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“Yeah, I’ll be all right.”
“Is it wrong to say that I’m still kind of hoping that he pulls his shit together?”
I laugh and shake my head. “No, you go ahead and hope for the both of us because I can’t.”
“Done and food will be here in fifteen.”
I nod and start to ask her a question when someone knocks on the door. I call for them to come in, and Margie appears in the doorway holding a single rose in a vase and a teddy bear.
“Someone’s popular today,” she says, and I force a smile. She sets it down on my desk and hands me a card before leaving. I look up at Carly and then down to the card in my hand.
“Doesn’t really seem like Logan’s style,” she says, eyeing the flower and teddy bear.
“No, it doesn’t.”
She meets my eyes before looking down at the card that I’d honestly forgotten I was holding. “Well, open it.”
I glance down and flip the card over, sliding my finger under the flap, and it comes apart easily. On the front of the card is a bear just like the one sitting on my desk with a little speech bubble that says, “I love you beary much.” Uneasiness washes over me, and I look up at Carly.
“What does it say?” she asks, looking as weirded out as I feel. I open the card and read it to myself.
Alison,
I wanted to say congratulations on the column. I’ve read every single one, and as predicted, you are brilliant. But you already knew that. My sweet Ali, it feels like it’s been forever since I’ve gotten to see you, and the only comfort I’ve had is your beautiful words. Why are you hiding from me? You wouldn’t even believe how much I miss you. I hope you like the bear and the flower, and I hope they serve as reminders of me while you’re hard at work until I see you again, my love.
See you in my dreams, Sweetheart.
Chris
My stomach rolls as I pass the card to her with shaky hands, trying to process what the hell I just read. I’m officially weirded out by this Chris guy, and I don’t understand what he wrote at all. He talks like we’re in a relationship and I’ve been ignoring him for work. He talks like he knows me intimately. A shiver works its way down my spine, and I kind of feel like I’m going to be sick.
“You dating someone else I don’t know about?” Carly asks, looking up at me when she finishes reading, and I shake my head. “Hey, wait… Chris – isn’t that the same guy that sent you the letter and called into the radio show?”
“Yeah, that’s him.”
She hands me back the card, and I look at the flower and teddy bear on my desk, baffled.
“What should I do?”
She looks over the things on my desk before grabbing the vase and teddy bear. She drops them in my trashcan and takes the card from me and slips it into the paper shredder. “Ignore him. When you don’t give him the attention he wants, he’ll go away.”
I nod, hoping she’s right.
* * * *
The doorbell rings just as I’m settling in for some trashy TV with a big glass of wine, and I sigh, looking over at the door as I consider just ignoring it. After everything that happened today, I don’t want to deal with anything else except whatever is making Kim Kardashian ugly cry this week. Whoever is on the other side is persistent, though, and they ring the bell again before knocking a few times. Setting my glass down on the coffee table, I climb off the couch and march over to the door, determined to get them out of here as soon as possible. As soon as I fling open the door, I groan in annoyance.
“I’m really not in the mood to do this with you again, Logan.”
He steps past me without waiting for an invitation, and all my hopes of going back to my comfy spot on the couch die. “Too bad. We need to talk.”
“No, we really don’t,” I say, even though I’m closing the door.
Instead of responding, he reaches out and wraps an arm around my waist before pulling me into him, hard. I collide with his body, and my eyes close, not willing to give away how good it feels to be in his arms again.
“Open your eyes,” he rasps, and I’m powerless to deny him. My eyes blink open, and he stares down at me, all his intensity focused on me. “You are mine, Ali. From the very fucking moment I laid eyes on you, you’ve been mine. I’ll explain everything to you but it doesn’t change that fact.”
“We’ll see.”
