“Well, that was always O’Conner’s approach, even when he was younger, I have heard. That’s why they like him so much. He hasn’t changed anything in thirty years.”
“And that’s what’s getting to me. I work with international students registered at the Department of Medicine, right? There are over nine hundred people. I manage their academic records, follow up on examination periods, register and review their grades, and solve daily requests. That is work volume enough for at least two people, not just one. I love working with the students and helping them with their daily issues, but there is only one of me. And I have been asking for help for years, and they keep expanding the program, which means more students for me to help. But he still…”
Lynn nodded but wasn’t listening anymore. She wasn’t even looking at her boyfriend anymore as he went on his usual rant about his job. Something else had caught her interest—or someone. Behind Stan, a young man had entered and was now sitting right behind them, ordering a coffee. He was simply sitting there, staring at her intently, while sipping his cup, smiling from ear to ear.
Jeff.
Lynn tried to focus on what her boyfriend was talking about, but she simply couldn’t. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Jeff sitting right behind him, and their eyes remained locked. Lynn felt completely pulled into his like she had no will of her own anymore.
This is not good, she told herself, yet still didn’t stop and look away. This is not good at all.
“So, next thing I know, O’Conner is standing right behind me as I say this,” Stan said and laughed loudly. “Boy, that was embarrassing.”
Lynn chuckled to let him know she was listening, even though she wasn’t. All that was in her mind right now was her and Jeff. It was like no one else existed. He was just sitting there, not saying or doing anything except drinking his coffee, staring at her, and it made her lose herself altogether.
You can’t do this. You can’t fall for him. He’s your patient.
Lynn finally broke the spell as the waitress brought their food, and she looked down at her tuna salad sandwich. She smiled at the girl, then took the first bite. As she once again lifted her gaze to look behind her boyfriend, she realized Jeff was no longer there. He was gone, and all that was left behind was his empty coffee cup on the table.
Lynn swallowed her bite and washed it down with Perrier sparkling water, feeling her heart race in her chest. What was it about him that attracted her to him so much yet made her feel creeped out at the same time?
What on earth had she gotten herself into?
Chapter 46
“I’m gonna need a heck of an explanation here, Scott. It better be good.”
We had just gotten into my minivan when I turned to look at him. It had gotten dark out, and I planned to take him to his car, but it had been taken to impound, they told me. Now, I just wanted to take him to a bus stop and tell him to get lost. But at this moment, I wasn’t sure I even wanted to take him anywhere—not until I knew more. I felt so betrayed and lost. Still, there was a part of me that wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. His sweet eyes kept lingering on me, and I couldn’t shake the feelings I had for him, even though I was trying so hard not to give them any attention. They refused to be pushed away, and it was driving me nuts.
Scott looked down at his hands, then shook his head slowly.
“I was only trying to help. I was driving across the bridge when I saw her. Her car had broken down, and I decided to stop and help. She said it was her battery, so I found my jumper cables in the trunk and tried to get it back to life. But as we tried over and over again, it didn’t work. The battery remained dead.”
I nodded, biting my lip. That didn’t sound too awful. “Okay, so you helped her out, but what about what the officers saw? Why did you grab her arm? Why did she say that you were about to kidnap her?”
Scott’s eyes grew wide. He turned to look at me, a look of dismay on his face. “The girl is insane. I told her I could give her a lift to town, and she refused. She said she would rather stand out there in the darkness. Her phone had died while we were working on the battery, so she couldn’t call for help. I told her it was too dangerous and that I wasn’t leaving her there. I mean, what should I have done? I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to her after I left. So, yes, I argued with her, but she wouldn’t listen to me. She kept yelling at me, telling me just to leave, so yes, I grabbed her arm and said I’d take her home, but I wasn’t even pulling her. Then, when the police came, she kept ranting on and on about how I was trying to kidnap her, and she screamed at them for help. So, of course, they took me in. But I swear, Eva Rae, the girl was just crazy and wouldn’t listen to reason.”
He was getting agitated as he spoke, and his nostrils flared slightly. I watched his face, trying to figure out if I believed him or not. First, there had been Hannah, who claimed he hit her and tried to run her over in his car, then there was Sarah Abbey, who had fallen down the stairs or maybe been pushed. Were they all just coincidences? If so, it was very unfortunate, and it was hard for me to believe him. But then again, there were those eyes that he looked at me with and that cute smile that I couldn’t ignore. I had been so madly in love with him back then, and now, I was staring at that same face once again, unable to see any fault with the person behind it.
“I swear, Eva Rae. I was only trying to help her.”
I sighed and started up the minivan.
“All right. Where do I take you now? Where are you staying?”
He exhaled. “I have sort of been sleeping in my car.”
I felt like screaming. “You don’t have anywhere to go?”
“I guess I could go home now that the police won’t be looking for me anymore.”
I looked at the clock.
“It’s late. All right. I’ll take you to Viera. I just need to text Matt and let him know I won’t be home until much later.”
“You’re so good to me,” he said. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”
“Well, don’t make me regret it,” I said and took a turn out of the police station’s parking lot. I looked at him again as the minivan drove into A1A. “I mean it, Scott. Please, don’t make a fool of me.”
He lifted both his hands resignedly.
“I won’t. I promise.”
“All right. Now, tomorrow, we’ll reach out to all of Sarah’s family to hear if she’s been in contact with them. Maybe it could be all over tomorrow, and you can be reunited with her back home. Then we can all go back to our normal lives. Wouldn’t that be something?”
Chapter 47
It looked exactly the same as it had three years ago—the small house in the middle of a big empty lot. The house wasn’t much, but it had the cutest wooden wrap-around porch, and Sarah remembered sitting there on endless nights with her brother, talking about their futures or crushes. Her brother was older than her by six years and always felt protective of her and who she dated. He had moved away from their parents long before she did, and she’d come and visit him as a teenager, just to get away from their parents. Only he understood what she went through. Only he ever understood her. And now, he was going to do it again.