I shrugged again. “Sure.”
“That’s very unlike you.”
“Listen, you don’t know him the way I do,” I said and washed the rest of the wrap down with my coffee.
She gave me a concerned look. “Wow, Matt really was right. I didn’t believe him when he said it, but you are completely blinded by Scott. Matt said it’s like he holds some sort of spell over you, making you unable to see him for what he really is—scum. What is it with you two?”
I leaned back with an exhale. I was tired of this conversation.
“It’s nothing. I just felt bad for him; that’s all.”
She looked me deep in the eyes, then gasped lightly. “Oh, dear Lord. You two had a thing in high school, didn’t you? Without any of us knowing it?”
I could feel my face turn red.
“No, you’re wrong.”
“Yes, yes, you did. Oh, my God, that’s why you’re all flushed now and why you dropped everything when he showed up.”
“I am helping him find his girlfriend who is missing,” I said. “There’s nothing more to it than that.”
She shook her head. “Nope—not buying it. But what I wonder is why he’s got this hold over you. What did he do to you? Did he break your heart? Was he the one that got away? And you never could get him out of your head again, huh?”
“You’re being ridiculous. Of course not. It was always Matt and me. We knew we were meant for one another.”
“How did this happen without me knowing about it?” she asked, completely ignoring what I had just said. “That’s what I really want to know. I thought we told each other everything.”
I looked down at the table.
“We…we kept it a secret.”
“You snuck around? Behind our backs? Because he was dating Hannah, oh, my. Eva Rae, he used you. Don’t you see? And now, he’s using you again. I bet he killed his girlfriend, and now he just wants your help to look innocent. Or even better yet, maybe he’s keeping her somewhere in a basement, tormenting her so she won’t leave him like Hannah did.”
That made me laugh, but it sounded awkward and nervous. I grabbed the cinnamon bun and bit into it.
“You read way too many mystery novels, Melissa. I’m telling you, you’ve got it completely wrong. Scott is a very nice guy. I am helping him out of sympathy. And because my conscience can’t stand the thought that out there somewhere, his girlfriend is in trouble. That’s all. Nothing else.”
She grabbed my hand in hers and squeezed it. “Just promise me you’ll be careful, please? I don’t trust this guy.”
“I think we’ve established that,” I said and got up from my chair. I wanted to go home now. I was getting tired of this conversation with her. As I grabbed my phone, I checked to see if I had received any messages, then realized it was the fifth time I had done this since I sat down. And it wasn’t Matt I was hoping would call or text, I found out to my surprise. It was Scott.
I hadn’t been in contact with Scott for several days now, and much to my astonishment, I realized that I missed him. I couldn’t stop worrying about him and where he was. He had promised to stay under the radar so the police wouldn’t find him, while I tried to find another angle we could use to find his girlfriend. As I carried Angel to the car and Melissa came up behind me with Owen, I realized to my regret that part of me wasn’t sure I wanted to find Sarah. Because then it would be all over. Scott would have no reason to call or come to my house anymore, and we would lose contact again. I didn’t want that. I liked having him around. As I said goodbye to Melissa, hugging her tightly, then waving at her, I felt my heart beating fast in my chest.
Was Melissa right? Had I lost myself in him? If so, then what did it mean? Didn’t I want to marry Matt anymore?
I closed my eyes briefly, clasping my mouth. The thought was unbearable and brought tears to my eyes. What was happening to me?
I shook my head.
No, you can’t think like that. You simply can’t. Everything is perfect now. Don’t ruin it. Why do you always have to do this to yourself? Why do you have to ruin everything good in your life?
I grabbed Angel’s seat by the handle and left Owen next to the tire, right next to me, while strapping down Angel inside the car. As I pulled my head back out and reached down to grab the handle of Owen’s car seat, my hand came back empty. I looked down and realized it was gone.
Owen wasn’t there.
Chapter 39
Lily stared at the man approaching her, heart throbbing in her chest. It was him. She could barely understand it. It was the same guy who had been following her everywhere—the stalker.
“Are you having car trouble?” he asked, smiling, almost smirking.
“W-what are you doing here?” she asked, taking a step back as he came closer.
A thousand scenarios rushed through her mind, none of them ended well for her. Cars sped by on the bridge, and she wondered if anyone would stop and help if he attacked her. Would they even see?
“I was just passing by on the bridge when I saw you had stopped,” he said, still smiling.
Lily wished he’d stop doing that. It made him even creepier. She fiddled with her phone, wondering if she could somehow call Peter without this guy noticing it. She didn’t want to anger him. But Peter hadn’t answered when she called earlier, right when the car died. Why would she think he’d do it now?
“Can I help?” he asked.
“Stop right there,” she said and held out her hand. “Don’t come any closer.”
He stopped. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to help. You looked like you needed it. Did you run out of gas?”
She breathed heavily. This guy scared her so much.
“It’s the battery,” she said. “It has happened before.”
“The battery, huh?”
“It’s okay. I’ve already called for help. They’ll be here soon,” she lied. The fact was she hadn’t been able to get ahold of anyone, and she didn’t have any roadside assistance. She couldn’t afford it. She was stuck there, and this creepy stalker was her only help.
“Oh, okay,” he said. “I could give you a jump start if you need it.”
“I don’t.” She turned her head away to avoid looking directly at him. “I don’t need your help.”
“It’s no trouble at all. I got the cables in my trunk.”
Lily stared at him. Her pulse was quickening as she contemplated taking his help. It wasn’t like anyone else was coming, and she really had to get to work. If he tried anything, she had the phone in her hand and could dial nine-one-one.
“Let me just go get them,” he said. “I really just want to help.”
Lily thought it over for a few seconds more, then exhaled, her shoulders coming down. “All right. If it’s no trouble, then…”
The man’s face lit up. “It really isn’t. Let me just go and get them. Give me a sec. I’ll be right back.”
Lily watched him go back to his car and open the trunk. She looked at her phone to see if Peter had called her back or texted her, but there was nothing. With her pulse throbbing in her throat, she watched the man pull out jumper cables from his car, then approach her. She imagined him using them to tie her up before throwing her in the trunk. As he came closer and closer, she could hear her own heartbeat.