Lynn a quick text. “You okay? I’m in the parking garage on my way to the sixth floor. Let me know.” Then he set about taking the stairs two at a time.