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I had to turn away from him.

“Sometimes the start of something good begins during something bad,” he said. “We don’t get to pick when these things happen.”

“I know. But I don’t think I can do this. And I don’t think I can stay here.”

We peered at each other quietly across the table.

“So I don’t really want to be that guy who always talks about trees . . . ,” he said.

I snorted. “But . . .”

“Redwoods,” he said.

I wiped under my eyes. “The oldest trees in the world.”

“Yes. They get that way by supporting each other. They intertwine their roots with the roots of other redwoods and it gives them stability. A redwood tree alone would fall.” He paused. “You are not alone, Charlotte. Let me help.”

“How?” I asked. “What do I do?”

“You put down roots. You’ve got me, you’ve got John here, Izzy and Gabe nearby. All people who would protect you, look out for you, I can get to you in five seconds, and if I’m not here, John can. Stay.”

I looked away from him. Like staying wasn’t all I wanted. I wanted to put down roots. To stop running, to stand my ground. I wanted to keep living in the apartment we just painted with the friendly property manager and the cute boy across the hall.

But my location had just been compromised. George could be on his way here, right now. And even if he didn’t see that video, he’d find me eventually. He always did.

But then, if I knew that, what was the point? Why go?

Izzy was right, I’d never be more ready. I was trained, I was armed. And every time I ran, all I was doing was putting off the inevitable. I was going to come face-to-face with my stalker one day or another, he would never stop. It was going to happen.

So why not here?

And just like that, I made the decision. I was done being chased out of my own life. I was done locking my jail cell from the inside. I still couldn’t date Seth, my reasoning for that hadn’t changed. It was one thing to accept his help, it was another thing to make him a target. But if I had a neighbor who was willing to look out for me, someone aware of my situation who was just a few feet from getting here if I needed him—I’d take it.

He was right. A lone tree was a fall risk.

If George was coming, I’d be here waiting.

Charlotte Chapter 9

The stairs were back.

It was Monday, 5:00 p.m., just as promised. Seth and I stood at the top of the landing, watching the workers load up their trucks and drive off. We’d put away our outdoor living room. No more pool.

No more anything.

Seth was back in the boot and on crutches. He’d officially done his ankle in.

I looked out over the carport. I felt exposed.

“Okay,” he said. “So my door camera’s in and John’s having cameras installed in the carport the day after tomorrow. What else do you need? How else can I make you feel safe?”

“This is more than enough, Seth. Thank you.”

“I’ll keep my motion alerts on twenty-four hours,” he said. “When I go back to work in a few weeks, I’ll call John if I see anything and I can’t get there before he can.”

I gave him a soft smile. “How are you single? I feel like the ladies would have set you up with their granddaughters by now.”

“Oh, they tried, believe me. Bonsai night is like an involuntary round of speed dating.”