Page 21 of Passion in Bloom

Chapter 7

Heather

Over the next few days, going into work at the bank was my saving grace. I wasn’t alone there, “protected” by the walls of my small office and the knowledge that Janelle, Fergus, and Nance were out there.

It didn’t seem like Nance had betrayed my trust. Janelle seemed generally worried about me, but she didn’t give any indication that she knew about what was stressing me out so much. Same for Fergus. He was aware that something was bothering me, but he didn’t push.

And that was exactly how I wanted it. I didn’t want an overpouring rush of concerns. I didn’t like being the center of attention—ever.

Without any sign of David lurking nearby, it almost could’ve been easy to dismiss that he’d ever stopped by. That it was all my imagination that he was here in Burton, chasing me all the way from Chicago where I’d left him.

It didn’t take me long to recall that deep dread pooling in my stomach though. All it took was one idle moment, and I’d revisit the harrowing fear of looking into his smug eyes again. That was all that I needed to be pushed into the realm of panic and anxiety.

Every day, I came into work more tired than the previous one, getting horrible sleep in the cabin.

I suspected that Todd timed that big water project as a way to try to keep an eye on things near my cabin. Even though I didn’t want anyone swooping in to be a hero or to take my security as their personal responsibility, I couldn’t begrudge him. He was the manager of those cabins, and anything he did out there was something that fit within his role.

Still, there was no way to shake off the creeping sensation of being caught. Of David just showing up, in my face, and ordering me to go “home” with him. Where I supposedly belonged.

In the first days of running from the city, of leaving the bright new future I’d hoped to have away from the closed-minded small town I grew up in, I suffered a profound feeling of defeat. Of failure. Neither of those mixed well with fear, and it wasn’t fair that I had to be subjected to it all over again here, where I’d started to think I could be safe again.

“Any...news?” Nance asked toward the end of Friday’s workday. She came into my office as I checked over more of the toy drive and charity donations.

While I was grateful for an excuse to take a break from these numbers, I didn’t want to talk about what she seemed to be hinting at.

“About what you mentioned?” she clarified.

As if I could forget.

“No.” I gestured for her to come all the way in my office.

She did, shutting the door and sitting across from me. The Yoda earrings she sported dangled from her lobes with how swiftly she moved.

“I haven’t seen him around.”

“I looked him up,” she admitted. Before I could open my mouth, she held her hand up. “Just to know what he looked like.”

I frowned, not liking this intrusion, but then again, social media was available to everyone. She’d asked me what his name was a couple of days ago, and I told her, seeing no harm. My reasoning at that time was that if she heard something about David, she’d be able to report back to me. This lying-low thing was just another technique of messing with me. He preyed on me like that, sneaking close to make his presence known, then slinking back into the shadows to let me fret about him watching me from afar.

“I looked him up on the usual socials,” she said, furrowing her brow. “What an ass.”

I raised my brows. “You can determine he’s an ass from what he posts?” That didn’t add up. “He seldom posts anything. Definitely nothing incriminating or personal.” He’d claimed that he had to be diligent about the public information because of his position as a lawyer.

“No. But he just looks like one.” She crossed her arms and scowled. “He just looks so...smug. Arrogant and self-righteous.”

“He was.” I blinked, catching myself from referring to him in the past tense. I wanted him to stay in my past, but he was back. “He is.”

“I can’t help but wonder how the hell you ever got together with him in the first place.” She shook her head, watching me closely and likely hoping that I’d talk more. “He doesn’t seem like your type.”

I couldn’t help but bark a laugh at that. “My type? How the heck can you guess that you’d know what my type is, if I even have one?”

She shrugged, almost smiling. The expression didn’t completely cover her face though, probably as she recalled the sober topic. “I don’t know. Just a hunch. You don’t seem like the kind of girl to have a type. But he looks like he’d be hard to please. Judgmental and such. And I can’t see you being attracted to someone like that.”

I sighed, wishing I could explain from the very beginning. I never had a type. She was right about that. The way that David and I had crossed paths was far from a conventional meeting, though. If I were to tell her, I’d reveal just how naïve and gullible I had been with him. From the very first moment, he’d started an intricate and complicated campaign to ensure one thing: to get his way, to get what he wanted no matter the cost or sacrifice.

“It’s a long story,” I said.

“Well, maybe this weekend you can come on over and have that movie night with me. We can talk. If you’re ready. No pressure.”