I want to argue with him, but maybe that’s how it works. It doesn’t matter, I’ll make sure I pay him. He interrupts my thoughts. “I know you think this isn’t a big deal, but you need to be careful. If you see anything that worries you or is just odd, you call me or the police.”
I’ll call the police. I don’t say it out loud, but that’s my plan. The less time I spend with Evan the better. He may say he’s interested in me, but I don’t believe him.
“Okay.”
He gathers his things and walks toward the door. “Is this because of Jake?”
My forehead creases. “Jake? What about Jake?”
“My brother said you and he must have made up. Are you seeing him?”
I laugh out loud. “Is that what he told you? Did he tell you that I was mad at Jake because he got drunk at the last book club meeting?” He shakes his head.
“Okay. Did Sam tell you that Jake is gay?”
Evan shakes his head. “No, he didn’t tell me that.”
“Yeah, so I’m not dating Jake.”
“Good,” he says, perking up a little.
“Good?” I question him.
“Yeah, because that means there’s not a man in my way.” He leans down and kisses me on the lips before I catch on to what he’s doing. “Not that a man would have mattered, Sierra. Because I’ve already made the decision that you’re going to be mine.”
“Yours!” I say loudly.
He gives me a cocky laugh. “That’s right. Mine. When all is said and done, you’re going to be mine.”
He turns and walks away as my mouth falls open and I stare at him go. He stops at his truck. “Lock the door and turn on the alarm.”
And he doesn’t look away until I walk inside and shut the door, leaving me to wonder what I’ve gotten myself into.
7
Evan
I got as far as the end of the road before I turned back around. There’s something that stops me from leaving. I sit in my truck all night and watch the neighborhood. It has to be the quietest, most boring neighborhood in all of Whiskey Run. The most excitement all night was when Old Man Larry let his dog Squeaks out at two in the morning, and he went across the road, pooped in the neighbor’s yard, and then came back.
That was it. I was sure it was safe to leave Sierra and go home, but I couldn’t. So when the clock turns seven-thirty and I see Sierra walking out of her house with her head down, it’s easy to get out of the truck and walk up to her. She doesn’t even notice me until she’s almost up on me.
She puts her hand over her chest. “Evan. You scared me to death.”
She looks me up and down. “What are you doing here?” She looks at where my truck is parked. “Did you stay out here all night?” No doubt she’s noticed I’m in the same clothes I had on yesterday.
I scrub my hand through my hair. “I did.” I grab her hand and pull her with me. “C’mon, I’ll take you to work.”
She walks a few feet with me. “Wait, you stayed out here all night?” she asks in awe.
“I did. I need a shower, but first I’m going to make sure you get to work okay, have Sam keep an eye on you, and then I’ll run home and shower.”
She’s going to argue with me, I know she is. Either about me staying out here all night or about me taking her to work, but I’m ready for it.
She finally starts walking toward the truck, and when I open the door for her she climbs in.
I get into the driver’s seat and put the truck into gear. “You really slept out here all night?”
She’s stunned, and I don’t understand why. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I?”
I peek over at her and she’s looking at me incredulously. “Why would you?”
I’ve shocked her; that’s probably the only reason she’s letting me drive her to work. “Why would I? Uh, because I got to the end of the road and knew I couldn’t leave. I wanted to make sure you were safe, and the only way to do that was to be outside your house in case you needed me.”
“Evan,” she says, and I wait for her to continue. “Evan, no one... I mean, well, I can’t believe you did that... for me.”
“I wasn’t joking last night, Sierra. I meant what I said. I know you don’t trust me or believe we could make a go of this. Heck, I can’t even convince you to date me, but I don’t plan on giving up.”
She doesn’t comment, and we ride the rest of the way in silence. I walk her to the entrance of the library and walk in with her, making sure everything is secure. I go down the line of everything she needs to do to be safe, to not leave without me, and to call if she needs anything.
“You’re making a bigger deal of this than you should. It’s probably nothing, and I feel bad that you’ve completely changed your life to deal with it.” She says it in a quick jumble of words.
I ignore her as if she didn’t say anything. “What about lunch? I can come by and take you somewhere or I can bring you something.”
She points to one of the bags she just set down. “No, I brought it.”
With her distracted, I move closer to her, and when she turns back to me, I kiss her quickly. “Okay, I’ll be back at five, but promise to call me if you need anything.”
She touches her fingers to her lips. “Okay.”
With another glance at her, I walk out of the library and across the street to the office. Luckily, I had a change of clothes in my truck, and I shower at the office.
