When Kayla reached for the lock and opened the door, a blur of red rushed in. Both girls jumped back with a scream. Jennica covered her face with her hands, shaking. She shouldn’t have been so stubborn. She should’ve ridden to the farm with Scott.
“Bolt the door, Kayla!” a woman yelled. “There’s a man out there…he chased me from my car!”
Jennica’s racing heart slowed a fraction at the female voice and she looked up to see the redhead, the source of reservation early on with her feelings for Scott.
Kayla released her chest and did as instructed. “We need to call the police.”
“I second the idea!” Jennica reached for the cell in the back pocket of her jeans. “Damn it, I left my phone in the store.”
“Mine’s in the car,” the woman added. She ran her fingers through her crayon-red hair before smoothing her top then sauntered to the bar and took a seat. “But I don’t think getting the cops involved is really necessary. A stiff drink would do wonders on my frazzled nerves though. Who’s your new friend, Kayla?”
Kayla moved behind the bar and picked up the phone. “This is Jennica, she opened the florist shop across the street. Why don’t you want me to call for help, Missy?”
“And let this show up in the papers? You know I got back together with Vic not long ago. I’m supposed to be at my sister’s house right now. If he finds out I’m at a bar instead, he’ll never trust me again. Besides, there is no man outside.”
“What! Why would you lie?” Kayla set the phone down and crossed her arms over her chest.
“I’m sorry…I wanted in. I saw your car, and I need to talk.”
“Did you not think knocking on the door, or calling me was a viable solution?”
“How much fun would that have been?” Missy propped her elbow on the bar, her cheek in her palm.
“You’re insane. You know that, right?” Kayla nailed it on the head. Jennica wondered how long the two had known each other and exactly how tight they were. She liked Kayla fine, but something about Missy rubbed her the wrong way. She checked the clock on the wall. The guys should be getting back any time and painting her storefront in the dark seemed as good an excuse as any to get away from Missy.
“So, can I please have a vodka tonic?”
“Missy, we’re closed.”
“Then don’t charge me.” She giggled and patted the stool next to her, motioning to Jennica. “Have a seat.”
Jennica glanced at Kayla who shrugged and pulled a glass from the shelf. The news Missy had a boyfriend initially made Jennica feel a little better about being around her. She’d been worried Missy might hold some ill will toward her for being with Scott. But now, after Missy’s confession that she’d lied about there being a man in the parking lot, Jennica didn’t trust her at all. She stepped up to the bar, topping off her and Kayla’s drink with the bottle of wine left on the counter.
“Hand me the lime and a knife. I’ll cut,” Missy said, watching Kayla drop cubed ice in the glass.
“I guess it’s the least you can do since the drink is free. I should charge you double though, after the stunt you pulled.”
Missy waved off Kayla’s comment with a flick of her wrist and began cutting the lime in half. She paused, turning to Jennica. “Have you ever been in love?”
It’s none of your business! Jennica faked a smile and considered turning up her glass until she could see the bottom. At one point in her life, she thought she loved Troy. But nothing compared to the way she felt about Scott. Just being in the same space as him charged the room, and she missed him terribly when he wasn’t around, even if he was only gone for a minute. But did those sentiments constitute love? She took a large gulp of the red liquid and spoke the truth. “I’m not sure.”
“Whatever,” Kayla added. “I’ve seen you and Scott together, and even though it was only for a few minutes, the way you look at each other…someone would have to be oblivious to not see how in love you are.”
Missy gave the lime a hard whack with the knife. “You’re not sure? How can you not know?” She lifted the blade, pointing it toward Jennica, mere inches away from her chest. Missy’s eyes were crazed and cold, and Jennica froze, too terrified to move.
“Missy, what are you doing?” Kayla asked.
From the corner of her eye Jennica noticed faint movement in the general direction of her new friend’s voice but didn’t turn to see, her stare fixed on the knife hovering too close.
The redhead laughed low, her glare solid. “Taking care of a problem.” She narrowed her eyes. “You ruined everything, you trashy whore! He was mine…before you let him fuck you that night in Hays…he…was…mine.”
Jennica took a small step back, all she could manage with weakened knees. “I didn’t know,” she whispered. Her mouth had taken on the dryness of dirt. The space around her began to spin. “He told me…” Her voice trailed off, lost in rampant emotion. He’d told her he was seeing no one. Had Scott lied? Had he manipulated her trust?
No. She believed him. She trusted him. He had told her the truth. This woman was crazy, insane enough to follow them around in her hometown.
“What do you want?” Jennica asked.
“What do I want?” Missy cackled low. “I want you out of his life.”
“Missy, think about what you’re doing,” Kayla said with a shaky voice.
“Drop the weapon,” a male shouted from toward the entrance.
Missy jerked her head around to face him and Jennica sprinted across the room, never so happy to see a uniformed police officer. Scott and Gannon were right behind him. She crashed into Scott’s chest, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“Oh my God,” he murmured, directing her out the door. Another cop pulled up, shutting off his siren as they went outside. He rushed by them in a blur.
“Are you okay?” Scott cupped the sides of her head and tilted it to face him. His nostrils flared and his breaths were heavy. His eyes darted over every inch of her face.
She nodded and he pulled her tight against him. Jennica closed her eyes and let out a long breath, aware of the muffled shouts coming from the other side of the door.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered.
* * * *
The one fear that had settled in Scott’s mind when they’d left the ladies at the bar had come true. Driving toward Night, the flashing lights of a police car parked at the building sent Scott’s heart to his feet. His insides trembled at the low wail of a siren closing in on their vehicle as they approached. The moment Gannon pulled up and slammed on the brakes both men bailed from the truck.
Ty Sellers, a local officer, met them at the door explaining he’d showed up right before them after getting the call to check things out. Once Gannon unbolted the lock, Ty insisted they stay outside until he gave them an okay. The guys followed him in anyway. Nothing…no one would keep Scott from getting to Jen.
Scott’s legs morphed to concrete when he walked through the door. Jen, his Jen, looked frightened and pale. Her eyes were wide, pleading for help. Her soft whimpers drifted through the room, and Melissa held the shimmering, steel blade of a knife inches away from her chest.
Panic rose in Scott’s throat, forming a softball-sized lump. He didn’t know what to do. His first instinct was to rush the psycho, but he knew even if he moved quickly, she could easily take the blade to Jennica before he reached them.
When Ty commanded Melissa to drop the knife, his heart broke into a million pieces as he watched Jen run for her life and grab hold of him as if he were her safety. He’d wanted to protect her from everything bad. Instead, being with him had led her straight to this.
He held Jennica close while the officers apprehended and loaded the screaming assailant into the back of one of their cars and drove away. Ty stayed around to take statements. Scott listened as first Jen then Kayla gave their sides of the story. Turns out, when Kayla handed Melissa the knife, she noticed red paint under her fingernails and decided to press the panic button behind the
bar. After Ty finished with her she turned to Jennica. “I’m sorry. I should have never given Missy the knife.”
Jennica let go of him and hugged Kayla. “I’m fine. You’re fine. Don’t apologize. You couldn’t have known.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Kayla asked. She held Jennica out at arm’s length, inspecting her.
“I’m a little shaken up, nothing I can’t get over.” Her words made Scott’s chest heavy with guilt. If he had never messed around with Melissa Dale, even if it was before he met Jen, she would have nothing to get over. None of this would’ve happened.
“Kayla.” Gannon wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. “I’m going to lock up.”
“What about covering the graffiti? We’re still helping them, aren’t we?”
“No,” Jen spoke up, shaking her head. “It’s late…and it’s nothing that can’t be taken care of tomorrow.”
Jennica stood with her back to Scott, and he couldn’t see her face. He didn’t know if she wanted anything to do with him after everything Melissa had said, but he had to take a chance. He had to keep her in his life. Stepping up behind her, he latched his arms around her waist and bent down to bury his face in her hair. “Are you ready to go home?”
* * * *
Jennica rolled over in the bed, reaching across the cool, cotton sheets and finding Scott’s space empty. She glanced up to the window, the rising sun crept a dull light through the crack in the curtains. It couldn’t be much after six in the morning.
Hearing the familiar sound of Scott tinkering around in the kitchen, making coffee no doubt, she grabbed the pillow covered with his scent and pulled it close. Inhaling deep, she closed her eyes and thought about the night before. How his words, are you ready to go home, filled her with an undeniable warmth, making her forget for a brief moment the terror she’d been through.
She pictured Scott’s face, his square, scruffy jaw line. The way his dark hair, a bit shaggy, laid perfect on his forehead. She loved the way his tribal tattoo carved out the muscles of his right arm, how his hands felt on her skin. She loved the way he looked at her—like she was some bright, shining star he’d handpicked from the night sky himself and would treasure forever. Mostly though, she loved how she felt when she was near him…as if she were whole. Jennica sighed with fulfillment and buried her nose deeper into his pillow.
The soft sounds of his footsteps padding across the hardwood floor as he entered the room made her heart flutter. Jennica rolled over to see him pilfering through his closet. “Hey, you,” she managed, sounding groggy, and hoped he would climb in bed for some early morning cuddle time.
He stilled for a second then balled his hands to fists and turned to face her. The deer-caught-in-the-headlights look he sported was the last thing she’d expected to see. He closed his eyes and she swallowed hard, watching his chest rise and fall from across the room. What’s going on? He’s acting as if he’s about to kick me out. The man I love doesn’t want me. Wait. I love him? I love him! Oh God. This is bad…very, very bad. I can’t love him, not when he’s about to get rid of me.
Her pulse doubled and she sat up, holding the sheet against her chest, and decided to take control of the situation before he had the chance. She made a quick calculation of where her belongings were for a hasty escape. Crap. She’d slept in one of his t-shirts. He’ll most likely want it back. All of the emotion from last night may have been too much for him to handle. “I’ll go.”
Scott’s eyes snapped opened, and he slipped his hands in the pockets of his sleep pants. “What?”
“I’ll leave. If you…” Her voice trailed off, she couldn’t finish. The massive lump in her throat and the ache in her heart had stricken her words. She pulled the collar of the t-shirt up over her eyes to wipe away the pooling tears before they had a chance to fall.
“Jen, I don’t want you to go.”
She released the shirt to see him kneeling on the floor at the edge of the bed next to her. He lifted her chin until her gaze fastened to his.
“Last night… I thought I’d lost you. I didn’t know what had happened when we pulled up to the bar.” He moistened his lips and took a deep breath. “It was the single most terrifying moment I’ve ever experienced. When we got here and climbed into bed, I couldn’t sleep. I wanted to watch you…hold you close and count each one of your breaths, every heartbeat.” He took both of her hands in his. Jennica’s chest knocked so hard she thought it might explode. “I need you in my life every minute of every day. I love you. I’ve loved you since the moment I walked into your flower shop four weeks ago.”
He smiled and released his hold on her right hand, dropping his to his side, out of her sight.
“I had this whole romantic, breakfast in bed thing planned, but you woke up and caught me. Looking at you right now though, I’ve never seen anyone so beautiful, and I can’t wait…I have to know…will you marry me, Jennica Moss? Will you forever, have me?” Scott brought his hand back in view. Between his forefinger and thumb he held a diamond ring.
Jennica let out a long breath, giving her insides more space to fill with love and happiness as tears poured over her cheeks. So what if they’d only been dating for a month? When it’s right…it’s right, and she wanted nothing more than to know she’d be spending the rest of her life with him. Ring or no ring, he would be hers forever. “Yes.”
About Sidda Lee Tate
Sidda Lee Tate has spent most of her life creating stories. Writing is one of her great loves. Whether her words make readers cry or laugh or just downright hot, she is proud to take people on a journey with her characters. Sidda lives in a small town in Arkansas with her husband and son.
Sidda’s Website:
www.siddaleetate.blogspot.com
Reader eMail:
[email protected]
About The Night Series
Book 1: The First Night
Now Available
Book 2: Hijacked
Now Available
Book 3: Give in to Me
Now Available
Give in to Me Page 7
