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‘The same person that destroyed your business, Addison.’
‘Nobody reallydestroyedmy business. If anyone did, it was me. Letting a stupid internet troll get to me. I should have just reported them and —’
‘Enough,’ Finn snarls. ‘Do you really not know who thattrollwas, Addison?’
‘I thought that was just some random idiot who got a kick out of ruining people’s livelihoods. Who wrote the article? Do you know them? How come my sister didn’t tell me any of this?’
Finn takes a long, deep breath. His Adam’s apple moves slowly up and down as he swallows. Then, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the road, he says: ‘It was Chris Abrams.’
I haven’t heard that name out loud for a long time now, and it punches the air right out of my lungs. HearingFinnsay his name makes it even more surreal. ‘Chris? My ex-boyfriend? What? But why?’
‘You’d have to ask him that. Wouldn’t recommend you talking to him, of course. Not now. Not ever.’
‘How do you know it was Chris?’
‘Your sister told me.’
‘Violet?’
‘She’s made it her business to know.’
‘Oh my god,’ I say, unable to process all this. ‘It wasChris? Chris ruined my business?’
‘That’s about the size of it,’ Finn says. ‘And he’ll keep on ruining you as best he can, unless you get out of harm’s way for a while.’
I roll down the window a little, hoping some fresh air will help. It feels so stuffy in here all of a sudden. My head’s spinning, my mouth feels dry. ‘I broke up with Chris a couple years ago. He was a bit clingy and obsessed for a while after the break-up, but it was probably my fault... I mean, because of how it ended between us.'
Suddenly, Finn turns to me and snaps: 'No! Don't you go saying that! There’s no excuse for what he did. You’re not to blame, you hear me?' It’s the most irate I’ve ever heard him. It shows me how angry he’s capable of being. I don’t ever want to get on the bad side ofthattemper.
‘Sorry,’ he says, calming himself. ‘But I can’t listen to you blaming yourself like that. No woman should blame herself for the actions of some deranged fella.’
‘Chris used to be a teensy bit obsessed,’ I tell Finn. ‘Stalkerish, even. But he’s not deranged. And he wouldneverhurt me.’
Even as I speak, I’m questioning myself. Hewasacting pretty weird by the end. He was trying to be a Daddy, but failing. Really badly. It’s not his fault — the lifestyle just wasn’t for him. After I broke up with him, he got really sad, then really angry. But then, about a year ago the letters and calls and texts and ‘chance meetings’ all dried up, and I didn’t hear a peep from him. I even managed to go on a date with someone without him there threatening to beat the poor guy up.
'People do strange things for love,’ Finn says. ‘And even stranger things when they’re desperate.’
‘Do you knowwhyI broke up with Chris?’ I ask. I wonder just how much Finn knows.
‘Nope. Vee didn’t tell me that. But I’m sure you did the right thing. He seems seriously unstable.’
I close my eyes, and shake my head. I’m not going to let this get to me. Ican’tlet this get to me. Violet is being over-protective. She’s being silly. Why should I live my life in fear, hiding out in the woods, just because of some supposedly bitter ex-boyfriend? ‘I’m not doing it,’ I say. ‘I’m not holing myself up in the middle of nowhere because ofChris. I’m going to go back to Denver once you’ve changed my tire, I’m going to get myself a job, any job, and I’m going to start putting my life back together. I reckon I’ve got enough cash to last me at least a week, and if I can find work quickly, waiting tables or whatever, I should be able to make something work.’
‘And where will you stay?’ snaps Finn.
‘I’ll find somewhere on Craigslist,’ I say.
‘You got a death wish or something, young lady?’ Finn’s voice is so angry, so gruff and snarly, that I have to bite my tongue to stop myself from just screaming at him.
Luckily, I manage to keep my thoughts to myself. I simply let his words hang in the air between us.
We drive back to the cabin in silence.
6
FINN
What anidiot.
