Chapter 3 – Kenzie
Chapter Three
Kenzie
The next morning, I heaved a sigh and snuggled down into the soft mattress of my new bed. It wasn’t the same as my normal bed, but it was comfy.
The whole place was…okay. Not bad. Just not home .
Susanna and I had gotten all my stuff out of my car, into hers, and then brought it over here. I’d appreciated that the other woman had helped me carry it all in. She’d wanted to stay and help me set up, but I just hadn’t had the social bandwidth for it.
I didn’t want to make friends here. I wasn’t going to be here long enough for friends.
Plus, I didn’t have enough stuff to need much help anyway. The apartment had come furnished, so all I’d needed was to put away my clothes and set up the few decorative items I couldn’t live without.
I’d changed into better clothes for walking then had gone back into town for a few groceries. Not too many since I had to carry them all back.
This morning, I was thinking of my car. I wanted it back as soon as possible, even though I was within walking distance of nearly everything in Garnet Bend. I missed the comfort of knowing my car was available as a means of escape. Without it, I felt trapped here.
But if I was honest, it wasn’t just my car on my mind as I lay in bed. It was Jensen Chambers.
We hadn’t talked much, and, as was never far from my mind, I was not in Garnet Bend to connect with people. But…I felt a weird pull to want to know more about the handsome mechanic. He had one of those rich, deep voices, and coupled with his looks—short, dark hair, strong chin and granite cheekbones, and a body that showed very clearly he was used to hard work—I was drawn to him.
All he needed was a tool belt.
I hadn’t tried to strike up small talk, and he hadn’t seemed to be interested either. Actually, the fact that he barely talked to me had me more intrigued. I worked with people for a living and generally found they wanted to engage with me. But not Jensen Chambers.
I had no clue if I could count on him, despite Charlie’s recommendation. His place seemed to be the only garage in town, though, so it wasn’t as if I had a choice.
But the knowledge that I was going to get to talk to him soon made the thought of the long day ahead of me a little more bearable. I knew I needed to shut those feelings down, but damned if I wanted to.
My phone rang on the side table, interrupting my musings. Seeing the name of the garage flash across the screen, I extracted myself from the warmth of my covers and tried to calm the sudden dancing butterflies in my stomach.
“You’re not here to make friends,” I murmured into the quiet space. “Or anything else.”
But it wasn’t Jensen’s voice on the line when I answered. It was Susanna’s .
“Hey, Kenzie,” she said. “Jensen says your car won’t be ready today.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Yeah, he’s waiting for some parts and wants to check out a few more things.”
So it was going to be a long day sitting here in this apartment. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“Hey, listen!” I stopped myself from disconnecting the call as I heard Susanna’s rushed phrase. “I was hoping you would like to join me for coffee.”
That was sweet. And unexpected. “Sure. I’d love to.”
The words were out before I could stop them. Ah, damn it. What was I doing?
“Great! I’ll swing by your place, and we can walk from there. You’ll love Deja Brew.”
“Yeah, sounds good. See you soon.”
I hung up, excited to have something to do to fill my time today, but it soon faded to sadness.
I loved coffee dates, but I wanted the ones with my friends back in Denver. Zoe and Leah and I would call one another at the craziest hours when we needed girl time. I’d always tend to be the last one to arrive at the coffeehouse, but they knew what pick-me-up to order to make me happy when I showed up.
“Chin up,” I reminded myself as I slid out of bed to get ready. “It’s only temporary.”
Susanna wore a bright sweater of reds and purples that meshed well with the brown puffer vest over it. On top of her head, she wore a thick brown beanie, hiding most of her auburn locks. It was a look I could never pull off. I was built for classic styles, not quirky .
“You’re too cute,” I said once she arrived and we set out for town.
“This?” Susanna pointed at the hat, tracing her finger over the swirled lines that gave it so much more detail. “It’s nothing.”
I raised a brow. “Nothing? Did you make it?”
“Sure did.” Susanna beamed. “I’ve loved knitting for as long as I can remember. One day, I’ll open my own shop.”
“To sell knitted goods?”
“To sell yarn. For crafters to get supplies and make their own treasures. Maybe I can help teach them too.”
I nodded. Turning a hobby into a job would be a challenge. “I wish I had a hobby like that.”
“Not crafty?” Susanna guessed.
I shook my head. I’d always wanted to be. It would be so cool to have a unique thing, like making my own kombucha or creating those little crochet animals. Even cross-stitch needlework with naughty sayings. Something funky.
“But I did these myself.” I held up my hands, showing Susanna my manicure I’d spent hours on while watching Kitchen Nightmares .
“Wow, girl. Those are so pretty! I would’ve sworn you had them done.”
“Thanks.” I smiled, admiring the reflection of them in the sunlight as we walked. “I haven’t had much time to be creative, though. Since…”
I couldn’t tell her about the stalker. I didn’t even know the woman.
“Work?” She filled in for me when I faded off. I nodded. “Yesterday, you said you’re a Realtor?”
I nodded in reply as we walked down the sidewalk. I tried to keep an eye on everyone around us without making it seem that way. I couldn’t let my guard down. “I specialize in commercial real estate. ”
“I don’t think you’ll find a lot of that in these parts,” Susanna mused.
“Yeah. I also teach some ‘how-to’ seminars, like how to branch out starting your own business, gain a customer base, dos and don’ts of commercial real estate and management. Things like that.”
“That’s impressive! What are you doing here in Garnet Bend?”
I should’ve been better prepared for that question. “I just needed a little break. Wanted to get away from everything.”
Fortunately, Susanna didn’t press further. She pointed out different shops and her favorite parts of town as we went.
As we got closer to the other end of the street, I could smell the delicious aromas of baked goods and coffee. Once we reached the door to Deja Brew and Susanna pushed inside, my mouth started watering from all the wonderful smells. A bright, bubbly woman with highlighted hair waved from behind the counter and motioned for us to sit.
“Is she a relative of yours?” I whispered to Susanna.
The two women were dressed so similarly, I couldn’t help but ask.
Susanna turned her head to see where I was indicating and couldn’t hold in a giggle. “Lena? Nah. She’s the owner of Deja Brew. She’s really sweet and totally cool, though.”
“Hey, Sus!” Another woman with a friendly smile walked over to greet us at the table. “Escape from Jensen’s horrible coffee again?”
“Girl, you know it! Jensen’s coffee machine needs to be retired, but he won’t part with it until it completely stops working,” she replied with a huge grin. “Kenzie, this is Evelyn Everett. Evelyn, this is Kenzie Hurst.”
I nodded to the delicate-looking woman in greeting .
“You want your usual and a fill-up?” Evelyn asked, glancing at Susanna’s thermos.
“Please. And an apple tart too. We can come to the counter.” She started to rise.
“Nah, I don’t mind. We’re not that busy right now. I’ll bring it over.” She turned to me. “What would you like?”
“It all smells so wonderful. A regular coffee and something blueberry, if you’ve got it.”
“Great, be right back.” Evelyn turned and walked back to the counter, returning with our orders a short time later. “You two enjoy. It was nice meeting you, Kenzie. Stop back by sometime soon so you can meet Lena and we can all chat.”
After Evelyn walked away, we sipped our drinks and watched the town come to life through the window. Snow fell outside, making the ground look like a thick, downy blanket of white, while the residents trod along like they had all the time in the world.
It was lovely to watch, but seeing more of the white stuff falling, I was dreading the walk back to my apartment. Sure would have been nice to have my car right about now.
“Did Jensen hint at when my car might be ready?” I asked. I didn’t want to nag, but I was antsy without it.
“Uh, not sure. He’ll text me the minute it’s done.”
“So, Jensen. He’s not a man of many words, is he?”
Damn it, why was I asking about him? Why couldn’t I get his deep brown eyes—a warm honey color—out of my mind? Or his muscled arms?
Or the fact that I wondered if they sold tool belts anywhere in town?
“Was he rude to you? I’m sorry. He’s not a morning person at all and is totally unbearable until he drinks a pot of coffee.”
“No, not rude, just…” I wasn’t sure how to describe it .
She rolled her eyes and dismissed me with a wave. “Jensen’s bedside manner isn’t the greatest?—”
I choked on my sip of coffee and laughed. “Bedside manner?”
Susanna giggled too. “Sometimes it seems like he’s a doctor, delivering good or bad news about people’s cars.”
I chuckled as I took another sip of coffee while Susanna kept talking. The other woman was good company. Sitting and chatting with her like this reminded me of my girlfriends back home.
“He’s a lovable grump. I’ve never met a man with a bigger heart, but I swear he’s got trust issues up to here.” Susanna lifted her hand to indicate an imaginary height above her head.
“Hmm.” Sounded just like me since the stalking started—and especially after the break-in at my home in Denver. I definitely struggled with trust issues, too.
“And Charlie said he’s friends with people at a therapy ranch near here?” The ruffians had intrigued my thoughts too.
Susanna smiled wide. “Yeah. The Resting Warrior Ranch is a short drive outside of town. They help people with PTSD issues and physical therapy. They raise and train emotional support animals of all kinds. Even alpacas.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Alpacas? Really?”
She grinned. “Yep. Actually, Lena and Evelyn are married to a couple of guys who run the ranch. Jude and Lucas. I’m sure you’ll meet them all at some point while you’re here.”
I glanced at the two women working behind the counter. “Oh wow. It really is a small town.”
“Everybody knows everybody, for better or worse.”
More people started coming in, making it harder to talk, so Susanna and I stood to leave. “Jensen will think I quit and moved in here for the coffee if I don’t get back soon.”
We waved goodbye to Lena and Evelyn as we left. After coffee, we braved the snow for the walk back through town. Susanna wanted to show me the flower shop that had a sale right now on the way back, and I figured it wouldn’t hurt. Maybe fresh flowers, or even a plant of some kind, would perk up my new place.
I found a plant, and we poked around a couple other shops. It was nice to get out and act like a normal person for a while. Back in Denver, it had been a while since I’d done that. Walking around outside at shops had felt like a luxury I couldn’t risk.
One more thing the stalker had stolen from me.
When we got to the crosswalk, a man approached, walking directly toward us with focused purpose. I couldn’t help but tense and prepare to run. I hadn’t worn my good boots, but surely the shoes I had on would give me enough traction in this snow.
“Hi, Lucas,” Susanna said to the man.
Okay. Susanna knew him. I tried my best to still my heart that seemed to be thundering in my chest, hating that being scared and wanting to flee were my first reactions to meeting someone who didn’t mean any harm.
“Hey, Susanna. How’s Jensen treating you?” Lucas greeted, nodding in my direction. He seemed nice enough, but he was huge, like a linebacker, and it made me a little uneasy.
Susanna laughed and waved her thermos around. “Oh, you know. Still having to run out for the good stuff if I want any drinkable coffee, but everything else is great.”Then she turned to me. “This is Lucas Everett, Evelyn’s husband. He helps run the Resting Warrior Ranch. Lucas, this is Kenzie Hurst.”
I nodded, recognizing the name from our coffee shop conversation.
“Kenzie.” Lucas held out his hand. Warily, I watched my small hand engulfed in his large palm. I pulled it back quickly.
“Hi, nice to meet you.” I mustered a semi-smile.
If my stalker was someone of his size, I’d surely be done for.
“Uh, I’m going to head back to my place.” I turned to Susanna. “ I’m eager to start unpacking. I don’t want to keep you from your work any longer anyway. You can finish showing me around another time.”
It was a pathetic excuse. Unpacking didn’t sound fun, and I was already finished anyway, but with my nerves still bouncing around from Lucas’s huge presence, I needed a little space.
I didn’t want them to think I was a nutcase who couldn’t handle meeting new people. Even if it was the truth right now.
Susanna waved bye and reminded me again that she’d contact me once she knew more from Jensen. I carried my little plant back to my temporary home, constantly watching for threats on my way. By the time I made it to the apartment complex, the tension had given me a headache.
I wanted to cry.
I missed my life, my friends, and my business. I thrived on the go-go-go feeling I got from meeting with clients and helping people find the perfect places to suit their needs. I loved teaching my seminars and showing people new to the business how to be successful.
I was not used to sitting around doing nothing.
I spent the entire afternoon reorganizing everything. It was mind-numbingly boring as far as tasks went, and with each thing I set out, I wondered, why bother? I didn’t want to stay here.
I looked around the place. Even with my possessions in place, it still felt empty.
“Maybe I should’ve gotten flowers too,” I mumbled. Not that that was going to help.
I took a glass of wine to the couch and decided to text Leah, then Zoe, and belatedly remembered they’d be meeting up for their weekly margaritas now. I was supposed to have as little contact with them as possible anyway.
Damn, I missed them. I moved to the next person on my list, my mother. Texting with my mom did help a bit, but she was at work and couldn’t actively chat. As a park ranger at Pawnee National Grassland, she sometimes led evening hikes.
Still bored, I decided to check on my social media business site that I used primarily for my seminars. I knew I probably shouldn’t since I wasn’t supposed to be doing anything business-related, but I just wanted to take a quick look.
Nothing of any consequence. My seminars for the next month had been canceled, but I still had some scheduled for this coming spring. Surely everything would be taken care of by then. I was glad to see the number of people registering was still relatively decent.
I was just about to shut everything down when I got a DM notification. I froze, not sure what to do. Open it? Delete it without opening? Maybe it was someone who had a legitimate question.
This was how it had all started. Direct messages on my social media accounts. My fingers trembled as I tapped the icon to open the stranger’s message.
As soon as I did, I wished I hadn’t.
Getting out of Denver isn’t far enough. Trust me.
I sucked in a breath, eyes widening, and continued to read.
You need to leave the state, or the blood on your walls will be yours next time.
I slammed my laptop closed and jumped up from the couch, clutching my throwaway phone. I hurried to the door, then windows, checking the locks and closing the blinds. I started shaking so bad that I dropped my phone twice before making it back to the couch. Curling up in a ball, I tried to steady my breath and called the police chief .
I’d barely been in Garnet Bend for twenty-four hours, and it was starting again.
Would I ever feel safe?