Chapter 30
Summer
I almost forgot that I had to work on Saturday morning.
Luckily, Zander woke me up and reminded me.
By the time I’m ready, Ceres is sitting at the island with a coffee in hand.
He gives me a nod in greeting as I take a seat myself.
Zander sets a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast in front of me, along with a mug of tea. “Thanks,” I reply.
I’m not really hungry, but I know I’ll regret not eating once I work in the greenhouse, so I shovel down the food without tasting it.
Zander informs me he’ll be joining us at the plantation since I’ll be done at noon.
Nodding, I hand him my Jeep keys after grabbing my backpack and follow them out of the house.
All three of us are quiet as Zander drives us to my work.
I direct him where to park, then hop into a golf cart and drive us to the greenhouse.
Not bothering to stop at my locker, I walk us into the poinsettia greenhouse where I find Rose and Aaron getting set up.
I’m not sure how to approach Rose about having two extra shadows today, but luckily Zander pulls her aside to explain.
Once they return, Rose gives my arm a squeeze in support before getting us sorted.
I’m in charge of fertilizing and moving pots around today.
Aaron and I split up, each taking half of the greenhouse.
He gives me a few curious looks but asks nothing, for which I’m grateful.
It’s hard to explain, and the fewer people who know, the better.
Zander stays with me while Ceres walks around outside.
Zander gets right into the work, hauling pots around, which allows us to finish early.
I say goodbye to Aaron and Rose before driving the three of us back to the Jeep.
As I turn a corner near the main building, Ceres tells me to stop.
He jumps out of the cart, running towards the trees on the far side of the property.
I glimpse a guy with a camera, who takes off into the woods.
Zander jumps into the passenger seat, gun in hand, and tells me to floor it to the parking lot.
Not arguing, I do as I’m told. Once I park the golf cart, Zander has me follow behind him to my vehicle.
He has his weapon raised, surveying the area.
I grab the back of his shirt, like I do with my guys, and keep watch as well.
Not seeing anything, he gets me into the back, lying across the seats so I’m not visible.
Luckily, the staff parking lot isn’t busy, and we don’t run into anyone.
Zander calls Troy to fill him in. “I’m waiting for Ceres to call, darling, then we’ll know what we're dealing with,” he tells me. “Are you holding up?”
“I’m fine,” I reply. “That guy is probably the one who’s been taking the photos.”
“That is my guess,” he replies.
Damn, what a horribly exciting week filled with nerve-wracking moments. WITSEC discussions, Nick leaving, and now this. Oh, how I crave the simplicity of a boring life. I’m so tired of the chaos. Surprisingly, I’m not scared, just anxious. Honestly, I’ve been kind of numb since Nick left.
Zander’s phone finally dings with a text. “It’s Ceres. He has the man in zip ties and is walking him out to us. I need to call Eddie and the police, darling. He was alone, so you can sit up now.”
Getting up, I crawl into the front passenger seat as Zander makes his calls.
I text Rose to let her know what’s going on as I watch for Ceres.
Sean arrives in a police cruiser, followed by Troy and Seb.
Seb makes a beeline for our vehicle, getting into the back and hauling me back beside him.
“Sunshine, stop stressing me out like that. I’m locking you in your room, so you never go anywhere again. ”
“Everything’s fine, Hurry. Just a photographer,” I reply, patting his back.
I catch Ceres out of the corner of my eye, so I tell Hurry to let me out.
Zander asks me to stay by the Jeep as he, Troy, and Sean walk over to meet them.
The guy is lanky, with a ripped t-shirt and jeans on.
He looks like he has a bloody, busted-up nose and is covered in dirt.
Checking on Ceres, he seems fine. His clothes are still clean, and I don’t see any marks or blood anywhere.
Sean escorts the guy to the back of his cruiser before meeting the rest of us by my Jeep.
He asks for statements from Zander, Ceres, and me, which are pretty quick, then informs us he’ll call if he has questions.
Eddie is meeting him at the station. We drop Ceres off at Finn after we both thank him, then Seb hops into the back and Zander drives us back to the house.
Zander and I both excuse ourselves to grab showers, leaving Seb to entertain himself.
Once I’m clean, I join Seb on the couch. “How ya doing, Sunshine?” He asks.
Shrugging, I respond with ‘fine’ before laying my head against his shoulder. “I wasn’t really worried, and I didn’t notice the guy until Ceres chased after him, but I saw the camera he was holding.”
“Z is in the office talking to Troy. How are you sleeping?”
“Not great, but I’ll survive.”
“Are the sleeping pills not working?” He asks.
“They are, but they don’t stop the nightmares. How are you?”
“Besides the mini heart attack today, you mean?” He says, poking my side. “I’m okay. Still weird being in the room without Nick. Gabby slept in Nick's bed, which helped. She’s struggling. Troy is worried too, but he doesn’t show it. Life’s a mess, Sunshine.”
“It is,” I reply. There’s not much else to say, so Seb turns on the tv as we wait for news.
Zander joins us after a few hours with an update.
“Sean called. The man’s name is George. He was hired to take photos of all of you, beginning in August. A Mr. Smith sent him an email with the request, claiming he was family and wanted to monitor you guys.
He offered to pay upfront and had photos of all of you for reference.
The only stipulations were not to interfere and to take the photos from a distance.
He printed the photos and sent them to a PO Box every two weeks. ”
“What about charges?” Seb asks.
“I don’t know yet. Patrick’s involvement complicates this. The FBI will make that decision. Darling, are you okay after this morning?”
“Yeah. It wasn’t a big deal.”
Zander seems concerned about my response but doesn’t comment on it. “What are your plans for the rest of the day?”
“Hey Sunshine, think you can create something to relax us all with your plants?” Seb asks.
Thinking about his question, I probably could come up with something. “I guess so. What kind of stuff do you want?”
“Dunno. You’re the expert. Tea, lotion, something for your bath.”
Nodding, my mind latches onto the idea, working through options in my head. I hear Zander and Seb talking beside me, but I’m not paying attention. Zander squeezes my hand before leaving the room as Seb pulls me up and walks me to my bedroom.
“Tell me what you’ve come up with, Sunshine. Do we need anything from your shelves?” He asks, waving his hand towards my bookshelves of flowers, tinctures, and herbs.
“I’m thinking we need to get out of fight-or-flight mode, and we need something uplifting. I need to do some research first.”
“Cool. You do that and I’ll keep you company.”
Grabbing my laptop, I go back out to the couch corner and start researching while Seb watches an NBA game.
Zander offers us sandwiches and veggies for lunch.
I get absorbed in my work, ideas forming as I read and take notes.
After deciding what I want, I place an order with my preferred store with express shipping.
I have some items I need, but not everything.
Setting my laptop aside, I notice Zander and Seb are eating popcorn and watching another game. It was nice to concentrate on something for a while that wasn’t sad or negative. I let them know I’m calling Sarah before going to my room. Sarah answers right away. “Hi Summer. How are you?” She smiles.
“I had an interesting morning at the plantation,” I say, filling her in on the photographer.
“How are you feeling about that?”
“Not fazed. I was a little anxious when Zander pulled out his gun, but I think it was the gun and not the situation that caused it.”
“You've had another eventful week. It will take time to process it all. I’m not concerned about your reaction today. The photos will cease now, so that will be one less thing to be concerned about. How has your sleep been?”
“Not great. I’m taking my pills, but still having nightmares. I don’t know which is worse. Taking the pills and not waking up from the dreams or skipping the pills and waking up a bunch.”
“I can prescribe a stronger medication for you,” she offers.
“No. I don’t like taking the ones I have.”
“That is your decision, always. I suggest we revisit the idea in a few weeks if things haven’t improved. Will you be staying at Alex’s house this weekend or having one of your friends over?”
“No, to Alex’s place. I don’t have any plans for someone to stay here, but Seb is visiting, so we could sleep on the couch tonight.”
“That would be helpful if you're overtired.” We talk about midterms, and I fill her in on Seb’s idea of creating a stress reliever, which Sarah encourages.
I ask Seb to spend the night, and he happily agrees, so Zander invites Troy and Gabby over for pizza. We have a relaxing evening together, and I get a good night’s sleep holding Seb’s hand on the couch.
On Sunday, Holly and Gabby join me to make our costumes.
Holly keeps the conversation light, and once Gabby gets into creative mode, her mood lightens as well.
My costume is the most elaborate, so we switch around helping each other where we can.
Gabby is a tremendous help with both costumes.
Holly just had to cut out and iron some felt onto two shirts.
The three of us decided on a more whimsical style of tree spirit, and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.
Zander and I baked cookies and muffins this morning, so we have lots of snacks while we work at the table and island.
Zander stays nearby, watching sports in the living room.
It turns out to be a good day, and we finish just before dinner.
I ask the girls to stay, but Holly is meeting up with Jaxon, so she gathers up her costumes and leaves.
Troy is picking up Gabby, so Zander cooks the four of us burgers for supper while I make a pasta salad.
We eat around the fire pit since Troy and Zander insist it’s cold outside.
I have to chuckle at them. It’s still in the 70s.