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“You’re quiet,” Noelle said, looking concerned. “Is everything okay?”
He made an effort to smile. She was in such a happy mood. He didn’t want to upset her. He would protect her always. “Yeah, just hungry.”
He looked in the rearview mirror. The car was behind him still. It stayed close, but not too close. “Me, too.” Noelle yawned.
He was glad he already made plans to stay the night with her. After that huge scene at the fair, he suspected Carly or her parents had not listened to a word he told them. Even Chase had the sheriff talk to Robert Sanders. It was frustrating since Louisa gave Carly an alibi. Tomorrow he would visit with Chase and update him. He knew Carly no longer had a driver’s license, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t borrow a car from a friend and follow them.
Chapter 12
“It went well, huh?” Quinn asked Noelle the next day after they opened up the store. Noelle had to reorder more swim suits and had just hung up the phone. It was midmorning and hot. Most people didn’t even bother going outside until late afternoon or evening.
“It did. Maybe we should do this again sometime. You were a hit with Chase,” Noelle teased Quinn. Quinn smiled and flipped her hair. “Of course I was, darling,” she said in an exaggerated voice.
Noelle hoped Chase was seriously interested in Quinn and not playing some game. Quinn had her heart broken in college and had closed up her emotions. Her mother was a single mom and had put her career over Quinn time and time again. Noelle knew the pain of not having the support of your parents. Quinn’s mother Dianne had moved to Houston for a higher-paying job as soon as Quinn came of age. It was sad for Quinn, but it had bonded the two girls.
Things between her and Chance were going smoothly for once. She finally felt secure in his love. Knowing he wasn’t about to leave for weeks helped her to relax. She was getting used to people staring at them when they were spotted together. Chance was always touching her in public, too. It was as if he was letting them all know he and Noelle were back together. After that embarrassing scene at the fair she felt like looking in every dark corner to see if Carly was waiting to jump out at them. Chance was more worried than he would admit. When they were out together, she felt like he was always surveying everything around them.
A white post office truck arrived and parked right in front. The mailman got out. He carried a stack of letters and packages. He entered the store whistling a happy tune.
“Hello, George.” Noelle greeted him politely. The older man had a hat on to shield him from the sun. His uniform was gray shorts and a short-sleeved shirt with their logo on the front.
He smiled and handed the pile to Quinn, who was sitting closer to the door. “Girls. I feel like a lobster boiling in a pot today. I hear it’s going to rain tomorrow. The temps should drop.”
“Let’s hope so,” Noelle commented. He waved and headed back out. Quinn dumped the large pile on the glass counter. They started opening envelopes and throwing out the junk mail.
Noelle got to a large yellow envelope and opened it. A small plastic diapered doll fell out. Noelle gave it a curious look. Who would send her a doll? She looked on the front of the envelope and it was addressed to the store with no return address.
“That’s kind of creepy,” Quinn remarked, picking up the doll. She gasped when she turned it over and saw the eyes had been blacked out and a red mark was drawn over the heart. Noelle unfolded the small white note, not feeling good about it.
“Who the hell would send this shit?” Quinn said with anger, glaring down at the doll. “What does the note say?”
Noelle set it down with shaky hands. She felt a little light-headed and sat down on the stool she kept behind the counter. Quinn picked it up and read it out loud. “You lost your man and your baby all at once. Beware. Homewreckers don’t deserve happiness.”
Both women stayed silent for a minute. Neither one knew what to say about something so cruel.
“Homewrecker again? I am not a homewrecker,” Noelle stated, feeling like she wanted to sob out of anger. Carly was her only enemy right now. This was cruel even for her.
“We should call Chase. He made me promise to call him if anything happened,” Quinn said, her voice filled with worry. Noelle nodded and Quinn picked up the store phone. She dialed Chase’s number automatically, looking dazed.
Her miscarriage had been a painful time. Someone at the hospital must have told Carly or someone she knew. She hated knowing her pain in losing her baby had been discussed as if it was a movie on TV. Noelle knew Quinn nor Polly would ever say anything to Carly. Someone at the hospital must have told her. She felt like this was a dream and any minute she would wake up.
Quinn left and came back with a bottle of water. Noelle took it with a grateful smile. Quinn patted her arm gently. Her red hair was pulled back in a braid. Her green eyes were shiny with concern. “Do you want Chance here? I can call him for you.”
“He’s thirty minutes away. He’s coming by as soon as he gets off at four,” Noelle whispered. “This can wait. His job is too important to interrupt.”
It didn’t take long for Chase to show up. It all felt like a dream, as if their voices were far away discussing what happened. Noelle stared out the window, thinking about her lost baby, her lost dreams. Some days she was so busy she didn’t think about her los
s. Now here was an ugly doll and cruel note reminding her and bringing the pain up all over again.
“She’s in shock, Chase. Should we call a doctor?” Quinn asked, sounding upset.
Noelle shook her daze off. She had not realized she had tears rolling down her cheeks. Feeling embarrassed, she took a few tissues off the counter and wiped her face. “I was shocked, but I don’t need a doctor.”
“I’ll find the person responsible for this, Noelle,” Chase vowed in a strong voice. “I doubt I will find any prints, but I’ll see what I can do. I know it is Carly.”
Noelle did her best to form a smile to reassure them both she wasn’t about to have a nervous breakdown. “I know, Chase. It caught me by surprise. It is so cruel and again with the same accusation of me being a homewrecker. Carly’s mind has snapped. If Chance truly wanted her he would have gone to her when he came back into town. Can’t she see that?”
Chase agreed. “I’d say Carly is heavily into drugs and can’t think rationally right now.”
