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It had been six weeks since I said goodbye to him at the ski resort. Six weeks since he’d held me in his arms and told me he wouldn’t forget me. And over the course of those six weeks, Forrest and I had only managed to speak with each other a handful of times.
Our conversations had been brief, and maybe a touch awkward.
It was hard.
Part of me had wanted to tell him what I was planning, but the other part of me thought it might be better to wait and surprise him.
So, without being able to tell Forrest the truth about what I was doing every day, there wasn’t a whole lot for me to talk about. Of course, I’d asked him about work and how things had been for him when he got home, but that conversation only lasted so long.
We weren’t a couple, and we weren’t exactly seeing one another every day like we had been at the ski resort, so I couldn’t bring myself to talk to him the way I had when we were there.
It was difficult to have to give that up. I’d missed it tremendously. I’d missed him so much.
And while I knew it was possible that I could show up in Steel Ridge and he might not want to continue what we had started at the resort, I had to try. If I didn’t, I was going to regret it for the rest of my life.
On that thought, knowing if I left now, I’d get there just before five o’clock, I took one last look around the place I’d lived for years. Feeling good about my decision, excited even, I said, “It’s been nice knowing you, Birch Creek.”
A moment later, I picked up my phone from the counter, tossed it in my purse, and snatched up my keys. After slinging my purse over my shoulder, I moved to open the door.
And that’s when it happened.
The second I opened the door, someone charged forward, barreling into the apartment, and subsequently, me.
I was frozen with fear as I took in the face of the man I’d only ever seen in person once before in my life.
Jeremy.
The man from the bar.
The man who’d done something so horrible, who’d made me do something horrible.
I allowed my feet to carry me backward as quickly as they could, but it wasn’t fast enough. And it didn’t matter anyway. There was nowhere for me to go.
My stomach roiled with nerves and fear.
I didn’t know what Jeremy had planned, but I knew it wasn’t good. And since I knew what he was capable of, there was no question I had to be smart and find a way to get out of here and get some help. If this man went so far as to kill me and leave me here, my body wouldn’t be discovered until Marci started scheduling showings.
“What do you want?” I asked, attempting to keep my voice firm, but having it come out shaky.
Jeremy reached his hand out, grabbed my arm, and yanked me toward him. He brought his face to within inches of mine. “You know exactly why I’m here.”
I did.
I knew exactly why he was there.
But I figured if I pretended like I had no clue what he could possibly want from me, it’d keep him talking. It’d give me time to try to come up with a plan.
Unfortunately, being in the moment, I realized I didn’t exactly do well under pressure. I had no ideas for how to save myself. Hell, I’d struggled to get off the chairlift right up until Forrest and I left the ski resort. I’d had practice with that, and I still hadn’t mastered it. I didn’t know how I was supposed to figure out how to not die and do it on the spot.
Panicking, I did the only thing that came to mind.
“Please,” I begged.
He narrowed his eyes. “Please? You dare to ask me for a favor after what you did?”
Shaking my head, thinking it was crazy he could say something so absurd, I promised, “I’ll do whatever you want. Please don’t kill me.”
“Kill you? Oh, Daisy, I’m not going to kill you.”
