Chapter 9 #2
Though he wished he could cancel his next tour and go with her, he couldn’t. Nor could he realistically ask her to wait.
The front door opened. He jumped to his feet and looked out. “Hetty’s here,” he told Genna.
“You bet I am.” Hetty sauntered into the break room. “Hey, Genna. What are you doing here? I thought you were off today.”
“I am,” Genna replied. “I just stopped in to say hi.”
Hetty narrowed her eyes and glanced at Parker. He simply smiled, not wanting to say anything if Genna didn’t want to elaborate. He’d fill Hetty in later. Since they all looked after each other, he felt strongly everyone needed to be aware of anything weird going on.
“Are we still planning to have that get-together?” Hetty asked. “I know when it got canceled due to weather, you talked about rescheduling.”
“Maybe soon,” Genna replied. “Honestly, I’ve got so much going on right now. But even though I’ve met everybody by now, I definitely want to do it. I just don’t know when.”
Hetty frowned at first then shrugged. “I get it,” she said. “Have a nice rest of your day off.”
“I plan to,” Genna chirped.
If Hetty noticed her overly upbeat tone, she didn’t show it.
“Let me walk you out,” Parker said.
“No, that’s okay.” Waving him away, Genna headed for the door. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Slowly, he nodded. “Stay safe.”
Watching her walk away, he ached. He didn’t know what he would do if anything happened to her.
Once the door closed behind Genna, Hetty touched his arm. “How long have you been in love with her?” she asked. “And more importantly, does she return your feelings or are you on your own?”
Genna kept up a brave front, strolling outside as if she didn’t have a care in the word. She maintained her brave front until she reached her car and climbed inside. Promptly locking the doors, she made sure JB’s tote was secured with the seat belt before starting the ignition.
Then, because she had a feeling Parker and Hetty might be watching her out the front window, she forced herself to put the shifter in Reverse and backed up enough to turn the car around.
Though leaving was the absolute last thing she wanted to do, she squared her shoulders, lifted her chin and drove away.
She’d barely reached the first streetlight on the outskirts of Shelby when little JB poked her head out of the tote and whined. Chagrined, Genna realized she’d forgotten to let her pet outside to relieve herself.
Though tempted to pull over and take care of that right now, her location felt too isolated.
For all she knew, she’d get out of the car and that black SUV would come racing around the corner.
Might be foolish, but she didn’t want to take any chances.
JB would have to wait until they were actually in town.
The restaurant Genna had in mind for lunch had an actual dog park out back.
There’d be people and other dogs around, and she didn’t think her stalker would dare make a move under those circumstances.
At least, she hoped not.
By the time she got to the restaurant, the usual lunch crowd had begun to thin.
She parked, grabbed the tote and went directly to the dog area out back.
Once JB had taken care of her business, Genna decided to walk her over to the patio area.
The little dog made an immediate beeline for one of the strategically placed water bowls, which also had Genna realizing she’d forgotten to make sure her dog had water.
“I’m sorry,” Genna said, scratching JB’s neck. “I promise I’ll get better at this dog mom stuff.”
“I bet you’re excellent,” a masculine voice said. Startled, Genna looked up to find one of the wait staff smiling at her. “Can I show you to a table?” he asked.
“Thanks, Ty,” she replied, reading his nametag. “I appreciate that. June Bug and I would like to sit out here on the patio. It’s such a beautiful day.”
“It is,” he said, leading her to a small table in one corner near the railing. “Will this work for you?”
“It will.” Sitting in the chair he pulled out, she accepted the menu he offered. When he also handed her a smaller pet menu, she laughed out loud. On it were things like bone stew and mac and kibble.
Since she didn’t want to mess up JB’s digestion any more than she had to, she didn’t order anything for her dog. For herself, she chose a strawberry, fresh greens and chicken salad, with light dressing on the side.
While she waited for her food, she people watched.
The pace in Shelby felt different than it had in Anchorage.
Maybe because the town was popular with tourists, it had a more relaxed, accepting vibe.
Growing up, she’d never realized this, and it had taken living in the hustle and bustle of a larger city to make her appreciate her hometown.
Her food came. She took a moment to admire the beauty of the salad, which looked so fresh and colorful, before she dug in. It tasted as good as it looked.
While she ate, JB lifted her head once or twice, but didn’t try to beg for anything. The little dog just seemed happy to be there, out in the fresh air with her new owner, the sun on her fur.
“You’re such a good dog,” Genna said, resisting the urge to slip her a tiny piece of chicken. JB gazed up at her and wagged her tail.
After finishing her salad, Genna pushed away her plate and exhaled. It had been a nice lunch. With the sun on her skin and a light breeze keeping her cool, she’d been finally able to relax and enjoy the beautiful weather.
The muted conversations going on at other tables merged with birdsong and light traffic in the street nearby.
From her seat, she could not only see the snowcapped mountains in the distance, but the beautiful cloudless sky.
People strolled the sidewalk out front, and customers entered and exited the restaurant.
She watched food being served and tables being cleaned.
Her server checked on her, asking if she’d like anything else, before removing her plate.
Just because she felt like she deserved it, Genna asked to see a dessert menu. Ty immediately brought it, telling her he’d be back after giving her time to decide.
JB had stretched out on the cool pavement under the table and watched people with interest, though she never barked.
“Such a good dog,” Genna murmured. She thought Revis, despite his much larger size, might also be great to take out in public.
Maybe because they’d come from the same shelter and had been adopted on the same day, Revis and June Bug would always be linked in Genna’s mind. Remembering the unabashed joy Parker took in his new dog made her insides go all soft and squishy. A special dog for a special man.
She couldn’t help but miss Parker. He would have enjoyed this place, she thought. She’d even spent far too much time guessing what he might have gotten to eat.
Clearly, she, who wanted to steer clear of any romantic entanglements, had it bad. She’d be seeing the man that evening, for Pete’s sake. She was staying at his house. Seeing him every day at work. And now she couldn’t even enjoy a solitary lunch without missing him?
To be fair, he’d been the first person she called any time she’d been scared. And he’d showed up every single time she’d needed him. Like today, when she’d thought that black SUV had been following her.
Now that some time had passed, she’d halfway convinced herself that she’d imagined it. After all, the SUV had driven on once she’d turned into the RTA drive. If it had been some random stalker, they would have continued on with her, maybe boxing her in with their vehicle so she couldn’t escape.
Even thinking this made her shudder.
“Have you decided?” Ty asked.
Since she’d barely even glanced at the menu, she asked him what he recommended.
“The chocolate lava cake,” he immediately answered. “It’s to die for.”
“Then I’ll have that,” she decided, passing him back the menu.
“And would you like a dog biscuit for your June Bug?” he asked. “On the house.”
Beaming at him, she nodded. “Thank you, I would.” She had to give him points for even remembering JB’s name.
When her dessert arrived, along with a baked bone for JB, she almost clapped. “That’s stunning,” she said, admiring the cake. She even went so far as to pull out her phone and take a picture of it before picking up her fork to dig in.
She’d just taken her first bite, briefly closing her eyes to savor the blast of chocolate sweetness, when the sound of tires screeching had her turning toward the road. She was dimly conscious of other diners around her doing the same.
Two cars had nearly collided, only narrowly missing hitting each other because one had slammed on their brakes.
It wasn’t this that made Genna freeze though. When she realized one of the vehicles involved was the same, black SUV, she nearly dropped her fork.
“Is something wrong?” Ty materialized at her elbow, his concerned gaze taking in her no-doubt pale expression and barely eaten dessert. “Is the cake not to your liking?”
Though her appetite had now completely deserted her, she managed to reassure him that the cake was, in fact, wonderful. “I’m just full,” she lied.
“I’ll get you a to-go box,” he said. A moment later, he returned with one. “Here you go.”
She thanked him and nodded, glad he hadn’t brought the check. She wasn’t about to tell him there was no way she’d be leaving while that black vehicle was anywhere in the vicinity.
Instead, she continued to watch, waiting for the driver of the SUV to emerge. She had her phone out, camera at the ready, intending to take as many photos of him or her as possible. While she waited, she got several pics of the SUV itself, though she didn’t have a good view of the license plate.
But while the driver of the other car immediately got out to look for any damage, no one got out of the black vehicle. Instead, it reversed, swerved around the intersection, and sped off.
Hands shaking, Genna’s first impulse was to call Parker. But she figured he’d be heading out with his tour group about now and she didn’t want to bother him.
The other driver had noticed her watching and waved. “Did you see that?” he asked, walking over to the wrought iron that bordered the restaurant’s patio area. “I didn’t even think to get his license number.”
She nodded, explaining she hadn’t been able to get it, either.
“Luckily, there’s no damage to my car,” the man said. With a friendly nod, he walked away.
Though she no longer had any appetite for her dessert, Genna forced herself to take a few more bites, eating slowly, trying to get her heart rate to slow. She didn’t understand why this person had decided to single her out, but this all needed to stop.
Now, the thought of leaving the restaurant terrified her.
Petting JB, she stared at the mostly uneaten cake, making no move to put it into the to-go box. Ty materialized and offered to take care of that for her.
Once he had, he smiled and left the check, telling her, “No hurry.” Good thing, because she had no intention of moving just then. She honestly wasn’t sure she’d be able to walk.
But eventually, she had to get up and vacate the table. It wouldn’t be fair to the restaurant or to her server for her to sit there so long after she’d finished her meal.
First, she clipped the leash to JB’s collar and walked her over to the grassy, shaded, fenced area that had been designated for dogs. Once JB had gone potty, Genna picked her up and carried her out to her car, continually scanning the parking area for any sign of the black SUV.
As soon as she got inside, she locked the doors and started the ignition. Slowly backing from her space, she drove slowly around the lot before exiting to the street.
A few blocks down she saw a large pet store. Since she could bring JB inside, this seemed like a safe place to pass a little more time. She needed to stock up on a few more dog supplies anyway.
June Bug appeared to enjoy riding in the shopping cart.
Genna grabbed several more toys, another fluffy dog bed, this one for the office, and the perfect, pink harness.
She wheeled up and down every aisle, including the fish and reptile area, hating that she had to constantly check over her shoulder.
It didn’t help that she had no idea what her stalker looked like, so she simply avoided everyone, male or female.
When it came time to check out, she tried to make small talk with the cashier, acting as though her heart wasn’t racing.
Once she’d paid for her items, she left the cart in the front of the store and loaded JB up in the tote bag.
Taking a deep breath, she paused just outside the entrance and once again searched for any sign of the black SUV.
She hated being so jumpy and on edge. And angry, she realized as she loaded the bags and her dog into her car.
It was not only frightening, but infuriating to be made to feel like a target.
There had to be a safe way to put an end to this.
Right now though, she just needed to avoid the stalker. No way did she intend to confront him alone.
She took another quick scan of the parking lot before getting into the driver’s seat. Once inside, after immediately locking the doors and starting the ignition, she tried to figure out where to go next.
Her first thought—RTA headquarters—she immediately discarded. It looked bad enough that she’d already put in an appearance there on her day off. Yet she couldn’t go to her house and she didn’t want to take a chance on driving to Parker’s while he wasn’t there in case someone followed.
As she drove slowly down Main Street, her anger subsided and she realized she wanted to cry. Since she didn’t consider herself a weepy kind of person, this only increased her irritation. Swiping at her eyes, she tried to blink the tears away while she decided where to go and what to do.