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Dana: Going to be at the shop for a bit. Doing dishes.
Dana: Love you. Be safe.
Nicholas: Love you. I’m always as safe as I can be.
Dana: I’ll text when I’m leaving.
Nicholas: I’ll be waiting.
I moved to the sink when Alan Jackson’s It Must Be Love filled the kitchen, which made me want—need—to dance. And of course, sing along. It was a fitting song for the overabundance of happy emotions coursing through me. I mean, it wasn’t every day that your friends got married.
The sun was still out when I finished cleaning up the platters and put them away. My eyes glanced over to the clock on the wall. It was almost 5:00pm. I had time to get home and then maybe go for a run. I was tired, but with the way my brain was going right now, I’d not be able to relax and sleep. Plus, going to bed this early, no matter how bad I wanted to, would wake me up too early.
The shop was closed tomorrow morning; I’d only be open from 11:00am to 5:00pm, giving myself some extra rest time after the events of today. Grabbing my bag, I moved to the back door and locked up. I was in the car, ready to pull out of the lot, when something strange caught my attention in the mirror.
I turned, looking from the rearview mirror, my eyes squinting slightly. There was nothing there now. Maybe I was just tired. Shaking my head, I reached for my cell.
“Where are you?” I’d tossed it down in the big pocket on the way out the door. I knew better. I found it and pulled it free of the mess in my bag. Movement in my side mirror caught my attention. I saw a man in the shadows of the building.
Squinting, I took him in. Blonde hair, clean shaven, and stalking around like no one could see him. I watched as he slid something under the shop door. I pulled my cell up and hit the speed dial for Nich’s cell.
“Hey, baby, what—”
“Man in the alley. Stalking around.” I opened the car door and got out. I had a feeling I knew who this joker was.
“Hey, whitebread! What the fuck you doing back here?” I could hear Nich cursing in the cell as I held my hand out. But I ignored him. “You get away from that damn door!”
“Hey, lady, just dropping off a package.”
“What package? I see no delivery truck and no package. I’ve called the Clatsop County Sheriff’s office, so if you know what’s good for you, Stefan, you’ll fuck off back to whatever hole you crawled out of and leave my bestie alone!”
The anger that rippled across his face said my suspicion was right. The asshole had some nerve just stalking around.
“You know nothing abo—”
“I know it all, you fucking moron. What part of ‘bestie’ didn’t you get? How I wish you’d tried some of that shit with me. I’d hogtie you and toss ya ass out in the water, let the fish eat your pasty white ass.”
“She is mine.”
“She’s her own person, you spineless dick!” The sound of sirens getting closer made me smile. He was ready to run when I shouted, “Oh, and by the way, say cheese, motherfucker; you’re on candid camera.” I waved my hand around letting him know about the security cameras.
Did I care about him knowing they were there? Nope. Maybe it would keep him from coming around. The sirens drew his attention, and after a quick look around, he bolted. I was so mad, I could spit nails. I stood in the back alley, my cell held so tight that my hand started to hurt.
“Dana!” A deep, pissed off voice called out my name. I spun to see three deputies coming my way. I pointed down the alley.
“He went that way!”
Nich’s arms went around me so tight, my back cracked. “Don’t you ever fucking do that again! Jesus, woman, have you gone mental?”
I let out a shaky breath and clung to him. “I’m sorry, I just…I think I went a little insane. I saw him and just knew it was him. What if Cindy had stayed? What if I hadn’t? We wouldn’t know he was back here? He shoved something under her door.”
“Call her, and we’ll get to the bottom of it. Daniel and Tobias have been let in on the issue here. We won’t let him hurt her.”
He kissed my head, and I did as he asked. I dialed Cindy. We’d had such a good day and now this shit… She didn’t need this mess on her shoulders. I really disliked stupid people; they were worse than having your asshole bleached. At least that shit faded in time. Stupid people hung on for dear life.
Chapter 7
Cindy
