Page 25 of Healer’s Betrayal

“If what I said was really a stalkerish thing to say.”

I stare at him. “Let’s just go with stalker. So Jackson, why are you stalking me?”

He stares down at me. “Is it such a crime that I want to get to know you?”

I study him. “I don’t trust you.”

He takes that in stride. “Okay. Then I’ll keep giving you reasons to trust me.”

“I don’t know if that’s possible,” I tell him honestly.

“It is; just give me time. I’ll prove I’m trustworthy.”

“Why did you follow me tonight? And don’t tell me you didn’t; there’s no way you just showed up. Nobody shows up in this parking lot on accident.”

He scowls at that but answers anyway. “You’re right. I followed you.”

The hair at the back of my neck stands up, and I take a step backwards. “I saw you at dinner and—”

I cross my arms over my chest. “You just happened to be at the same place I went to on my date?”

He scoffs. “No. I went there because I knew you were going there on a date. I heard him say Italian. It wasn’t hard to figure out as there’s only one Italian restaurant in town.”

“That’s exactly what a stalker would do!”

“No.” He lowers his voice. “That’s what a man does when he’s interested in a woman, and that woman is on a date with another man.” There’s a tone to his voice that makes him feel very dangerous.

“Okay.” I take a step back, and he sighs.

“I’m not trying to scare you.” I lift my eyebrows at that, and he palms the back of his neck. “I’m not good at this. So, here it is straight.” His eyes meet mine, and I get sucked into those blues. “I’m very interested in you, and I want to get to know you.” He takes a step back. “Have a good night, Kayla.”

I blink at the change and swallow. “Thanks, Jackson. You too.”

Renee looks up from her phone when I step inside the apartment. “How’d it go?” I stare at her a moment, trying to get my bearings. “Your date?” she prompts

I force myself to focus and glance over at Noah to check on him. He's on his iPad. “Hey, Bud, go ahead and start getting ready for bed.” I turn back to Renee and keep it simple. “It was good. The food was great, and I had a really good time. He asked me out on another date, so I think that’s good.”

“Well, if you already have the second date set, yeah, I think it went really well.” She stands and starts to pack up.

“Thank you so much for watching Noah.”

“No problem.” She opens the front door. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

I frown. “I hate that you have to come right back. Would it be easier for you to spend the night?”

She waves off my concern. “No, I’m fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Thank you; I really appreciate it.”

“Yep.”

I step out into the hallway after her and let the door close behind me. “There are a lot of crazies out tonight; I’ll walk with you to your car.”

“I’m fine. Guys rarely mess with me; I give off a vibe that warns them away.”

“Are you sure?” I ask.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”