by Kayla Perrin
“I can’t talk,” she said. “I—I think my privacy’s been compromised. In fact, I know it has.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I can’t talk right now. I’ve got to go.”
“Lorraine? Lorraine?”
But only silence greeted him.
* * *
Once Lorraine had the answer from Hunter, she grabbed the bouquet of flowers, her purse and her car keys and left her townhouse. She marched the flowers to the nearby dumpster and tossed them in there.
On her way to the car, her phone rang again. She glanced quickly at the screen. It was Hunter. She didn’t answer.
The last thing she wanted to do was get into an explanation of what was going on over the phone. He would have more questions than she was prepared to answer, and she definitely did not want to provide anything for Paul to monitor. As it was, her anxiety was profound. Just how much had Paul read? Had he been able to access her voice mails? How dare he violate her privacy.
Lorraine got into her car and slumped against the steering wheel. It was hot, the air in the car hard to breathe, but she didn’t care. Paul’s visit had already left her feeling smothered. He hadn’t needed to have an investigator looking into her life. He’d been spying on her via her phone and email accounts.
After several seconds, Lorraine started the car and put the AC on full blast. She was about to text Rosa to tell her that she was heading to her place when she realized she couldn’t. Paul knew where Rosa lived. If he was actually monitoring her messages via her Apple ID, then he would easily know where she was going if he wanted to continue to harass her. In fact, what Lorraine needed to do was head to a tech shop and have her phone fixed. Better yet, she could buy another one. Change her number...
No. She wouldn’t give Paul the satisfaction. Besides, she would still need to keep her Apple ID or lose all her apps, and other vital information stored in her smartphone and computer. No, she would have the phone fixed—root Paul out of her life, this time hopefully for good.
Lorraine headed straight for Rosa’s place, her whole body taut. She bit down on the inside of her lip the entire drive, until she finally tasted blood. Her level of distress was off the charts. She couldn’t believe that Paul had been spying on her, much less that he expected her to hand over half of the store.
And if she had learned anything from the divorce, it was that Paul could be ruthless. He had fought her tooth and nail on absolutely everything, and she believed 100 percent that he would pursue the store. She didn’t know if he had a legal leg to stand on, but that wouldn’t stop him from making her life miserable.
When her phone rang through the car’s Bluetooth system, Lorraine actually flinched. Then she glanced at her dashboard. Hunter was calling.
She quickly pressed the button to reject the call.
Lorraine got to Rosa’s place and glanced around to make sure that Paul wasn’t lurking anywhere. She wished the horrible thought was simply paranoia, but it wasn’t.
“Breathe,” she told herself, and forced in several deep breaths. She went to Rosa’s door and knocked, but her friend wasn’t home.
Back in her car, Lorraine decided to send Rosa the same text she’d sent to Hunter, telling her that she couldn’t contact her via her phone until further notice.
The moment after her text went through, another message popped up on her screen. This time from Hunter.
You have me worried. What’s going on?
She sat there with her phone in her hand, wondering what to do. Paul’s visit had made it clear that he was going to make her life a living hell. He might not be right about his claims, something she could determine with the lawyer. But it was the headache of having to fight with Paul over this. Their back-and-forth fighting during the divorce had been too much emotionally, and she was done. If giving up the store meant peace of mind, so be it. Because on the off chance that Paul was right, there was no way in hell she was going to keep it, sell it and give her ex any portion of it.
But she couldn’t explain any of that to Hunter right now. She did, however, have to tell him something. So she sent him a brief text.
My phone’s been compromised. It’s my ex. We can’t communicate this way. I’ll be in touch. Please don’t message me again.
Now Lorraine had to find a tech shop to go to in order to deal with her phone.
Amanda... Didn’t she have a cousin who worked with computers? Maybe he could help her with her phone.
Lorraine quickly called her friend. She answered after the second ring. “Hey, stranger.”
“You’re up, great.” Amanda worked the night shift as a personal support worker in a retirement home.
“Yeah. I just got up not too long ago. What’s up?”
“I need you,” Lorraine said. “I can’t explain why on the phone. Can I come over now?”
“Of course.”
“All right. See you soon.”
* * *
An hour later, Lorraine was with Amanda at a small computer shop on the west side of town. Lorraine worried the inside of her lip as she watched Brent, Amanda’s cousin, handle her phone.
“This isn’t as uncommon as you might think,” he said. “Parents typically monitor their children’s accounts this way.”
Lorraine snorted. “I’m not his child.”
“And some exes who don’t want to let go continue to monitor an account. Or when they just want to creep a person out.”
“I let him set everything up for me because he knew what he was doing,” Lorraine said. “I can’t believe he would invade my privacy like this.”
“I’m not surprised,” Amanda quipped. “He probably did it during the divorce, too. Jerk.”
Lorraine shuddered at the thought. “Can you fix this for me?” she asked Brent. “Change my passwords, make sure my ex can’t access my accounts anymore?”
“I can. I’ll need a bit of time.”
“You’re an absolute lifesaver. Will you have it ready by tomorrow?”
“Sure thing. But when you come back, bring your computer. I’ll make sure everything’s reset on there.”
“Of course. I wasn’t even thinking about that.” What a pain Paul was being. “Let me just get some of the phone numbers I’ll need until tomorrow.”
A few minutes later, Lorraine left the store with Amanda. Once outside, Amanda hugged her. “I’m so sorry. You look really stressed.”
“I can’t believe he’s doing this to me.” Lorraine had filled her friend in on all that had gone on—including the fact that she’d seen Hunter again. “Why won’t Paul just leave me alone?”
Amanda made a face. “You know why he’s doing this. Because you left him. He’s making you pay for that. That’s why he was so evil during the divorce. And now that he learned about the property you were left, he’s got another way to stick it to you.”
“Paul left our marriage long before I ever made it official.”
“You know that, and I know that. But you also know Paul. You think he’ll take any responsibility for his own actions?” Amanda gave her a pointed look, as if the answer was clear.
“I knew I should have just signed over the store to Hunter when we were at the lawyer’s office a few days ago.”
“Why didn’t you?” Amanda asked her.
Lorraine didn’t answer right away, and Amanda’s lips twisted in a scowl. “Come on, don’t tell me you’ve caught feelings for him. He was a booty call. Great in bed, just what you needed. But you’re literally just finished dealing with Paul, and if ever there was a sign that you need to concentrate on you and forget about dating, this is it. You can make your dream a reality without accepting handouts.”
“I wouldn’t call this a handout, Amanda.”
“All right, maybe that’s not the best w
ay to describe it. My point is, before you ever received the store, you were looking forward to making your dream a reality on your own. If you accept the store, you’re going to have to deal with Paul, and you’re going to have to deal with Hunter. I just want to see you finally concentrate on you without any distractions. Open your store—on your terms.”
On her terms... Amanda’s words struck a chord. She was pretty certain that if she accepted Douglas’s gift, Hunter would be a part of the deal. He told her that he’d wanted to work with her, and she could see him pursuing that, if for no other reason than to do something in his father’s honor. But Amanda made a good point. She didn’t have to let him.
“I have a lot to consider. But first, I need to pick up a burner phone. Something to use until I get my phone back tomorrow.”
* * *
Lorraine stayed in her car for a good few minutes when she got back to her townhouse complex, looking all around to see if Paul was lurking anywhere. Satisfied that he wasn’t waiting for her, she got out of her vehicle and went into her unit.
She locked and bolted her door, and only then was she able to relax. She curled up on the sofa and found Hunter’s number among the list she’d written down. She started to punch his number into her temporary phone, then stopped.
I just want to see you finally concentrate on you without any distractions. Open your store—on your terms.
Wasn’t this the perfect time to not contact Hunter? Give herself the time she’d originally asked him to give her? Time to consider on her own, for herself, what she was going to do?
She put the phone down.
Chapter 18
Hunter powered his foot through the last edge of the warped railing, and the wood snapped with a loud crack. He watched the beam fall over the side of the rotting deck. Sweat dripping from his forehead, he looked around with a sense of satisfaction. He was going to fix this deck up, along with the rest of the house. Restore it to its former glory.
Hunter lifted his water bottle from the deck floor and took a long, greedy sip. His cell phone rang—and his hope soared.
The phone was on the concrete edge by the door leading into the house, and he hurried to snatch it up. Was Lorraine finally getting back to him?
Instead, he saw his colleague Peter’s photo flashing on the screen, and disappointment washed through him. Not that he wasn’t happy to hear from his friend, but he was really hoping to get a call from Lorraine.
Why hadn’t she gotten back to him? A few days after the cryptic texts from her, and Hunter was not only confused by her silence, but worried.
He let the call from Peter go to voice mail, because he knew that his new friend was calling about hanging out at a bar tonight. He’d mentioned that this morning when they were heading home from their shift. “I’ll be your wingman,” Peter had said. “I’ll happily take the crumbs while you get the cake.”
Normally, that might be an offer Hunter would happily accept. But he didn’t feel like it, and he wasn’t quite ready to examine why.
Who was he kidding? He knew why. He wanted to hear from Lorraine, but she was shutting him out. Her privacy had been compromised, yes, but why was she still not speaking to him days later?
Unless she didn’t like him as much as he liked her.
Hadn’t he made it clear to her that he liked her, not just their time in the bedroom? He’d sought her out after the letter from his father because for some reason, he felt comfortable with her. He could be vulnerable with her. Why wasn’t she letting him in during whatever issue she was having?
Maybe Hunter had built their relationship up in his mind, and it was nothing more than a fling for her.
Hunter had been alarmed enough to contact the police and ask if there were any reports of problems involving her. There’d been nothing.
Which meant she was avoiding him. Hunter had even contemplated calling her friend Rosa, but refrained. Lorraine had ample opportunity to get in touch with him. If she didn’t want to, he wasn’t about to hunt her down.
Hunter looked down at the wood beneath his shoes. The beams were warped and cracked. He’d have to replace the entire deck.
He went back into the house and headed toward the fridge for a beer. He had enough to occupy his time without worrying about Lorraine, like getting to work on these renovations.
But the next day, when his colleague Peter told him some crushing news about his cousin, he knew that he had to track Lorraine down.
* * *
“Thanks for getting back to me,” Lorraine said to Cliff Andrews, the lawyer who’d handled her divorce. “You got my detailed message?” Long-winded had been more like it. She’d blabbed on and on, her anxiety ringing in every word she’d said. But she wanted Cliff to know every detail in order to give her the right answer.
“I did,” Cliff said.
“I just want to make it clear that I didn’t know anything about the store before the divorce. I had no clue I was being left anything in my patient’s will.”
“Let me put your mind at ease. It’s a nonissue. The date of your separation is the date when your assets stopped being shared, which was a full year before your divorce was final. Douglas Holland became a patient at the hospice seven weeks before his death, so even if Paul wanted to push the issue, he wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. We’re not talking about one of your relatives where you had a reasonable expectation that you had a substantial gift coming. Besides, the date you were made aware that you’d been left property was after your divorce was final. Your ex-husband is not entitled to any of this gift, no matter what he says.”
Lorraine sucked in a sharp breath, tentatively hopeful. “You’re sure?”
“Absolutely. I’ve already spoken to his lawyer, and we’re both on the same page. He’s going to speak to Paul.”
“I can’t tell you how relieved I am,” Lorraine said.
“Of course. Congratulations, by the way. I remember you talking about wanting to open a store. Now you’ll be able to.”
Lorraine forgot that she’d spoken with her lawyer about this. But it had been at a time when Paul had been drawing out the proceedings, fighting her tooth and nail over everything. Stressed, she’d told Cliff how she couldn’t wait for the divorce to be final so that she could concentrate on herself and her dream. Now, it was a relief to know that Paul couldn’t sidetrack her plans.
“Thank you,” Lorraine said. “You’ve made my day.”
When Lorraine hung up the phone, she was so happy that she wanted to do a victory dance. The next best thing was heading into the pool for a swim.
So she went downstairs to do exactly that. She jumped into the water and began to swim languidly. No need to burn her muscles at full pace as though a demon were chasing her. Today, she could enjoy a brisk yet relaxing swim.
She was on her third lap across the pool and sucking in deep breaths as fatigue was finally getting to her. Once her hands hit the side of the pool wall, she gripped the edge with her fingers and burst through the water. She shook her wet hair, then opened her eyes.
A spasm of terror hit her as surely as if she’d been physically struck.
For a moment she didn’t know what to do. Her first instinct was to slip back into the water and swim to the other side of the pool. But Paul would simply follow her, still confront her.
No, there was no point in running.
Paul’s lips pulled in a smug smile. “I see you changed your number.”
Lorraine didn’t bother responding to that. He already thought he was very clever, but at least the problem had been resolved. She’d decided to stick with the new number on the burner cell, in part because she didn’t want Paul to have a way to reach her. He wasn’t as smart as he thought he was.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Lorraine said. “This complex is for residents only.�
��
Paul walked toward the edge of the pool. “I don’t care what your lawyer says. Half of that property is mine.”
So he’d spoken to his lawyer. That’s why he was here. “If you spoke to your lawyer, then you know that that’s not the case. Even if we weren’t divorced already, we were separated. Effectively living separate lives when it came to our marital status. I owe you nothing.”
“According to you.”
“According to the law. Besides, you and I both know that you’re only coming after the store to be a jerk. You get a kick out of making me miserable. Didn’t you do enough of that while we were married?”
His eyes widened slightly, as though surprised that she was standing up to him. But hadn’t that always been their problem? That she hadn’t stood up to him? She’d let him walk over her one time too many. Even during their divorce proceedings. But not this time.
“I’m here as a courtesy to let you know that I’ll be seeing another lawyer. Taking this as far as I need to take it. When I finish suing you, you’re going to wish that you just agreed to give me what’s mine.”
Lorraine pushed backward into the water and did the backstroke until she got to the other side of the pool. As she knew, by the time she got there, Paul was already there, waiting for her.
Lorraine climbed out of the pool. Her heart was pounding, but she was determined not to back down to him. He was being a bully, plain and simple.
“What, you think you can run away from this?” Paul asked.
“Fine.” Lorraine went to the chair and picked up her towel. “Do what you need to do. Just get lost.”
“Hey, Lorraine. Everything okay?”
Both Lorraine and Paul whipped their heads in the direction of the voice. When Lorraine saw Manuel, her shoulders drooped with relief.
“Actually, I’m not okay,” Lorraine admitted. “My ex is bothering me.”
Manuel took a few steps toward Paul. “Hey, buddy. Beat it.”
Paul closed the distance between him and the shorter man, all bravado. “I’d like to see you make me get out of here.”
