by Haley Travis
There were only two apartments on her floor. “Who lives there?” I asked, pointing to the other door.
“Janice. I feel a lot better when she’s home, but she works an extra late shift on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.”
“That’s why you’ve been in the diner so much.”
Hayden unlocked her door, then looked at me sheepishly. “Yeah.”
We went in, and I didn’t mention that I was going to get her a stronger lock as soon as possible. Her apartment was small, but neat and homey. Most of the larger pieces were in earth tones, making the kitchen-dining-living room warm and cozy.
I couldn't help noticing that the electric bill on her hallway table said her full name was Hayden Thompson.
“May I check all of the windows?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
I started with the living room, which had a sliding glass door to a tiny balcony. The lock was flimsy, and I didn’t like that she was only on the third floor.
“Hey, do you have a broom?”
Her purse dropped onto the table as she gave me an odd look. She went into a closet and pulled out a solid wooden broom. “Will this do?”
“Perfect. May I?”
Taking the broom from her, I showed her how to wedge the bristles along the track of the sliding door, and the end of the handle against the other side. “This way, if anyone tries to open the door without removing the broom inside, it will tighten and jam.”
“Oh, wow. Cool. Thanks.”
I went to check the bedroom window, which had a good lock, and the bathroom window, which didn’t, but was so narrow no adult could fit through it.
Coming out of the bathroom chuckling, Hayden raised an eyebrow. “I love your map of the world shower curtain.”
She laughed lightly, the sound doing strange things to my stomach. I’d never felt this sort of electricity around a woman before.
“Thanks. I had to get something cheap, and it was that or ducks.”
I shrugged. “Ducks are cute too.”
Taking another look around, I couldn’t think of any more excuses to stay with her a bit longer, try as I might. “All right. Stay away from the windows, and send me a text after you arrive so I know you got to work safely in the morning. Okay?”
“Sure.”
Hayden began to giggle and couldn’t stop for a few seconds. I grinned while she composed herself. “What is it?”
“I was just thinking that for a fake boyfriend, you’re awfully bossy.”
Smiling, I reached out to brush her hair from her eyes. “If you were really my girlfriend, I’d take you back to my place, so that I knew you were somewhere with a high tech security system.”
The thought of her spending the night with me was doing interesting things to my pulse.
“If anything strange happens, anything out of the ordinary at all, you message or call me immediately, all right? Or if you’re scared for any reason. I have a guest bedroom if you need it, and don’t mind being woken up. Really. I mean it.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I really appreciate this.”
I loved the way she was staring at my lips. Was she thinking of kissing me?
“This weekend, you can pay me back with an ice cream cone on the beach,” I said. “Have a good night, Hayden.”
I leaned in slightly as her eyes grew wide. But instead of kissing her, I brushed my lips over the top of her hair. “Boyfriend practice,” I said with a grin.
Closing the door behind me, I waited until I heard the click of the lock. I walked down to the second floor, then snuck a peek out the small window. Craig’s car was still out there. If he saw me leave, he would know that Hayden was alone. I didn’t want him to think that for a second.
Walking down to the main floor, I found the back exit and slipped out. The black car was parked directly under a street light, so when I snuck around from the back, I was able to get a decent look.
Pulling out my phone, I took a photo of the car, then zoomed in to get shots of both his profile, and the license plate.
I walked home quickly, grateful for the fresh night air that always helped me think as I developed a plan. Confronting him would be the most effective move, and I didn’t quite understand why Hayden was so paranoid about it.
What harm could it do her for Craig’s professor father to find out that he was stalking a girl? How on earth could he blame the girl for that? It didn’t make sense. But on the other hand, she seemed a bit timid. Maybe she was just afraid of everything.
I could certainly try to help her with that. Bring her out of her shell. At the very least, I was going to make it my duty to ensure that she got outside and enjoyed the last four weeks of summer.
The second I walked into my house and set the alarm, I flipped open my laptop to run Craig Landers through the usual systems.
No official police record. No speeding tickets or moving violations. One parking ticket from two years ago.
Using one of my somewhat ‘gray area’ networks, I found which university he was at last year, and dug up two complaints from fellow students who said he was stalking them. One girl claimed that he followed her for three straight months.
Dammit.
I didn’t want to tell Hayden that, for fear it would make her even more nervous.
At least there was no record of him being violent, or ever touching the girls. But still, this was a scary world. Feeling watched all the time could easily creep someone right out.
If she didn’t want me to confront Craig, fine. I would just play the part of her boyfriend so well that he would move on to bother someone else. Or even better, get a life.
In the meantime, hopefully I could be such a wonderful fake boyfriend for Hayden that she would decide that I was worthy of her for real.
Even though I was turning thirty-six next month, I hadn’t dated much, certainly never such a gorgeous girl as Hayden.
According to the search I was running, she was only twenty-one. The hometown that was listed for her was a six hour drive away. It was going to take some time to find out why she was here, and what her goals were.
My fingers drummed on the desk, staring at the calendar. There was a small black X on a square just two weeks from now.
Decision day. Was I going to stay here, or take the job out in Nevada?
Until this evening, I had been leaning towards taking the new position my older brother Julian had offered me as being the best thing for me. Both professionally, and to give my life a shakeup, find some fresh energy.
Now I was having second thoughts.
The strange connection I felt with Hayden was absolutely intoxicating. Just touching her hand or running my lips across the top of her hair was electrifying. There was something about her smell, her energy, her essence.
I was drawn to her. It wasn’t the sort of thing that happened every day. I couldn’t just walk away without exploring it completely.
The only problem was that time limit. Two weeks wasn’t long at all.
It might not be long enough to find out whether Hayden had real feelings for me. And if so, would they be strong enough for me to change my career plan to stay with her?
Chapter 3
_____
Hayden
I woke up in the morning feeling refreshed and happy for the first time in about two months. The black cloud of the black car seemed to have faded.
Just as I was leaving for work, my phone buzzed with a text.
Leif: When you’re leaving for work, if you go out the back door of your building, there’s a laneway that will take you out to a side street.
Leif: That way you can totally avoid Craig. Please text me when you get to work safely?
He was thinking of me at this hour of the morning? I honestly couldn’t believe it.
I rushed back to the washroom to put on a touch more eyeliner and pack my lip gloss in my purse. I just had a feeling I might run into him today.
Since I’d never had a boyfriend, or even had
a close male friend, I wasn’t used to this feeling of protection. Or overprotection. Whatever it was, it honestly made me feel amazing.
After waiting three minutes, which I hoped was appropriate, I returned his text.
Me: That’s a great idea. Thank you.
He responded in seconds.
Leif: If I’m being too pushy or forward, please let me know. But what time are you done work, and could I pick you up there? I think we should start our summer activities immediately.
Wow. It honestly didn’t seem pushy to me at all. It seemed…genuine. Was there any chance at all that he was actually interested in me beyond playing the part of the knight in shining armor to save me from a creep?
There was no way to know if I should get my hopes up or not.
Me: Sure, thanks. I work at 1130 Stacy Ave., and I usually leave the office about ten after five.
Leif: Great. See you then. :-)
Me: Cool.
After realizing what I had just typed and sent, I rolled my eyes at myself. Cool? Geez.
It was a great idea to sneak out the back of the building and not worry about Craig staring at me. Why hadn’t I ever thought of that before? It finally felt like there was a light at the end of the tunnel of this weird limbo I’d been floating in. Maybe I could really get my life back.
Once I got to the office, it was the usual drill: paperwork, emails, unjamming the printer at the last minute before my boss had an internal review of the latest publication.
But all the while, I was smiling to myself.
Using every break and my lunch hour to study for my classes, by the time it was 5 o’clock, I actually felt accomplished. This improved mood had also improved my focus.
Almost everyone left right at five, but I always stayed behind to print a few pages each of French and Spanish notes. I found it really helpful to keep them in my purse, so I could read them now and then on the bus, or waiting in line anywhere. The repetition helped everything sink into my brain better.
After slipping the fresh pages into my bag, I turned off my computer. Turning toward the double doors of the lobby, there was a figure in black slouching against the wall of the interior vestibule.
Craig.
He’d never actually come into the building before. He hadn’t come this close to me since the day after our coffee chat when I ran away from him.
My feet froze in place. What was I supposed to do?
I could run to the back of the building, and see if the janitor had come in early. Or I could wait for Leif to get here. But he would probably stand out front.
My hands were shaking as I tried to find my phone. It seemed to be gone. Unzipping my purse all the way, I dug around in the bottom, finally finding it and pulling it out just as it was starting to ring.
“Don’t move,” Leif said.
“Okay.” Somehow managing to stare at the Eiffel Tower poster print on the wall instead of Craig’s shadow, I tried to remember to breathe.
“I’m steps away, Hayden,” Leif said. “Do you have to lock up or anything?”
“No. The doors automatically lock once I pull them shut at this time of day.”
“All right. I need you to make a point of not looking at Craig. Go open the door for me. I’m right there.”
Marching toward the door, I kept my eyes squarely on the floor three feet in front of me, not raising my eyes to Craig’s. I hated knowing that he was watching me. Studying me.
As soon as he saw me coming I could sense his shadow straightening up. But there was already a much larger shadow bursting through the first doors.
I opened the second doors to allow Leif to step in and sweep me into his arms.
“I’m so sorry I’m late, baby,” he said, swinging me in a circle and setting me down on my feet so that his back was to Craig.
“I missed you so much,” he said loudly enough for it to carry through the closing door. He bent down to kiss my temple, holding his arms tightly around me.
He smelled so good. Like a fireplace and the first fresh breeze of winter.
The way his arms were locked around me made me completely forget that he was only doing this for show. It felt like he wanted me. Like he was truly happy he had a reason to be hugging me to bits. His hand stroked along the back of my hair, then trailed down to caress my back.
We rocked slightly as if we were slow dancing, and as we turned, Leif whispered, “He’s gone.”
Somehow I couldn’t manage to take my hands away from his neck. Being so close to such a huge guy would have been terrifying just a few days ago. Now, Leif’s sweetness mixed with a sense of security made me want to never leave his embrace.
He noticed that I was trembling. “Oh, Hayden,” he whispered, rubbing my back tenderly. “I’m so sorry. Did he scare you?”
I nodded against his chest. “He’s never come into the office before. He’s never come near me since the day after our coffee when I took off on him.”
“Shh,” he murmured soothingly. “I’ve got you now. We’re going to go have a delicious dinner, and then I’m taking you straight to your door. Perfectly safe. How does that sound?”
“Thank you,” I said, not wanting to remove my cheek from his shirt, yet forcing myself to step back.
Leif tipped my chin up with his finger to study my eyes. “Take a deep breath, Hayden. It’s over.”
I nodded and pushed his finger down, making him chuckle.
“That’s my girlfriend,” he said with a conspicuous wink and looking around the office. “Let’s get your stuff and get out of here.”
I grabbed my things and he let me out to an understated dark gray SUV. The corner of my eye automatically registered the black car half a block away.
“I prefer walking to driving as much as possible,” Leif said as he helped me into the front seat. “But we’re going across town.”
As soon as he got in, he pulled smoothly away, then made a series of right hand turns as quickly as possible. With the luck of a red light, we ended up right behind Craig’s car.
Leif chuckled. “I’m sorry, but honestly, this dude just doesn’t have a clue how to do this.”
After an awkward pause and a few cars honking their horns, Craig turned right, then Leif veered left. After another left and a bit of a rush to get through a yellow light, he eased off on the gas.
Leif reached over to squeeze my hand. “I should have warned you. I’ve studied all sorts of defensive driving, how to shake a tail, that sort of stuff. It’s second nature.”
“Thank you. This might be the first dinner I’ve had in a month where I know he’s at least a mile away.”
I had meant that to be amusing, but Leif frowned. “If you ever change your mind about me confronting him, or possibly calling the police, just let me know.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“So, what do you do?” he asked after a pause, clearly changing the topic.
“Our company makes magazines for hotels,” I said. “They’re mostly ads, but we research and create little articles featuring all sorts of locations, since if the people reading them are traveling, they might be thinking about their next few trips.”
“Did you say you were taking French and Spanish? Is that why?”
“Yeah. Technically I’m just an intern right now, but once I finish those two last classes, they’re hiring me full time in September.”
“That’s great,” he said, reaching out to pat my hand and grin.
I looked around to notice we were in a neighborhood I rarely came to, down by the waterfront. Since it was only a Thursday, it wasn’t too busy, but everyone there seemed to be basking in the golden hours just before sunset.
Leif parked the car, then ran around to open my door. It was such an old-fashioned gesture that I was touched.
He took my hand, and he led me into a beautiful restaurant called Endless Waves. We were seated on the second floor open terrace, with a perfect view of the beach.
“This is incredible,” I breathed
, staring out across the water.
“It’s the beginning of your exciting, super-concentrated summer,” Leif smiled. “And I strongly suggest we try the most summery things we can find on the menu.”
I absolutely adored the way he made everything light and fun.
After ordering peach daiquiris, we had a great debate while going through the menu, trying to determine which dishes contained more elements of summer, and why. We finally decided to share a Spanish seafood paella, with a spinach and cherry tomato salad.
