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She hesitated, not sure what to do with that. Had any man ever looked at her like ... like she wasspecial? A woman a few feet away turned toward them and Lainie gasped. “Jesslyn!” Her friend hurried over and hugged her. Lainie clung to her for a few seconds, then stepped back. “What are you doing here? Fire marshals don’t do routine calls like this.”
“I heard the address over the radio and had to come, silly. And I was glad to find younothere yesterday. I didn’t know if you were here or not, and it scared me.” Jesslyn shuddered. “I’m so glad you weren’t hurt.”
“Thank you,” Lainie whispered. “I wasn’t hurt, but Savannah was.”
“The woman who was here?” Lainie nodded and Jesslyn smiled. “She’s fine. Was absolutely furious that she didn’t catch the guy.”
Lainie was very glad she hadn’t—at least as long as it meant she wasn’t hurt any worse.
“I’m so sorry about this,” Jesslyn said, “but the good news is, it’s not as bad as it looks. I mean, it’s not great, but I think most of the damage is to the outside. Don’t even think the water got in much past the foyer. You probably have a couple of weeks’ worth of repairs to have done, but you should be able to get back in soon.”
“Oh.” Hope stirred. “Thatisgood news. I appreciate that.”
“Sure thing.”
Someone shouted Jesslyn’s name and she gave Lainie another squeeze. “I need to go see what they want. You have a key to my place if you need it. We already know you can wear my clothes—assuming you can find any you like.”
They had different styles, but ... “Beggars can’t be choosers. You have jeans and T-shirts. I’ll be fine. Thank you.” Lainie clamped her lips on the sobs that wanted to escape. She managed to choke them back as Jesslyn hurried away. Lainie pulled in a steadyingbreath and looked at James. “I’m ready to go find Olivia and Ivy if you are.”
“Cole can follow us just to keep an eye on things.”
Meaning make sure they weren’t followed.
“Wanna call first?” he asked. “To make sure they’re there?”
Not really. “Yes. Of course.”
“I’ll do it while you get back in the Jeep. I don’t like you being out in the open like this.” While James took that task from her hands, Lainie slid in the passenger seat and continued to survey the area she called home. Her house, a ranch-style three-bedroom, two-bathroom, sat in a small and older middle-class neighborhood. The yards were large, the homes spread out, with giant trees in the front. When she’d moved in, she’d had to remove three of them for fear they’d land on her roof in a bad storm. But honestly, it felt like living in a forest with the convenience of the big city nearby.
Normally, she loved the area. Now it just felt like the man who was causing all the chaos in her life could be hiding behind any of the trees, ready to pick her off. She shivered and hunched down in the passenger seat.
The driver’s door opened. “They’re there,” James said, climbing in. He moved carefully, and it hurt her heart to know he was suffering because of her. No, not because of her. Because of the person out there twisting her life into a hot mess. But still...
Leaving her home in the hands of the fire department, she shoved aside her reluctance to see the two paramedics. With Cole following behind, they made their way to the fire station where Ambulance 82 docked.
Part of her wished they’d arrive to find the paramedics had been called out, but when they swung into the parking area, the ambulance was in the open bay, ready for its next run.
James parked and eased out of the driver’s side. Cole stopped on the curb, out of the way of the fire trucks but able to keep an eye on the road. To make sure no one followed them there, no doubt.
For now, she was going to let the men worry about whether herstalker was out there and focus on getting through the next few minutes. She made her way inside the firehouse and spotted a fireman she recognized walking toward her, his gaze on his screen. “Hey, Daniel.”
He looked up from his phone. “Lainie? What brings you here?”
“Looking for Olivia and Ivy. Any idea where to find them?”
“Yeah, sure. In the kitchen area. They were scarfing down some birthday cake. Olivia’s.”
“Ah, good to know. Thanks.”
“Sure thing.”
Lainie headed for the kitchen with a silent James on her heels. Olivia, Ivy, and three others she knew were at the table, and all looked up at Lainie’s and James’ entrance. Olivia’s eyes went wide and she stood. “Hi. That was fast.”
“Hi,” Lainie said, hating the weak wobble in her voice. She cleared her throat. “Hi,” she said again with more strength. “Happy birthday.”
“Oh, thanks. Want some cake?”
“No thank you.” She introduced James. “He’s the one you talked to on the phone. Do you mind if we talk to you and Ivy privately for a moment?”
