CHAPTER THIRTEEN
WHITNEY
Whitney folded up the sheets and blanket Nick had used overnight and instead of putting them in the wash, she placed them on a shelf in the laundry room with the pillow in case Nick needed them again. Waking up to find him in the kitchen after protecting her all night had brought home the emptiness of the past couple of years in Hollywood. She’d liked seeing Nick there, sharing coffee with him, sending him off with a wish for a good day. It seemed so … domestic.
She shook her head and reminded herself that it wasn’t a normal scene, that Nick was there to protect her from what could be something serious or a simply a mean prank.
Mindy whined at her feet.
Whitney bent over and picked her up, enjoying cuddling the dachshund. With all the worrisome things that were going on, Whitney was happier than ever that she’d adopted the dog. Mindy might be small and have short legs, but she became a teeth-bared beast when anyone threatened Whitney.
###
Whitney had stepped from the shower when GG called.
“Hi, darling. Are you alright?” GG asked.
“Yes. Why are you asking?” Whitney said cautiously.
“I overheard the staff talking about some trouble you were having with fans of Zane’s. One person even mentioned a note on your doorstep.”
Whitney’s heart stopped beating and then sprang ahead to catch up. “What are you talking about? A note on my doorstep? Who said that?” That note hadn’t been reported to anyone.
“I’m not sure where that started. I’ll try to find out. But, Whitney, dear, what’s going on? Should I be worried?”
“I’m fine. Nick Woodruff is going to investigate to make sure I stay that way.” Whitney tried for humor. “Living in a small town makes it easy to get the attention of the Chief of Police.”
“My darling, you can catch Nick’s attention anytime. I remember what it was like between the two of you that one summer. Very special.” GG’s voice held a softness that made Whitney unexpectedly want to cry.
“Are you up for a visit?” Whitney asked her.
“That would be lovely. Maybe the two of us can find out about these rumors. A note on the doorstep. What will they think of next?”
Whitney remained quiet. No way did she want GG to worry about her. Besides, she had a pretty good idea where such a rumor might have started. Thinking she might need a witness, she called Dani.
###
Twenty minutes later, Dani accompanied Whitney to GG’s room at The Woodlands.
When GG saw them, she rose from her chair on the patio and opened her arms. “Ah, two of my three grands. What a treat.”
Whitney enveloped her grandmother in a hug. She stepped aside as Dani hugged GG and then Dani said in her no-nonsense way, “We’re here to find the person who knew about the note left on our front porch.”
GG’s eyebrows shot up. “Then it’s true?” She glanced at Whitney.
“I didn’t want to say anything to you about it. We want to get to the bottom of it, so we don’t have to worry. Nick thinks it might be a prank caused by all the social media gossip.”
“But that’s such a cruel thing to do,” said GG.
“Yes, it is,” said Dani. “That’s why I’m here.”
Whitney placed a hand on Dani’s arm. “We can’t go charging around here accusing someone of doing this. We need to know where the information came from. Right?”
“Yes, but I already know who the culprit is,” said Dani. Her nostrils flared. “I’d bet money on it.”
“Let me go speak to the receptionist and check to see who’s on duty,” said Whitney. “I’ll ask in such a way she won’t suspect anything. Then you can take over.”
“Deal,” said Dani looking grim.
Whitney left them and returned. Giving a smile to Dani, she said, “Ready.”
“I’ll be back,” said Dani, leaving the room with a purposeful stride.
“What’s this about?” asked GG.
“You’ll see,” said Whitney. She wanted GG’s surprise to be real. But then again, maybe it wouldn’t be a surprise at all.
In less than ten minutes, Dani returned with JoEllen. “Yep, we were right all along. What do you have to say for yourself, JoEllen?”
JoEllen clasped her hands in front of her and rocked from one foot to another. “I’m sorry. A group of us were at Jake’s when all this stuff came on the entertainment show about the group called the Zaniacs. We’d had a lot to drink, and when someone came up with the suggestion, I told them I’d deliver it.”
“Whose idea was it?” Whitney asked, her hands balled into fists.
JoEllen shrugged. “Probably all of us. It was a stupid thing to do, I now realize. At the time, we thought it was funny.”
“I’m reporting the incident to the police,” said Dani. “If Nick calls you, like you’ve always wanted, it’ll be to give you a warning. I don’t know what your game is, but you have some serious problems.”
“I said I’m sorry,” said JoEllen, crossing her arms in front of her, a look of fury on her face. “Because you Gilford girls are everyone’s favorites, it doesn’t mean you should be treated differently from anyone else, as if you’re so special.”
“Are you telling me you’d do this to someone else?” Whitney asked in a cool, controlled voice. Her icy stare made even Dani uncomfortable.
“No, no, I didn’t say that,” JoEllen said. “Look, I’ve got to go back to work.”
“I’m prepared to tell the manager what has happened, what kind of person you are,” said GG entering the conversation. “If I ever hear that you’ve done anything to harass my granddaughters, I will. Do you understand?”
JoEllen bowed her head. “I just want to make friends,” she mumbled. “That’s why I agreed to do it.”
“Well, then, smarten up. Why would you risk getting into trouble to make friends? No spying on Brad and Dani, no mean tricks,” said GG sounding as firm as she had all of Whitney’s growing up years.
“Let your ‘friends’ know that this kind of thing won’t be tolerated. I’m telling Nick about it, but that’s all,” said Whitney both frustrated by JoEllen and feeling sorry for her.
“You can go now,” said Dani, opening the door to GG’s room and standing by as JoEllen made her exit.
“What a story,” said GG. “This calls for some lemonade and cookies. I’ve got some here already.”
“A celebration of sorts,” said Dani. “All this worry for nothing feels very good.”
“Amen,” said GG.
“Yes,” agreed Whitney. “I hope it puts an end to it.”
Dani elbowed Whitney. “One good thing though. We know Nick would do anything for you. That was worth the scare. Huh?”
Whitney laughed, unable to think of anything to say except “maybe”.
###
When they left The Woodlands, Whitney and Dani drove directly to the police station and asked to see Nick. They waited for a moment before he approached them in uniform from the back of the building. Seeing him in this setting, Whitney understood why Taylor was basing the hero in her next book on him. He was drop-dead gorgeous even as he wore a look of concern as he walked toward them.
“Everything okay?” he asked Whitney.
“We thought you ought to have an update on the note situation,” said Dani. “It’s pretty unreal.”
“Come on back to my office and we can talk there.” He studied Whitney. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, but I’m mad as hell,” said Whitney.
He led them into an office which could only be considered plain with its institutional yellow walls and lack of furnishings. Two chairs sat in front of a wooden desk. A long worktable sat in the middle of the facing wall. Framed documents noting the education and awards Nick had received decorated the wall above the table.
“It’s not much, but it works,” said Nick, indicating the office with a sweep of his arm. “Please have a seat and tell me what’s going on.”
Dani leaned forward anxious to tell the story.
Whitney let her take the lead. Dani was even more upset than she and rightly so. JoEllen had been a nuisance to her and Brad for weeks, claiming Brad had agreed to marry her to fulfill his deceased wife’s wish. Another bizarre situation.
Nick listened as Dani told the story of how they’d gone to The Woodlands after GG mentioned knowing about a note left on the front porch.
“Anything to add?” Nick asked, focusing his gaze on Whitney.
“Though I’m livid about her actions, I understand them in a way. JoEllen has few social skills, has a particular way of irritating people, and wants desperately to be liked. It’s an impossible situation. She claims someone else thought of the idea and she promised to carry through with it as a joke. But it’s more problematic than that.”
“You’re too kind,” said Dani, shifting in her seat with irritation.
“You can’t legally charge her with anything other than harassment, perhaps, but I certainly can speak to her. She’s called me a couple of times asking me to meet her, so I owe her a call anyway.”
Whitney was relieved. She didn’t want a major fight on her hands but did want JoEllen to know pranks like this were not acceptable. Something she should’ve been aware of on her own.
As someone knocked on the door, Nick checked his watch and stood. “Okay, then, I think we’re done here. I’ll report back to you, Whitney. And I’m going to continue to keep an eye on things.”
The smile Nick gave her sent a flurry of longing through her. He was someone she definitely wanted to know better.
As they left the police station, Dani turned to Whitney. “You guys are so hot together.”
“What do you mean?” asked Whitney.
“C’mon. That smile he sent you all but set you on fire.” Dani wrapped her arm around Whitney. “I loved seeing that. It’s about time you had some fun in your life.”
Whitney was quiet, but she wasn’t about to have a fling with anyone. She’d be careful with Nick because she knew now that she wanted more than that.