“Hey, Ker, how's everything in San Francisco?” I asked when she popped up on the screen in front of me.
“It's all good. Ethan looooves kindergarten, thank God, and Carl is handling some tough cases at work but swears he enjoys the stress. Things are busy with the catering business, but that's a good thing, right? So, I guess you could say life is busy all round. How are things with you? How’s it going being a business owner these days?”
“It's a whole different set of challenges to just working at the daycare,” I replied. “But I'm really glad I went ahead and bought it. It's been hard, but very rewarding. I'm actually turning a good profit these days, even though things can be stressful and unlike your hubs, I can’t say I enjoy the stress,” I joked.
“Yeah, well, I never claimed he was normal. So, what else is new?”
“Well,” I said. “This new guy just moved into the house across the road from me.”
“The one that's been empty for months?”
“Yeah, that one.”
A mischievous grin spread across her face.
“And is he hot? Is he rich? No, wait, he lives in your neighborhood, so probably not rich. So, is he gainfully employed? And most importantly... is he single?”
I chuckled. “Actually, he is hot. Like holy hell hot. Like those guys you see on calendars hot. The first time I saw him, which was earlier today, he was mowing his lawn shirtless – all muscled and ripped.”
Kerry laughed. “No way! And did you speak to him?”
“Actually, I've got his kid sleeping in the room Ethan always sleeps in.”
“What? Damn girl, you move fast!” Kerry teased.
“You know it's nothing like that! He's a single dad. And yes, he is gainfully employed. He's the new principal of the high school down the road, JFK High.”
“Wait. He’s a principal? How old is this guy?”
“According to the neighborhood historian, he’s 32. I guess he must be really good at his job. Anyway, his babysitter canceled at the last minute, so I offered to help him out.”
“Oh, I bet you did.” She gave me that nod like I was some kind of harlot. “And what's he gonna give you in return? A nice, long, drawn-out massage, huh?” she asked with a wink.
“No,” I replied with a laugh. “That wasn’t part of the bargain, but a girl can dream,” I joked. “And hey, he says he's good at handyman stuff, so—”
“Oooo, so he’s good with his hands,” Kerry wiggled her eyebrows.
“I was gonna say he's going to help me fix up a few things around the house. You know I'm not good with that stuff.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I know. I guess that worked out pretty well then, huh?”
“It did.”
“I still think that you should have asked him for a good, long massage, though.”
“Kerry!”
“Come on; you know you need it. And by it, I’m not talking about an actual massage. I want to make that clear.”
“Yeah. I was aware, smartass. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here.”
“What? You're single, he's single, he's hot, you're hot – what am I missing?” she grinned.
I shook my head. “Really? We both know it's not that simple.”
“And it doesn't have to be complicated either,” she said with a knowing glare.
I sighed. “This is me changing the subject. So, how’s the weather?
“Fine,” she huffed. “But this isn’t the last I’m gonna have to say about the hot guy next door.”
“I’d be surprised if it were.”
We chatted for another 20 minutes and then Kerry needed to get to bed, and so I watched a show on Netflix until I heard the doorbell ring. I went over to the hallway, a sudden rush of nervousness and a tingle of fear coursing through me, and looked through the peephole – something that I always did now before opening the door for anyone, even when I was expecting someone. I sighed with relief when I saw that it was Everett.
“Hi, Everett,” I said as I opened the door. “Jane's fast asleep. She and I had a fun time together. She's a real nice girl, very polite and well-behaved. You must be doing a good job as a parent because, believe me, not all three-year-olds are as well-behaved as she is! After the movie, she announced she was sleepy, and so she’s out like a light in my guest room.”
He smiled. “I try to be a good dad. I'm glad to see it's paying off.”
“How was your meeting?”
His face seemed to harden, and it was almost as if a shadow passed across it as I mentioned this.
“It was, uh... Well, there are some pretty serious issues I'm going to have to deal with,” he said. “I think I'm going to have my hands full.”
From his tone, I could tell that he didn't want to elaborate too much, so I didn't push him for details.
“I can only imagine,” I said. “Running a daycare is tough enough; I can't imagine the stress and problems that must come with being in charge of a high school.”
“Oh, don't worry about me,” he said as we walked over to the room where Jane was sleeping. “I worked at a school in inner-city LA before this, dealing with gangs and guns.”
“Wow! Sounds like you were in a war zone before, huh?”
An odd look crossed his face, and he smiled strangely. A forced smile.
“War zone. Yeah, that’s actually a comparable analogy.”
Then, however, as soon as I opened the door and he saw his little girl sleeping peacefully on the bed, a look of joy appeared on his face, and he smiled warmly.
“Ah, there's my lil' sweet pea,” he said. “Sleeping like an angel. Thank you so much for taking care of her tonight, Vivienne.”
“It was no problem. Like I said, she's a sweetie. And she really likes bears.”
“Oh boy, does she ever! It's all I ever hear about: bear this, bear that!” he said with a laugh. “Other kids her age are into puppies and kittens; she's into bears. I have no idea where it came from, but that's my lil' Jane!”
I smiled. “She's a great kid. And any time you need someone to look after her, remember, I'm right across the road.”
“I appreciate that, Vivienne, I really do. Alright, well, I guess I'd better be getting back to my place now. I've got a long day ahead tomorrow, and I’m sure you do, too.”
“I do, yeah, and I've got an early start as well. But it was great meeting you. I'm glad you came over and said hi this afternoon.”
He smiled at me, and as our eyes met, I swear I felt a bolt of energy passing between us.
“I'm glad I came over to say hi as well. Very glad.”
He went over and picked up Jane carefully, making sure he didn't wake her, and then, cradling the sleeping child softly in his arms, he walked to the front door where I let him out.
He turned around and looked at me one more time from the porch.
“Thanks again, Vivienne. I'll see you soon.”
“See you soon, Everett. Have a good night. And welcome to the neighborhood!”
“Good night,” he said with a smile, and with that, he walked on across the street, his footsteps light and careful so that he wouldn't wake Jane up.
Well, this was nice, I thought. I had a new friend in the neighborhood, who just happened to be a single, attractive guy. It wasn't as if I wanted anything to happen, but on the other hand, Kerry was right. I couldn’t avoid men forever. I mean, I had old wounds – wounds that were very, very deep – but I was getting over them, slowly but surely. After all, I couldn't live in a state of fear forever, could I?
As I closed the door, I heard my phone's message tone ring. I half-wondered if it was Everett, and as I took my phone out, I couldn't deny that my heart was starting to beat a little faster. However, when I looked at the screen, I saw that it was Kerry.
“Hey, Viv,” the message said. “Could you go back on Skype really quick? I've got something important to tell you.”
“Alright,” I typed out in a reply. “Give me two minutes.”
I went back into
my study and booted up my laptop, wondering what it was that so important that she had to tell me now.
“Hey, girl,” Kerry said as she answered the call. From the expression on her face, I could tell that something was wrong.
“What's going on, Ker?” I asked. “What's so urgent that we need to talk about it right now?”
“Carl just came back from work,” she said. “And he needs to talk to you. Is that alright?”
Now I had an idea of what this was going to be about, and dread stirred its awful brew in the pit of my stomach.
“Uh, yeah, sure. Put him on,” I agreed.
She stood up from her computer, and I heard the sound of shuffling in the background as she and her husband switched places at the desk. He sat down and put the headset on and then looked into the webcam.
“Hi, Viv, how's everything?” Carl asked me.
“It's all good here, Carl. How are you?”
“I'm fine, I'm fine. Work is a bit crazy right now at the firm, but it's challenging in a good way. Look, let me cut straight to the chase.”
“Alright, go on.”
“It's about Simon,” he started.
My heart instantly started to pound inside my chest, and I could feel cold fear moving through my veins.
“No no no,” I murmured.
“He's gone,” Carl stated.
My head tilted.
“What do you mean he's gone?” I asked, my tone saturated with anxiety and worry. “Like dead? Or like he skipped the country?” I was trying my best not to appear as freaked out as I felt and as much as I hated to admit it, part of me was kind of hoping for the dead part.
“He's left San Francisco. I got my police buddies to check up on him earlier today, as I do a couple of times a month, and they can't find him. His house is empty; seems like he moved out. The landlord said he had only told her about moving out a few days ago, and she had warned him that he would lose his deposit because of the short notice and his lease not being up, but she said he didn't seem to care. My cop buddies questioned a few of his friends, and none of them seem to know anything about his whereabouts. In fact, they said it had been a while since they'd seen him. One friend of his mentioned that Simon had been making a lot of long out-of-town trips. He'd disappear for days without saying where he was going.”
“And nobody knows where he went, Carl?”
“Nobody seems to know, no.”
“Do you think he's... He can't have found out where I am, right?” my voice was laced with panic.
“With the changing of your name, the erasing of your former social media accounts, and all the other precautions we took? I think it's very unlikely he's found out where you are. I mean, we set things up so you'd be practically impossible to find, short of a court order demanding knowledge of your whereabouts. So, look, I don't want you to worry, but I did feel that it was my duty to tell you about Simon's disappearance. Like I said, it's very, very unlikely that he's found you, but just be vigilant, alright?” Carl encouraged.
I breathed in deeply, trying to do my best to stay calm. “Alright, Carl. Thank you for keeping me informed.”
“As soon as my guys find any information on his current whereabouts, I'll let you know,” he assured me.
“Thanks, Carl. I appreciate that. Can I speak to Kerry again before you guys hang up?”
“Sure. Have a good night, Viv.”
“You too, Carl.”
He handed the headset back to Kerry, and she sat back down.
“I'm so sorry you had to get such bad news late at night,” she said. “But you see why we had to tell you. I mean, like Carl said, I don't think there's any chance that psycho creep will find you, but yeah, just be careful, okay?”
“I will. Believe me, girl, I do not want that psychotic maniac within a hundred miles of me.”
“Well... that makes two of us. I hate to drop this on you and run, Viv, but 5 a.m. comes much too early. Have a good night, and try not to worry too much okay?”
“Yeah. I’ll try. You too.”
I cut off the call and shut down my computer – and as I did it, I noticed that my hands were trembling.
“Calm down, calm down; he can't find you, he can't find you,” I muttered to myself, doing my best to stay calm.
I sat down on the floor, intending to do the meditation and breathing exercises that would quiet me down, and as I got into it, it started working – I did being to feel calmer.
And that was when a loud, sudden banging on my front door blasted icy fear right back into my heart.
Chapter Four
Everett
I stepped inside my new house, holding Jane as carefully and stable as I could with one arm while I closed the door behind me with my other. Thankfully, she didn't wake up. I tucked her in carefully, made sure she was still sleeping soundly, and then tiptoed out and turned off the light.
I could finally relax after what had been a very busy and eventful day.
The house was still in a mess, full of empty, half-unpacked, and still-unpacked boxes, but I was too tired to do anything about it at this hour.
One item I had unpacked already was my bottle of single malt whiskey, which I now got out. I poured myself a glass on the rocks and then headed out to my porch.
I kept the porch light off as I sat down on a deck chair. It was nice to simply relax in the cool air of the evening, with the light from the street lamps providing subtle illumination. They weren't quite as bright or harsh as they were on the sidewalk. Up above, the sky was clear, sprinkled with a few stars and a crescent moon. All in all, it had been a good day. I knew I was going to be in for quite a challenge at JFK High, but I put that to the back of my mind and instead just focused on the present.
I couldn't help but stare across the street at Vivienne's house. One of her lights was still on, so I guessed she was still up. I got out my phone and was almost tempted to start a chat with her, but in the end, I decided not to. I wasn't sure yet what my own intentions were with that idea so she’d sure be wondering.
I was strongly attracted to her, that was for sure, and I could tell that at least some of that feeling was reciprocal, but I also sensed she was being guarded about something, and was holding onto something – perhaps many things.
Of course, it wasn't as if I didn't have my own secrets, things I was holding back from everyone I'd met in this town. There were things about my past that they didn't need to know. Hell, that I didn't want to think about anymore.
I swallowed a mouthful of whiskey, upset that my thoughts were wandering into this territory. This was supposed to have been a relaxing time on the porch, not a trip into the hell that my memory lane strolled through.
The whiskey calmed me down, though, and my thoughts returned to the present. I looked across at her house one more time, knocked back another swallow of whiskey, and then simply smiled to myself, enjoying the summer evening.
***
I woke up bright and early the next morning, at five am sharp, as I always did, and got ready for my seven-mile “jog” – it was seven miles on the treadmill in the gym I'd set up in the spare room. I didn't want to be far away from Jane. Obviously, I would have preferred to be outdoors, running on the streets and through parks with other joggers, but my lil' sweet pea was my first priority.
I did my warm ups, plugged in my iPad with a good, rockin' playlist to get me revved up, and then started jogging. After I had completed my seven miles, I had a good hard session on my boxing bag, practicing a variety of punches, kicks, and combos, and by the end of it, I was spent. I had a protein shake and then tiptoed past Jane's room. It was only six thirty now, and I didn't want to wake her up.
After a hot shower, though, it was closer to seven, so I woke her up so that we could have breakfast together.
“Am I gonna see Vivienne today again?” she asked. “I like Vivienne.”
I chuckled.
“Not today, sweet pea. But I'm happy you like her. Do you wanna tell daddy why you li
ke her so much?”
“She's looks like Elsa. And she's nice! And she reads good stories to me. She read me Goldilocks and the Three Bears last night. I don't remember most of it, though. But I liked it! I wanna go back to Vivienne's house and listen to Goldilocks and the Three Bears again!”
I ruffled her hair playfully.
“Well, I'll ask Vivienne if she wouldn't mind reading you that story again sometime, but she's busy ya know.”
“But is she too busy to read to me?”
“I think she can make some time. Just maybe not today, alright? Come now, sweet pea, eat your cereal. Daddy can't be late for his new job, okay?”
“Okay,” she replied reluctantly and continued eating her cereal.
After she'd finished I got her cleaned up and dressed and then I locked the house up and drove her over to her daycare. I had half-considered taking her to Jane's daycare, but I had already paid upfront for the one she was at now, and besides, she had already made a friend there.
“Say hi to Tyler for me,” I said. “How old is he again?”
“He's four. I like Tyler,” she reminded me.
“And how old are you?”
“I'm three years and, uh, 10 months!”
“Yes, you are! Almost as old as Tyler, huh?”
“Tyler says he's got a pet bear at his house. I wanna go see his pet bear.”
“Are you sure he's got a pet bear?”
“He says so!” she insisted.
“Well, remember, sweet pea, not everything everyone says is true. Maybe he has one, but maybe he doesn't. Anyway, daddy has to go now. You have fun with Tyler, you hear?”
“Alright, Daddy. I love you.”
“I love you too, sweet pea.”
I went straight to the high school. The students were going to be due back later in the week, but today the staff was here, getting things ready for the coming academic year. I started off my day by doing my rounds and introducing myself to all the teachers and doing my best to familiarize myself with the layout of the school. After doing this for around two hours, I went back to my office, where I found Ben waiting for me.
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