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KIRSTEN
She watched as Henry put his jacket on, and she scowled. “Are you leaving?”
He nodded his head. “Yeah, I have a few errands to run and some stops I need to make after I stop at the junction again. I have someone that wants me to stop by so they can flip through some photos of old work I’ve done. I shouldn’t be gone long today.”
She watched him pull his shoes on and tie them up.
She didn’t want him to leave, mainly because she was worried about everything that was happening. What if the tiger from yesterday came back? What if something happened while he was away? There were a lot of unanswered questions.
That and she wasn’t sure how she felt about him leaving after yesterday. He had no idea who that tiger was.
Henry leaned closer to her, giving her a smile. “You’re worried. Don’t be. I’ll be back before you know it. Jana will be here cleaning, and Martha is already in the kitchen cooking. You won’t be alone.”
She relaxed slightly. It was true, she wasn’t going to be alone, but he wasn’t going to be there. “I know. It’s just … I’ve been a little nervous since I saw that tiger.”
“I wouldn’t leave you here unprotected.”
It wasn’t the same. He might have people out there, but they wouldn’t be as diligent as him.
She knew she was probably making it out to be a bigger issue than it was, but her stomach was in knots about it. Because she was the nanny, she didn’t want to appear concerned. And it was entirely normal for the nanny to be left alone with the baby, after all.
Maybe it was the fact that she knew about the dangers in the woods now. She knew what was out there.
She shook her head. “Have a good trip.”
Just think positively. He’ll be back before you know it.
Henry gave her a chuckle before he pulled the door open and stepped out. She watched him walk across the yard toward his truck. She swallowed.
It’s okay. You’re going to be fine. Henry is calm, so you can be. He wouldn’t leave if he didn’t think it was safe.
She watched him pull away, and she turned, trying to remain calm.
Jana arrived soon after Henry left and started cleaning while Martha was still cooking away in the kitchen. Zara was having her afternoon nap and had a solid hour left before she could even think about waking her.
She’d read a few pages in her book before she looked outside. She looked towards the woods, allowing her eyes to take it all in. She relaxed slightly, but it only lasted a moment. Her eyes landed on a figure by the entrance of the trail.
Standing there, just like yesterday, was the tiger. A chill ran down her entire body, and she swallowed. What was she going to do? Henry was gone. He wasn’t going to be home for several hours. The tiger was going to just stand there, or was it?
She took a deep breath in and went looking for Jana. She found her in the laundry room folding sheets.
“Hey, Jana. Would you mind keeping an ear out for Zara for a few minutes?”
Her bright blue eyes looked at her, a little confused. “I can, but why? What’s up?”
“I’m just going outside to do something quickly. It should only take me a minute. Zara is still sleeping, but just in case she wakes up, let me know.”
Jana looked at her for a moment before she gave her a nod. “Sure.”
She gave her a smile before she slipped back down the hallway and grabbed her jacket. It was still really cold outside. She slipped her shoes on, and she was out the back door.
She glanced to where the tiger was and started up the pathway.
What am I going to say? Hey, I know who you are. That’s absurd.
She was surprised that she wasn’t as scared as she expected to be. She was nervous. Who was this other person, and why were they coming to Henry’s place? Did they know him? Who were they to Henry? There are so many unanswered questions.
The closer she got, the more nervous she grew. She could see the tiger better and took in the stripes and how large the paws were. She swallowed, realizing if this went bad, she was toast.
