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"Well, I'm here now. We got this!" I whisper with a false smile, trying to comfort her as the two men round the corner, murmuring to one another.
"How about we head to the table and eat?" Mr. Thomas asks, clapping Elias on the shoulder with a grin.
Well, that's good news, at least. They're in good spirits.
"You look beautiful tonight, my love," Elias murmurs, kissing Jenni's pink cheeks and taking her hand. "And you must be the new best friend," he says, raising a brow when I nod.
"You've met before," Jenni chuckles. "This is Journey."
"Ah, we have," he says with a sharp nod, taking in my appearance.
Jenni, bless her soul, immediately took me into her closet and forced me into a nice mid-thigh black dress, almost matching hers. She even insisted on shoving my feet into her too-big heels, bringing the look together. When she said she'd pick me up, she meant an hour early so she could doll me up appropriately.
"Nice to see you again," I say with a wide smile, tucking my hands in front of me.
"So, shall we?" Mr. Thomas says again, leading us all into the dining room.
We all follow him into the large dining room fit with an extra large table. I don't hesitate to sit across from Jenni and Elias as they snuggle close to one another in front of two place settings while Mr. Thomas sits at the head of the table next to us. He watches their exchange with interest, noting the way they hold hands and especially the way Elias takes care of his daughter. True love rests between the two of them, and it's not hard to see. Even if Jenni is only eighteen.
"Let's get started, shall we?" Mr. Thomas says with a straight face.
The moments the words leave his mouth, round after round of food filters in like it was made for an extensive dinner party and not four people. We don't really speak as we eat, sitting in an uncomfortable silence.
"Elias," Mr. Thomas says after setting down his fork and wiping his mouth. "I think you and I need to leave the ladies and have a discussion." He eyes Elias with a knowing look, standing abruptly without another word.
"Of course," he says, kissing Jenni's cheek. "I'll see you later," he says with promise in his voice. Standing tall, he adjusts his suit jacket and follows in the same direction as Jenni's father. The sound of their footsteps trail off up the set of stairs leading to the second floor of their home. Judging by the opening of the creaking door, they're heading into Mr. Thomas' office and closing the door behind them.
"This is it!" Jenni says with a small clap. "He's going to talk to Daddy about marriage and something else." Her grin widens with happiness at the prospect of getting away from Leighton. Not that I can blame her. Elias seems more devoted than anyone I've ever seen. He worships the ground she walks on. All I got was a crazy person who sneaks into my room and takes pictures of me while I sleep. And some John who leaves donuts and fills my fridge.
It could be worse, I guess. My stalker could kidnap me and shove me into a hole in the ground. But I digress.
Someone’s coming into my house while I’m vulnerable and dead to the world. If I were richer, I'd install cameras and watch as the pervert enters through my window or door or wherever. The only confusing part about it is I don't know why they're doing it. They don't seem to mess with me. Or maybe they do. But it's always the same when I wake up from my drowsy state. Pictures of me sleeping through the night right next to my head with the same note: I'm watching you. Maybe it's my monster being a creep and trying to keep me in line. Either way, I need to find a solution to my picture-taking stalker.
Maybe I'll stay up all night long and confront them.
I shake myself out of my thoughts when Jenni grabs her phone and begins scrolling through social media. Another lady enters the dining room carrying a tray of coffee and some cakes for dessert.
"While you wait, misses," she says with a smile and sets them in front of us.
"I'm going to go use your bathroom," I say to Jenni, who waves me away without looking up from her phone.
"I'll be here," she says, sending me a smile as I rise from my seat with shaky legs.
I swallow hard, looking over my shoulder at Jenni at the table. This is why I'm here. I'm spying on her and her father for this very reason; I feel it in my bones. Her father is upstairs making some sort of deal with Elias. But what could it be? There's only one way to find out. I drag my phone out of my pocket and hit the record button in video mode. Whatever they say now will be on video for my monster to hear.
As I hit the top of the stairs, I hold my breath and listen to the discussion happening to my left. The door is ajar. He didn't even bother to hide his indiscretion. I tip toe over the hardwood, weaving away from the creeks that would surely give me away. I’ve slept over here enough times now to know where to step and how to stay quiet.
"I want in," Mr. Thomas says. "The thing we discussed before."
I silently stand where I am, praying they don't peek out the door and find me standing there with my phone in my hand. I'm invisible—no one. I take a deep, relaxing breath, slowly move past the open door, and lean against the wall with my phone out.
"Right. What we discussed before. What I brought to you six months ago. You're still good for everything we talked about? Or should I get a contract over here for you to sign?"
"My handshake is my word," Mr. Thomas says in a cool tone. "I'll fund your expansion into our territory."
"Where I'm not supposed to be," Elias chuckles. "How is your big boss going to feel about that?"
"He won't know," Mr. Thomas answers quickly.
