Word to the Wise

by Jenn McKinlay

  “At least you’ll be escaping this drought,” Lindsey said. “Think of us when you’re riding Pirates of the Caribbean.”

  “Meh, I’m originally from Arizona,” Heather said. She tossed her long light brown hair over her shoulder and pushed her glasses up on her nose. “This is nothing. And Brett’s from Australia, so he’s seen worse, too.”

  “I can’t even imagine,” Lindsey said. She dreaded the thought of going out in the heat, but at least she was closing the library and it would be after dark with no more scorching sun when she left work.

  After Heather and Brett checked out their materials, the staff checked the building and began locking up. When they stepped through the back door, the heat was like a punch to the face.

  The drought continued with no rain in the forecast, and it was making everyone cranky and irritable, including Lindsey. She was on her bike tonight since Sully had an evening boat tour scheduled. He told her the only good things about being out on the water were that he could make his own breeze with the speed of the boat and that the splash from the waves actually cooled things down. Lindsey envied him that right now. As she dropped her book bag into the basket on her bicycle, she dreaded the sticky ride home.

  The summer sun was finally setting, and once she got the bike up to speed, the air did feel good against her slick skin. She took a shortcut through town to the gray shingled beach house she shared with Sully near the shore. Her dog, Heathcliff, would be waiting for her, and she couldn’t wait to take him to the beach for his nightly walk. She might even go for a swim in the ocean just to cool off.

  She turned onto their road, which ran along the shore. The houses were small, but the yards were big. Sand dusted the pothole-marked road, but she had ridden this route enough to know exactly where to swerve even in the dimming light. She rode up to the deck that surrounded the house and parked her bike beside the stairs. She could hear Heathcliff barking, and she quickly locked her bike to the rail and grabbed her book bag.

  She hurried up the steps, eager to get out of the heat. She unlocked the door and strode into the house. She had just enough time to drop her bag and brace her legs before he saw her. Heathcliff let out a delighted yip and ran full speed for her, launching himself at her and nearly knocking her to the floor.

  “Easy, fella,” she said. She rubbed his sides and his ears and noted that his tongue was hanging out as if he, too, was suffering from the heat. His furry black body was all aquiver, and he used his front paws to hug her leg, a habit he had that melted Lindsey’s heart every time. She bent down and hugged him back.

  “Just let me change, and we’ll go for a walk,” she said. Heathcliff pranced, clearly fully aware of what the word walk meant.

  She flicked on the living room light and strode down the hall to her bedroom. She shucked off her work clothes and pulled on her bathing suit. Then she grabbed an old T-shirt of Sully’s and pulled it over her head.

  She was about to grab a towel out of the linen closet when there was a knock on the door. Heathcliff barked, letting whoever was at the door know he was there. Heathcliff was a total mama’s boy and took his job protecting Lindsey very seriously.

  She walked back to the front door, patting Heathcliff on the way. “It’s all right,” she said. “You can stand down for the moment.”

  He sat, but he kept growling a low menacing rumble that was accompanied by one of his furry black eyebrows being raised as if he was suspicious of whoever was knocking. It hit Lindsey, as it often did, how much she loved this dog. She patted him again and turned to the door.

  She glanced through the window beside the door to see who it was. She felt her heart sink into her feet. It was Aaron Grady, holding another enormous bouquet of roses.

  CHAPTER

  3

  Lindsey debated pretending she wasn’t home. She didn’t want to answer the door in her bathing suit, even with a shirt over it, to anyone, never mind a stranger. And she really didn’t want to have a library patron standing on her doorstep. Yes, Briar Creek was a small town and everyone knew everyone, but there were still boundaries that needed to be maintained—and not showing up at her house uninvited late in the day was one of them.

  For that matter, how did Grady know where she lived? Had he followed her home? She knew her staff wouldn’t have given out her personal information, but maybe he had asked someone in town. Since she lived with Sully and the house was in his name only, her address wasn’t publicly available. She felt her inner alarm system go off like a high-pitched siren. She grabbed her phone and called Beth.

  “Hey, Lindsey,” Beth answered on the second ring. “What’s up?”

  “The patron that Ann Marie got the weird vibe about? He’s standing at my front door, holding another vase full of roses,” she said.

  “Oh no, do not open that door,” Beth said. “Where’s Sully?”

  “Giving an evening boat tour around the islands,” Lindsey said.

  “I’ll send Aidan over. He can be there in ten minutes,” Beth said. “Ann Marie was right. The guy is a weirdo.”

  “I’m going to explain to him why this is bad,” Lindsey said. “But I want you on the line just in case.”

  “Don’t,” Beth cried. “Seriously, he’ll go away if you don’t answer.”

  “Yes, but I need to make it perfectly clear that this is unacceptable,” Lindsey said.

  “I wish Sully was there,” Beth said. Then she gasped. “Do you think he waited until he knew you were alone?”

  Uneasiness rippled through Lindsey. Had he? That was even creepier than she’d been thinking. She could hear Beth talking to someone, presumably Aidan, in the background. Ugh, she hated being put in this position, but there was no doubt that Grady was crossing a line.

  “Just stay on the phone, okay?” Lindsey asked.

  “Sure, but Aidan and I are on our way,” Beth said. She was huffing and puffing, and Lindsey could tell she was running.

  “I don’t think that’s necessary, but okay,” Lindsey said. She knew telling Beth not to come wasn’t an option. In truth, she’d do the exact same thing.

  There was another sharp knock on the door. Lindsey drew in a steadying breath and opened the door just a crack. She peered out with the phone visible at her ear. Then she said, “Hold on, I have someone at the door.” She glanced at Grady without smiling and said, “Yes?”

  Grady’s eyes shifted from side to side. He licked his lips, looking nervous. Lindsey hoped he was feeling as uncomfortable as she was.

  “I brought these for you,” he said. He thrust the bouquet of roses at her. In the heat the smell of the blooms was a bit overpowering. Lindsey didn’t take them.

  “I’ll just put them down,” he said. He looked so earnest, like a kid offering a fistful of wildflowers to his mom. “I picked them just for you as a thank-you for helping me and because you seemed to like the ones I brought to the library. I thought you’d like some at your home, too.”

  Grady was in his usual pressed pants and button-down shirt. If he were in a lineup, he’d look like the feckless accountant thrown in just to have another body present. Was he really so socially inept that he thought finding out where a woman lived and bringing her flowers at night was okay? It wasn’t. It made Lindsey feel vulnerable in ways she didn’t like, and she wasn’t doing him any favors by playing nice and letting him think it was all right. If he did this to someone else, he could get a black eye or worse.

  “Mr. Grady, this is very inappropriate,” Lindsey said. “I don’t know how you found out where I live, but showing up at my house uninvited is not okay. Please leave.”

  Grady’s eyes went wide, as if he hadn’t even considered the possibility that what he was doing was impolite. His face turned pink and then red and then pale. He looked mortified.

  “I . . . oh . . . I am so sorry,” he mumbled. “I didn’t . . . I would never . . .”


  Heathcliff pressed up against Lindsey’s leg. He growled low in his throat, the sound carrying through the crack in the door and out into the night. Grady’s eyes widened in alarm. So now she and her dog had embarrassed and scared him.

  Having been an introvert most of her life, Lindsey felt a pang of sympathy for him. Clearly, he hadn’t thought his gesture of gratitude through. She felt her shoulders drop and she tried to soften her words.

  “Listen, I appreciate the gesture, but you can’t just show up at my house,” she said.

  “Oh, but I thought we connected,” he said. He gestured between them. “I thought you were my friend.”

  He had a little-boy-lost look about him that, again, made Lindsey feel unduly harsh, but she felt as if she had to be clear; otherwise he might think he could show up here whenever he liked, and that wouldn’t do. This was her sanctuary away from work and people and life. She was a solitary person. She wasn’t even on any social media, preferring books as her escape, and she guarded her privacy fiercely.

  “No, we’re not friends,” she said. “I am a librarian and you are a patron. That’s as far as it goes.”

  “Yes, of course,” he said. He didn’t make eye contact with her. He bobbed his head and stepped back across the porch and down the steps.

  “Don’t forget your roses,” Lindsey said.

  Heathcliff continued to growl.

  Grady glanced at her quickly and then away. “Please keep them as an apology. I’m sorry to have interrupted your evening.”

  Lindsey was about to tell him it was all right when she noticed he had lowered his gaze to her body and was staring at her in a way that made her distinctly uncomfortable. She stepped quickly behind the door so that only her face was visible.

  “Good night, Mr. Grady,” she said.

  “Good night, Ms. Norris,” he said. He turned and hurried to a silver sedan parked on the street in front of her house. Lindsey took note of the license plate just in case.

  As his car shot down the road, it passed a pickup truck coming in the opposite direction. Lindsey felt the tension in her ease as she recognized Beth and Aidan. A part of her felt ridiculous to be so unnerved by a library patron who appeared to be trying to be nice, but as Ms. Cole and the others had noted, there was something off about Aaron Grady.

  The truck parked in the drive, and Beth and Aidan popped out. Aidan stood behind the open driver’s-side door and asked, “Was that him? Should I go after him and knock him around a bit?”

  Beth looked at her husband with adoration, and Lindsey was grateful for the offer, too, but like Beth, Aidan was a children’s librarian, and she knew he didn’t have the sort of personality to rough up a stranger. Besides, it would have the potential to destroy his career.

  “I really appreciate the offer, but I think I made my feelings known to him,” Lindsey said. “I don’t think Mr. Grady will be bothering me anymore.”

  Beth held up her phone as she crossed the yard to Lindsey. “You were great, but people like him, who get fixated on a person, don’t always hear what you say. You’re going to have to keep your guard up.”

  “I will,” Lindsey said. “I promise.”

  She noticed that both Beth and Aidan looked hot, and she said, “I was just about to take Heathcliff for a walk on the beach. Want to come?”

  “That sounds lovely,” Beth said. “How about you, honey?”

  “Count me in,” Aidan agreed. “Not for nothing, but I think we should stick around until Sully gets home, just to be on the safe side.”

  Lindsey was about to protest but then thought better of it and said, “Thanks. I really appreciate it.”

  She opened the door to let Beth and Aidan in, much to Heathcliff’s tail-wagging, knee-hugging delight. She glanced down at the vase of flowers. She didn’t pick them up.

  * * *

  • • •

  Sully arrived home before they were back from their walk on the beach, and Lindsey let them into the house to find him in the kitchen. The roses were sitting on the counter. Lindsey picked them up and put them back outside while Beth and Aidan greeted Sully.

  Sully watched her with his eyebrows raised. “Is there a reason those are supposed to be outside?”

  “Yes, they came from a creepy patron,” she said.

  “Oh?” He looked like he wanted the rest of the story.

  “And on that note, we’ll head out and let you two talk,” Aidan said. He took Beth’s hand and steered her toward the door. “If you need us, call us.”

  Beth paused beside Lindsey to give her a hug. “It’ll be okay. You were very firm. I bet he gets the message now.”

  “Let’s hope,” Lindsey said. She closed the door after them and locked it.

  She turned to find Sully rubbing Heathcliff’s belly. Her man and her dog. She never got tired of watching the mutual affection between them.

  “Creepy patron, huh?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” she said. “I’m sure it’s nothing, but I helped him a few days ago with a reference request about maintaining his roses during this drought, and he brought me some roses at work as a thank-you.”

  “That seems nice,” he said.

  “It was,” she agreed. “Until he showed up at the house tonight with those.” She pointed at the door with her thumb.

  He frowned. “How did he know where you live?”

  “Exactly,” she said. “So I explained to him that there were boundaries and he was crossing them. He said he just wants to be my friend, but I said no, that I was just a librarian and he shouldn’t do anything like this again.”

  Sully blew out a breath and put a hand on the back of his neck. “Do you think he understood?”

  “I hope so,” she said. “I mean, if he asked someone about me and where I live, I’m certain they would mention that I’m marrying you. Plus, when I first helped him, he said he was married, so it could be that he really does just want to be friends, but it feels weird and awkward and I don’t like it.”

  Sully opened his arms, and Lindsey stepped into them. He rested his cheek on her head, and she felt herself relax against him. It wasn’t that she expected Sully to fight her battles for her, but it felt good to have him here with her, a solid presence against the vulnerability she was feeling.

  “Do you want me to talk to him?” Sully asked. “I can be very persuasive.”

  Lindsey leaned back and met his bright blue gaze. A former navy man, he owned a tour-boat and water-taxi company servicing the islands in the bay. He was tall and broad with a sailor’s build, and his calloused hands and suntanned skin marked him as a man of the outdoors. Despite Grady’s love of gardening, he stood no chance against a man like Sully.

  “No, I really think he heard me tonight,” she said. “I was very clear that showing up at the house was inappropriate. I can’t imagine that he would persist after that.”

  “Tell you what—Charlie is helping out with the tours over the summer, so that frees me up to be your chauffeur,” he said. “I’ll do drop-off and pickup duty with you until we’re sure that this guy isn’t a problem.”

  “I don’t want to put you out,” she said.

  “Don’t worry about it. Charlie needs the money. His band broke up again.”

  “Poor Charlie,” Lindsey said.

  Charlie Peyton was Nancy’s nephew, and when Lindsey had rented an apartment from Nancy in her three-family house, Charlie had lived in the apartment between them, like the peanut butter holding together the bread in the sandwich. He’d been a delightful neighbor, except during band practice. Lindsey still wasn’t sure her hearing had recovered.

  “Yeah, he’s pretty bummed out, but the extra work will keep him from overthinking it.”

  “All right,” she said. “I’ve read enough crime novels to know to err on the side of caution.”

  “That’s my girl,” he
said. He let her go and reached for his water bottle on the counter. He gave her side-eye when he asked, “What did you say his name was again?”

  “I didn’t,” she said.

  He grimaced as if he’d been hoping to slip that by her. Lindsey smiled.

  “His name is Aaron Grady, and he just moved to Briar Creek a few months ago,” she said. “All I know about him is he loves his roses.”

  “What are you going to do if he disregards what you said and brings you more flowers?” Sully asked.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I mean, he’s creepy, but he doesn’t say anything inappropriate or threatening. I’m not really sure why he’s bringing me flowers. Do you think I’m overreacting?”

  “Did it make you feel weird when he was at the door?” Sully asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Then you’re not overreacting,” he said. “Always trust your instincts. I learned that in the navy. If something didn’t feel right in my gut, ninety-nine times out of a hundred, my gut was right.”

  “And it’s weird, right?” she asked. “Showing up at someone’s house when you hardly know them? I mean, what did he think was going to happen? We were going to hang out and be besties?”

  “I’m pretty sure that’s not what he was thinking,” Sully said. Lindsey gave him an Ew face, and he shrugged. “Let’s just be hypervigilant for a while, okay?”

  “Okay.” Lindsey sighed. How had she gotten here? She was just doing her job as a reference provider. Why did it have to get weird?

  * * *

  • • •

  For three days, Lindsey watched the front doors of the library, tensing if she thought Grady was entering the building. Usually, it was just another man with pressed pants and a short-sleeved dress shirt. On the third day, she finally felt as if she could relax her guard. Clearly, her message had gotten through to him. She felt the teensiest pang of guilt that perhaps she’d been rude, but then she remembered that the guy had shown up at her house, late in the evening, and she still had no idea how he had discovered where she lived.