Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jessica’s keys had been in her purse when she’d arrived at work that morning—she was certain of it.
She always put her keys away in the same pocket inside her purse whenever she parked her car.
It was a habit she’d developed at sixteen when she first learned to drive.
That way, she was never confused about where they might be.
And yet now, she couldn’t find them. She dug through the purse again, checking every pocket, as she stood beside her car in the empty lot.
All of the other teachers had left for the day.
She’d stayed back to do some grading. It was almost dark.
Although there were a few lights in the parking lot, it gave the place an eerie, twilight feel.
She wasn’t accustomed to the school being so quiet.
Even the football team had passed by earlier on their way to their showers.
They were no doubt joking around in the locker room at that moment, although she couldn’t see that part of the school from where she stood.
To her, it seemed as though she was entirely alone on the campus.
She glanced up with a shiver as the cold of the evening breeze pierced through her light coat.
She hadn’t expected to be outside for this long and should’ve worn something warmer.
It was the middle of fall, and even though the weather here wasn’t as cold as it would’ve been back home, it was still enough to make her wish for a fireplace and some hot cocoa.
That was exactly what she needed — the thought warmed her a little.
She’d go home and put her feet up with a cup of hot cocoa.
There was some leftover soup in the fridge too—that would be dinner.
She didn’t need to cook every night now that she was living alone and wasn’t sure she liked it.
She’d lived with her parents and siblings for most of her life, and then the busy college dormitory, followed by an apartment with roommates.
There’d always been people around. She didn’t much like coming home to a quiet house.
But at least she had the kitten now and less cooking to do.
There was the sound of scraping, as though someone was walking over the loose gravel by the edge of the soccer field, and she glanced up to see the figure of a man standing on the side of the parking lot.
He was beneath a tree, in deeper darkness outside of the glare of the streetlights.
He seemed to be wearing a dark sweater with the hood pulled up.
His hands were pushed into his jeans pockets.
She startled, her heart immediately jumping into an accelerated rhythm. Her breathing sped up too, and she searched even more frantically for her keys with blind grasping as she kept her eyes fixed on the figure.
A key poked the end of her finger, and with relief she tugged it out of the purse, sending her lip gloss and compact flying.
She was torn between the desire to flee and not wanting to lose the compact her parents had brought her back from Ireland.
The jaunty green clover leaf on the back of the mirror almost glowed against the pavement.
She squatted and scooped up the mirror and lip gloss, then stood and spun around to unlock the car. But he was there. Standing right beside the car. Between her and the door. Far too close. So close that she cried out and took a step back.
“Hi, Jessie.” Hilton’s voice sounded cold when he spoke. She hadn’t seen him in months and had begun to think she wouldn’t have to face him again, that he’d given up on pursuing her. She’d been happy.
“Hilton, what are you doing here?” She just had to get by him, reach her car, and shut the door. But he was in the way.
“I came to see you. Aren’t you happy to see me?”
She had to be careful. Her entire body vibrated with tension. “Of course. It’s nice to see a familiar face again. But I didn’t know you were coming. You should’ve let me know.”
“You changed your phone number.” He smiled slowly, moving towards her.
“Oh, yeah. That’s right.” She stepped backwards.
“I thought we could spend some time together. I’ve missed you.”
“Um… well, I have plans tonight. But maybe some other time…”
“I drove all this way. Surely your plans aren’t that important. Not as important as spending time with an old friend.”
Is that what he was? At least he’d stopped calling himself her boyfriend. That was something. “I guess I could cancel.” She had to think of some way to get out of there. As far as she knew, he didn’t have her address, although how he’d found the school where she worked was a mystery.
“How did you find me?”
He shrugged and peered over at the school. “Your photo was on the website.”
“The school website?”
“Yep — under ‘Our Staff.’” He chuckled. “You didn’t really look like yourself, but at least it gave me a place to start. And here you are. I was beginning to wonder if you weren’t in today.”
“I had to work late.”
“You’re always the busy little bee. So, let’s grab some dinner. I’m not sure what’s good around here, but I’m sure we can find something.”
“Okay, tell me a restaurant chain and I’ll meet you there.”
He cocked his head to one side, studying her. “No need. I’ll ride with you.”
She cleared her throat. “What about the restraining order, Hilton?”
His brow furrowed. “It’s not for Georgia.”
“I think it’s federal…”
“Let’s not talk about all that ugliness. Can we please just share a nice meal and talk about the future? The past is behind us. There’s no point in dredging it up again.”
She unlocked the car and climbed into the driver’s seat.
After resisting the urge to accelerate away from him, she waited for him to climb into the passenger seat.
She knew him too well. Now that he was here, he wasn’t going to give up easily.
She had to play along or she’d make it worse for herself.
But her brain was actively trying to come up with a way to shake him off for good that wouldn’t involve prison time for her.
“What do you feel like eating?” she asked.
“We could just go back to your place, order in…” he suggested.
Did he think she was stupid? He probably did.
She’d acted like a fool for most of their relationship by not breaking things off every time he showed her who he was.
She’d been too tenderhearted, too concerned about his fragile mental health.
He’d change, he just needed help — that’s what she told herself over and over.
And now, look where that had gotten her.
“I’ve got no food at my little condo, and besides, it’s a long drive,” she lied. He probably wouldn’t fall for it, but she had to try to divert him away from the truth. The last thing she wanted was to feel afraid every time she walked into her house.
She couldn’t read his response — he simply smirked. Did that mean he already knew where she lived and wasn’t buying it?
“How about Applebee’s?” she asked. The restaurant was close by and usually pretty packed, which meant more witnesses in case he tried anything.
“Sounds good.”
They made small talk as they drove. She asked about his family. He shared very little, reverting back to his usual morose self. So instead, she chatted cheerfully, hoping to keep him distracted while her mind spun in circles.
At the restaurant, she excused herself to make a phone call, walked to the back of the restaurant, and called Tyler.
They were supposed to have dinner here this evening, and she had to tell him she couldn’t make it.
She still wasn’t exactly sure what to say.
She didn’t want to upset him or potentially cause a conflict between him and Hilton.
But at the same time, she wanted so badly for him to come and rescue her from this situation.
She’d handled Hilton many times before. And this whole situation was so embarrassing. She’d rather Tyler didn’t know about it. She’d eat with him, be cordial, then do her best to get away from him. Hopefully, he’d be happy with that and go home, and life could return to normal.
“Hey, Tyler. It’s Jess.”
She could almost hear Tyler’s smile through the phone line. “Hey, I was about to come and pick you up. Everything okay?”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling very well. It’s been a long day, and I think I’m coming down with something. I’m going to have to take a rain check. Is that okay?”
He hesitated. “Uh… I guess. I hope you feel better soon. I thought I heard someone say ‘Welcome to Applebee’s’ in the background there.”
Her cheeks flamed. “Uh, yeah, I thought I’d stop by the restaurant but once I got here, I realised I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I was really looking forward to seeing you, but I just don’t think I should push myself. Plus, I don’t want to get you sick.”
“That’s nice of you. Okay, we can try again soon. I’ll call you.”
As she hung up the phone, her heart ached.
She wanted him here. But she couldn’t risk putting him in danger.
This was her issue. And she understood him well enough to know he’d get involved if he knew Hilton was there.
She didn’t want to escalate things. She’d find out what he wanted, be polite, and then send him on his way. It was all going to be okay.
She let her eyes drift shut, drew a deep breath, and then with a forced smile returned to the table.
“Everything okay?” Hilton asked.
“Yup, just canceling my plans for this evening.”
“You’re dating?” he asked, his eyes narrowed.
“No, it’s not like that. I’m making friends. It’s a new place…”
He grunted. “Because cheating isn’t an attractive look, Jessie.”
“Cheating? We’re not together anymore, Hil. You know that. We’ve spoken about it multiple times.”
He waved her off. “We’ve had a few fights, but I’m willing to overlook that and take you back. You should be grateful. Not many men would.”
“I don’t want to get back together. I’ve moved on. I have a whole new life now. You’re just going to have to accept that.”
He smiled at her. A narrow, sly smile. “Don’t worry, Jess. I don’t give up so easily. You and I are meant to be together.”
“I don’t know why you think that.” She tried not to let her exasperation show. “When we were together, you never seemed happy. You were always moody, critical… nothing I ever did was right. Why would you want that again?”
His smile faded. “I’m in love and it hurts that you can’t recognise my feelings.”
She knew when it was time to stop pushing. The look in his eyes gave him away. There was a flash of something that scared her. “I’m starving. I think I’m going to get the cheeseburger. How about you?”
He stared at her, then looked at the menu. “Buffalo wings.”
“Yum! Where are you staying?”
“I’m at the Quality Inn over by I-20.”
“Oh, that’s great. I’ll drop you back there after dinner.” That way, he wouldn’t see where she lived. It was the only thing she could think to do. She didn’t want him following her in an Uber.
“Okay, thanks. You’re always so thoughtful.”