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I send the message, connect my phone to the Jeep, and drive to work.
When I step into the office, I stash away my concerns about the note for now and smile when Dad looks up. He matches it with one of his own. “‘Morning, son. Glad to still see a smile on your face. How are the girls?”
“Good. We had a nice weekend together. Created a plan to make sure they’re safe.”
Dad rises from his desk and walks to the dish rack to grab his mug for coffee. After mixing our morning caffeine, we sit behind our desks. “Glad you’re taking care of them. Raised you right,” he states with pride in his voice.
Shortly after the garage opens for the day, my phone rings. I wipe my hands and retrieve it from my coveralls. “‘Morning, scarlet,” I say, walking toward the office.
“Good morning. Everything okay?” Concern laces her words and I hate that I have to deliver more unsavory news.
“Are you driving?”
“No. Penny is. We just dropped Clementine off.”
Once I step inside the office and close the door, I tell her about the note. “As I left for work this morning, I noticed a piece of paper under my wiper blade. It was a note.” The line goes silent for too long. I check the screen to make sure the call didn’t drop and see it hasn’t. “Autumn?”
“Yeah, sorry.” I picture her with her eyes closed, taking deep breaths. “What did it say?”
I swallow and relay the message. “When I took Spartan for a walk earlier, I felt as if someone was following me. But I never saw anyone.”
“This is ridiculous,” she mumbles. “Will you take a picture of it and send it to me, please?”
“Of course.” At this point, I have no idea what steps we should take. But she should definitely tell someone. “Should you send it to your attorney?”
She huffs into the line, exasperated over the whole scenario. “Probably. I don’t know. When we get off the phone, I’ll call her.”
I don’t want to upset Autumn with how I feel right now, but I refuse to hide or run from the stabbing pain in my chest. When it comes to Autumn and Clementine, everything needs to be out in the open. She needs to hear where my head and heart lie. “Autumn, please be safe. Both of you. Keep your eyes open and stay vigilant.”
“I will,” she whispers. “Promise.”
“Thank you.” I sigh. In some respects, I am glad Autumn and Clementine didn’t stay over last night. They would have been witness to the note this morning and Autumn might not have been able to keep her cool in front of Clementine. Then again, maybe the note wouldn’t have been there if they stayed. Who knows? “Call me back when you know more.”
“Okay.” Her voice travels from miles away, quiet and somber. “Talk to you soon.”
The need to tell her I love her hangs from the tip of my tongue now more than ever, but I don’t say the words. I want to. God, do I want to. But now feels so far from appropriate. Her thoughts are probably all over the place with worry. I don’t want the first time I express my love for her to be during a moment of stress. I don’t want it to be over the phone, where I cannot see her face and vice versa. Plus, I don’t want her to feel obligated to return the sentiment just because I put it out there.
So I bite my tongue and project my love into the universe in her direction. Send her every ounce of positivity and love she has stirred in my veins.
“Soon. Stay with Penny.”
“I will. Bye.”
“Bye, scarlet.”
The call disconnects and I stand staring at the wall a moment. I zone out, close my eyes, and beg to the heavens for all of this madness to end soon.
Then I remember to take a picture of the note and send it to Autumn. Once she receives it, she texts her thanks.
I stay in the office a moment to drink another mug of coffee. When I head back into the garage, Dad catches my eye and waves me over.
“Everything alright?”
I nod. “Just more drama. Autumn is calling her attorney to figure out what we do next.” I tell him about the plan for the girls to not be alone and about the note this morning.
“Keep me up to date.”
I agree and amble over to the car I was working on before the call. Picking up the socket wrench, I get back to work. Thankfully, I can work on the engine without one-hundred-percent focus. Because my mind is far from this garage. My arms mentally around Autumn as we navigate through this nightmare.
