7. Poppy
CHAPTER 7
POPPY
I open the window of the trailer, and the first person I see is Colter.
Surprised doesn’t begin to describe how I feel.
I felt a connection talking to him the other day, and I thought for sure that he felt it too.
I thought he would call me or at least text, but it’s been two days and nothing.
So what is he doing here?
I’m set up downtown, next to the courthouse. Did he come into town for a meeting or something? Just stopping by?
“Your stalker is here,” Teresa murmurs, elbowing me in the side.
I roll my eyes at her but don’t comment. Probably because the first thing I want to say is I wish he was here for me.
I want to ask him, but as soon as we open, a line is forming, and Teresa and I work tirelessly through the whole shift. I keep looking where Colter is sitting, and he has his sunglasses on, but I can feel his eyes on me. I know he’s watching me.
He has his laptop open, but I haven’t seen him type one thing on it.
When business finally dies down and we’re starting to pack up, I look out where he was sitting, and he’s gone. I look up and down the sidewalk and watch as he gets into his truck.
I try not to let on that I’m disappointed, but I am. I really hoped he was going to ask me out, but it’s starting to look like even though he’s nice, he’s not interested in me at all.
Teresa and I eat lunch while we finish packing up, and I try not to dwell on the fact that there’s something going on with Colter, and I don’t know what it is.
We drive over to the Co-op and set up our truck. I’m dreading it because this is where I had the run-in with Adam last week, and I’m not looking forward to seeing him again.
If he causes another scene, I’m going to have to do something about it. I can’t let him keep interrupting my life like he is.
I open the window, and my eyes dart around the area. Relieved doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel. Adam is nowhere to be seen.
Just like most places, this one is packed too, and the line is already forming. We’re moving through the line when Teresa nudges me again. “I’m sorry, but that’s just creepy.”
I look up, prepared to see Adam, but I’m surprised to see Colter sitting at a table in front of the truck. He doesn’t have his computer with him this time. He has his sunglasses on, but I have no doubt his eyes are on me.
I look at him longer than I probably should because I see his forehead crease as if he’s wondering what I’m doing. I make a promise to myself, here and now, that he’s not getting out of here this time without me asking him what he’s doing. It’s one thing to show up at one place I’m set up at but a completely different thing for him to show up at a second place on the same day.
I help Teresa take orders, and while she fills them, I’m so focused on Colter that I’m taken by surprise when I see Adam standing in front of me.
Everything blurs out behind him, and my whole body tenses. He’s the absolute last person I want to see right now, but I know he’s not going to go quietly.
”Adam.”
He smirks at me. “You’re still doing this.”
My hand tightens around the pen I’m holding. “Yeah, I’m still doing this. It is my job.”
He slaps a hand on the counter. “And I told you that if you wanted to be with me that I’m not going to have a girlfriend work in a food truck. I do have a reputation to uphold.”
I put a hand on my hip. “And I told you I’m not your girlfriend anymore.”
He leans toward me. “What are you doing, Poppy? Look at you. A woman like you doesn’t break up with a man like me.”
I’m about to defend myself when Colter walks up and puts an arm around Adam, pushing him away. Shocked, I lean out the window, and I see Colter forcibly pushing Adam around the corner and out of sight.
Shoot. “Take over, Teresa. I’ll be back.”
”Was that your stalker with Adam?”
I don’t stop to answer her. I climb out of the truck and get around the side of the building just in time see Colter pointing at his own face. “Come on. You wanna punch me? Do it.”
”What? No!” I holler at the same time Adam lands a punch to the side of Colter’s face.
Colter doesn’t seem fazed in the least. He smiles. He literally smiles at Adam, and all I can do is stand here while Colter punches Adam a few times until he lands on his back on the pavement.
Colter stands over him. There’s no stutter to be heard when he starts to talk. “Forget you know Poppy. I don’t want you showing up where she is, talking to her, hell, I don’t even want you thinking about her.”
He squats down and grabs Adam’s hair, pulling him up so he has to look at him. “Cause look at me, mother fucker. I will be your worst fuckin’ nightmare. I can kill and bury you, and no one will ever find your ass.” His voice gets thick. “Do you understand me?”
When Adam doesn’t say anything, Colter leans down into his face. “Answer me. Do you understand?”
”Yes!” Adam grunts.
Colter gets up, and he’s not even breathing hard. He starts to walk away, but then Adam, like the dumbass he is, says, “You can have the fat bitch. I was done with her anyway.”
Colter walks over to him, lifts his leg and stomps his boot down into Adam’s ribs. I swear I can hear the crunch from where I’m standing.
I rush over to them. “Colter.”
He has his boot up, ready to stomp again, but I move closer. “Colter, stop. He’s not worth it.”
He lowers his boot to the ground and squats next to Adam. “She just saved your ass. You won’t be so lucky next time.”
Colter stands up, puts a hand at my waist, and leads me away from the man bleeding on the ground. Still behind the building, I stop and turn to look at him. “You’re bleeding. Oh Colter, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
He shakes his head, wiping the blood from his lip. “This is not your fault. I wanted him to have the first punch. I’m okay.”
All I can see is the blood pouring from his lip. “You’re not okay, you’re bleeding.”
He laughs. “I’m fine. Go back to work. I’m going to wait until the sheriff gets here.”
I put a hand to my chest. “I’m not going back to work while you go to jail. I’ll stay and tell them you were defending me.”
He shakes his head. “I’m not going to jail, Poppy. I’m the one that called the police.”
”But… but how did you know?” I put a hand to my head. “I’m so confused.”
Before he can explain, a cop car pulls in, and he nods at me, full of confidence. “Go on, I got this.”
I squeeze his arm. “This is my mess, Colter, I can’t just?—“
He puts his hand on my chin and lifts it so I have to look at him. His brown eyes are pleading with me. “Please, go. I don’t want you involved.”
”Involved? I’m the reason you’re involved.”
He tilts his head to the side. “Trust me?”
I nod, and he gestures toward where the food truck is parked. “Go on. I’ll take care of this.”
Reluctantly, I walk away.
I try to focus on my job, but I keep waiting for Colter to come and tell me it’s over. When I see the cop car pull out and no Colter in sight, I know exactly where he is. He’s leaving, and he’s not even going to tell me bye.
Thankfully, business has slowed, and I leave Teresa again. As soon as I get around the side of the building, I see Colter climbing into his truck. I call his name and take off running to reach him before he pulls out.
I knock on his window and gesture to the door. He opens it and steps out. “Poppy, you okay?”
I point to his parked truck. “You were just going to leave?”
He nods. “Yeah, I figured I’d already disrupted your work enough today.”
I point to where Colter and Adam fought. “You going to tell me what that was all about?”
He just stares back at me.
I lift my shoulders. “Colter?”
He crosses his arms over his chest. “You’re not going to like it.”
I jut my chin at him. “Try me.”
He blows out a breath and then shoves his hand through his hair. “Fine. When you said someone said those things to you, I found out who it was. Then I got your schedule and waited for him to show up.”
Stunned, all I can do is stare back at him.
He puts his hands on his hips. “I’m not going to apologize for it.”
I can’t believe he did all this for me. I could just thank him and let him walk away, but there’s no way I can just let this go. “I don’t want you to apologize, but I do have one question.”
He tenses, and he’s probably expecting me to ask him how he knew who Adam was or how he knew where the truck would be today. Heck, I should probably ask those things, but instead I ask him the one thing I’ve wondered about since our last meeting. “Are you going to ask me out?”
His mouth drops. “You, uh, want me to ask you out?”
I don’t trust my voice, so I just nod my head.
He lets his hands fall from his hips, and his body tenses. “Poppy, would you go to dinner with me?”
”Tonight?” I ask him.
He nods.
”Yes.” I bite my lip, wondering how much he knows about me. “Do you know where I live?”
His eyes widen, but he nods his head. “Yeah, I do.”
It should probably freak me out, but instead there is a thrill that goes through me. Just the idea that Colter is sweetly stalking me makes me a little feral. “Okay, wanna pick me up at six?”
He nods.
I take a step away and walk backwards. “See you tonight, Colter.”
He stands watching me, speechless.
I have a hundred questions I want to ask him, but they’re going to have to wait until tonight. And then, I’m going to make sure I know everything I want to know about the man that just defended my honor like it was his right and privilege.