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“Did you save the note from the flowers?”Chase asks.
“Yeah.”She pulls a crumpled card out of her pocket and passes it over to Chase.I read over his shoulder and feel my stomach twist.
I can’t wait to marry you.
“Fuck that,” I mutter and shake my head, pacing away.
“I admit, it rattled me,” Erin continues.“Pretty bad, actually.I’ve taken a sabbatical from Bitterroot Valley Coffee Co.until this is all resolved.”
Erin sighs, trudges up the stairs of the porch, and sits in a chair.
“I can’t live like that,” she goes on.“Always scared.I did it once before, and I refuse to do it again.I have enough to keep me busy out here, so that’s what I’ll do.”
She must have been reading my mind because I was going to ask her, reasonably, to do that myself.
Now, I don’t have to.
“Marion’s awesome.”Erin pulls her feet up under her, getting comfortable.“She assured me that I can come back anytime, so that’s good.I just can’t handle having to constantly look over my shoulder.”
“You did the right thing,” Chase assures her.“You have to be where you feel safe.Summer told me that the order for the flowers came through her website, so we’re going to try to follow the IP address to find out where he’s ordering from.”
“Okay.Good.”Erin nods, then buries her face in her knees.“This freaking sucks.”
“I know.”I reach out and brush my hand over her head.“I know it does.We’ll figure it out.”
“I guess the bright side is that I’ll have lots of time to train with Joy.I’ll have it all under control soon, and she can start doing all the fun things that she’s dying to do.”
“You’re not being held here,” Chase reminds her.“You can go anywhere you want.We just ask that you let someone know where you’ll be, and if at all possible, take someone with you.”
“I’ll do that.”She sighs.“I’m not trying to make anyone worry or be a pain in the butt.”
Her phone rings, so she pulls it out of her pocket and answers.
“Hey, Mom.What are you up to?”
Erin’s eyes widen, but it’s in happiness.
“Youare?When?Holy shit, that’s just a couple of days away!I’mso excited.”She smiles up at us.“Okay, keep me posted.Love you, too.”
She shoves her phone back into her pocket.
“My family’s coming to visit.Well, just my parents and my sister, Zoey.They’re going to stay up at Drew’s condo.”
“When do they arrive?”Chase asks.
“In just two days.”The happy smile returns.“I can’twait.I think they know that this is just what I need right now.Plus, my mom probably threatened my dad with a divorce if he didn’t bring her out here.She’s been eager to come to Bitterroot Valley.”
“Mom will want to do a family dinner,” I say, glancing at Chase.
“Oh, for sure,” Chase agrees.“Also, is it crazy that I’m excited to meet your dad?”
Erin smiles.“No, it’s not crazy.He’s pretty great.You’ll love him.”
We spend several minutes going over everything that happened at the coffee shop again for Chase’s notes, and then it’s just Erin and me, sitting on the porch.
“I’m exhausted,” she whispers, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the chair.“I don’t even care that there might be spiders hiding on the back of this chair, and they could crawl in my hair.”
“Wow, that’s a lot of detail about a nonexistent spider.”
