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“You what?”
“At your cottage door,” they said. “Go and look. I hope you like it.”
The call disconnected.
What the hell was that?
I lurched to my feet and stumbled across the room.
Could this be the person who’d been stalking me back in Los Angeles? Were they now in Destiny Falls?
“What’s wrong?” Grace asked, and I heard footsteps as she and Desdemona followed me down the hall. I hesitated at the door, wondering whether this was a trap. If I opened it, would he be there, waiting for me?
“I have a stalker,” I confessed. “Or at least, I had one. I’d hoped to outrun him, but I think that was him on the phone.” Although how he got my personal number, I had no idea. “He said he left me a gift at the cottage.”
Desdemona gripped my wrist. “Call Nathan. The police need to be involved.”
I shook my head. “Wait. First let’s make sure there’s actually something to report. I don’t want to interrupt his Christmas for no reason.”
I opened the door and peeked out, but I couldn’t see anybody around. A hand slipped into mine. Grace’s. I sent her a grateful look. Slowly, we walked down the path. As we drew near the cottages, a package sitting on the front doorstep of the one I was staying in came into view. A gift perfectly wrapped in red paper with green polka dots and tied with a silver ribbon. I reached for it.
“Wait!” Grace cried, intercepting me before I could touch it.
I flinched. “What?”
She grabbed my shoulder and drew me away from it. “What if it’s a bomb? Or something poisonous?”
I wanted to laugh. That was ridiculous, wasn’t it?Crazy. Nobody would do something like that. But then, whoever this stalker was, they weren’t sane if they’d followed me halfway around the world.
“Okay,” I agreed. “Let’s back away and call the police.”
ChapterSeventeen
LIAM
Nate broughta date to Christmas this year. It was weird as hell. I always thought he and Grace would get together. But at least having his new girlfriend there distracted me from the fact that you weren’t around. - Unsent text message from Liam to Kennedy
Since it was a gloriouslysunny day, with blue skies and a pleasant breeze, my family had chosen to sit outside. Two picnic tables had been arranged end to end to fit us all. We were one member down, since it was Tess’s year to spend Christmas with her mother, which meant Nate was a little mopey. He loved spending holidays with his daughter. Unfortunately, while Maddy and Nate were on good speaking terms, they weren’t interested in spending time together. Something about maintaining boundaries and not letting Tess get confused about where things stood. In my opinion, Tess had more of a clue about that than they did, but that didn’t stop them from trying to shield her, and who could blame them? If I had a little girl, I’d want to protect her too.
We were halfway through the meal when a phone rang. At the head of the table, Mum’s eyes narrowed. She scanned us one by one, waiting to see which of her children had dared to bring a phone to Christmas lunch. Across the table, Nate’s expression turned sheepish as he fumbled in his pocket.
“Nathan Martin Braddock,” Mum said sternly. “What do you call this?”
Nate gave her an apologetic look. “I’m on duty. Sorry, Mum.” He stood. “Give me two seconds.”
He walked a few meters away, speaking under his breath. I kept my lips firmly zipped, relieved it was him who’d caught Mum’s wrath and not me. I was also technically on call and had my phone in my pocket. It was a hazard of being a first responder in a small town.
With a muttered oath, Nate stalked back. “I’ve got to go. There’s a situation that needs my attention.”
“On Christmas Day?” Mum asked with an arched brow. “During lunch?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Is it anything serious?” I asked, curious about whether I’d be receiving a call shortly too.
“A problem at Grace’s.”
Mum’s expression instantly morphed from frustration to concern. “Is she okay?”
