She trembles, and it’s the exact same way I reacted when I read it.
She holds the paper up. “You have to call the police.”
I nod. She’s been trying to tell me that for a while, but this is the first true account that someone is following me. “I know, you’re right.”
She points at me. “You hesitated. Why did you hesitate?”
I shrug my shoulders. “What if it’s just some harmless situation? I don’t want to get anyone in trouble. I mean, he hasn’t done anything wrong.”
Violet grabs my hand. “But it can be. You don’t know, that’s the whole point. You should tell Evan. He’d know what to do.”
I’m already shaking my head when I hear, “Tell me what?”
I gasp and look at the big man looming over us. How in the world he snuck in without either of us knowing is beyond me. “Evan!” I say as if I’ve been caught red-handed.
Evan
I walk in and Violet and Sierra are in deep conversation. When I get close, I hear my name and they both look up in shock at me when I say, “Tell me what?”
Violet slides across the booth and stands up, gesturing for me to sit down. She doesn’t say anything to me; instead she points at the piece of paper on the table and tells Sierra, “You should tell him, Sierra. He can help.”
But Violet is already shaking her head as she reaches for the paper. Luckily, I’m faster than her, grab it up and scan the message while I sit down across from her. When I’m done, I hold it up. “What is this? Who gave this to you?”
She clasps her hands on the table in front of her while I try to contain the fury that is surging through my veins. “I found it in the night return box at the library.”
“Who is it? Who is X?”
She lifts her shoulders and sighs. “I don’t know. Uh, but actually I was going to go and talk to Sam about putting in an alarm system at my house.”
My fists clench on the table, wadding the paper in my hands. “Has this guy been to your house?”
She flinches. “Uh, well, I’m pretty sure someone has, but I can’t prove it. Just things moved around, things like that. I’m sure it’s nothing; I just thought a security system will make me feel safer, ya know. Is Sam at the office? Maybe I can stop by and talk to him about it before my lunch break is over.”
“I’ll do it,” I tell her.
“Under the circumstances, it’s probably better if I get Sam to do it.”
I lean back in the booth, crossing my arms on my chest. “Because I have vertigo?”
She throws her hands up in the air. “No, God, not because you have vertigo. I don’t care that you have vertigo.” Her face is flushed. “I mean, I care, but not for the reasons you think they are. You are a perfectly capable man. I mean because of my crush...”
I lean in then. “Go ahead. Finish it. Finish what you were going to say.”
She blows a breath out. “Fine. It’s not like you didn’t know anyway. I made a fool of myself enough times because of it. I had a crush on you in high school. I just think it’s better if we stay...”
I stand up and walk around to her side of the table. I put one hand on the table in front of her and one on the booth behind her. I lean over until she’s so close that her sweet scent hits my nose. I inhale deeply, not even caring if she knows I’m smelling her. “I have a crush on you, Sierra. Today. Right now. And I’m pretty sure it could be more. So what we’re going to do is we’re going to take this to the police station and give a report. I’m going to check the security cameras for the library and see who put that in the box last night, and then when you get off work, I’m going to your house to install your alarm.”
She’s looking up at me, her eyes wide. “Then what?”
And fuck if the way she says it doesn’t make my balls clinch. “Then I’m going to kiss you.”
6
Sierra
I can’t believe I agreed to this. I’m driving my little Honda away from downtown toward my house. I keep looking in the rearview mirror, and Evan’s right behind me. He did exactly what he said he’d do: He went with me to the police station and sat with me while I explained all the weird things that have been happening, and then I gave them the letter. They made a report, but unfortunately that’s about all they can do at this point. However, Evan made them promise to patrol my neighborhood more, so there’s that at least. He then walked me to the library and programmed his number into my phone. “I’ll be right across the street. Don’t go anywhere without me.” He was bossy and demanding and normally I’d get upset about being told what to do, but the way he said it had me just nodding my head at him.
And now, here we are, pulling into my driveway and when he parks next to me, I get out to meet him. “Did you check the library cameras? Could you tell who dropped the letter?”
He gathers up equipment from the back of his truck and meets me at my steps. “No, whoever it was had a hat pulled down real low on his face. I made a copy of it and gave it to the
