Chapter 13
The next morning, West drops me off at work, and as a thanks for both the ride and yesterday, I send him on his way with a big box of treats along with his daily coffee, all on the house.
Wren enters the bakery the same time West leaves, and they stop to greet each other. I smile at the memory of yesterday, when West told me he used to help with her hair.
“Good morning, Jade! Glad you’re feeling better,” she says on her way to the counter.
“Morning, Wren. I hope everything went well yesterday?”
“It was great! Thanks again for hiring me. I really needed this job,” she says, and I smile.
“Oh! That reminds me, I made you something!” I tell her, reaching under the counter for the apron I placed there when I arrived. I hold it out to her, and she takes it, smiling.
“Wait. You made these?” she asks. “I was looking at Sarah’s yesterday thinking how cute it was.”
I smile proudly and roll onto the tips of toes. “I did!”
The apron is a light purple, and on the chest I’ve embroidered our shop logo, and on the waist, on each pocket, is a lavender stem.
“No way. These are beautiful, thanks, Jade!” she says, tying the apron around her waist.
“Now, back to you needing this job. It should be us thanking you!” I tell her. “I know you recently moved back, so can I ask where you were before?”
“I was in Hadley. So, not far,” she tells me.
“And what brought you back?” I ask curiously, wanting to know more about her.
Her demeanor changes, and I can tell I’ve made her uncomfortable.
“You know what,” I say. “It’s none of my business.” I wave my hand in the air so she knows I wasn’t trying to pry.
“It’s okay. It was just time for me to come home,” she says, looking sad, and I can feel the pain in her voice. She was hurt. Whatever happened in Hadley is her secret, and I won’t push.
“Well, welcome back.” I smile, getting to work on starting the espresso machines while Wren stocks the display case.
A little later in the morning, Sarah joins us, and we spend the day all working alongside each other, chattering along as we go. Wren is such a great addition to our little group, and I’m glad to have her here. The customers know her, and she’s so good with them.
“So, I’m sorry if I’m overstepping, and I know I said I didn’t want to talk about my brothers, but I can’t help it.
I’m curious. What exactly is the deal with you and West?
You said you were just getting to know each other, but I think he is in deep with you.
Ignoring the scene you two put on during pool, he stayed with you yesterday while you were sick.
I think that’s a little more than just getting to know each other,” she says, looking at me with her brows raised.
Nervously biting my lip, I’m not really sure what to say. The truth is, we are really only just starting to get to know each other. We haven’t even had our first official date yet, which is this coming weekend, but I get what Wren is saying. It feels like more.
“Honestly, I don’t know. We really are just getting to know each other, but he is a very good man and I’m enjoying his company.”
I don’t know why talking about this makes me so nervous. Maybe because I don’t have much experience with this.
“Mom said he asked her to bring chicken soup to your house,” Wren says.
I nod in confirmation. “He did. I already told West, but can you please thank her again for me? She didn’t have to do that, it was incredibly kind of her.”
Wren waves her hand. “Pfft, she loved it. She loves taking care of people, and I think she’s excited West is happy again and hasn’t completely given up on love.”
My face scrunches, and I tip my head to the side. “Given up on love?” I ask curiously.
Wren watches me for a moment before continuing. “Has he told you about Lauren?”
I shake my head and furrow my brows. “Who’s Lauren?”
“Oh, that’s his ex. They were together for quite a while. But don’t worry, I think she’s married and lives in Vancouver now,” she tells me.
I don’t know why this bothers me. I know it shouldn’t. It’s not like I thought he’s never had a girlfriend before.
Is this jealousy?
“Oh, we haven’t really talked about ex’s yet,” I tell her, shrugging.
“It’s been five years since the break up anyways,” she says, and that makes me feel a little better.
Sarah finishes rolling out her dough and looks at me. “So, tell me. How exactly did he take care of you yesterday?” she asks, waggling her brows in suggestion, and I shake my head.
“Sarah,” I scold her playfully. “I was sick. But he did braid my hair,” I tell them.
Sarah’s mouth drops open. “Shut up! He did not!” she squeals.
“He did.” I laugh, smiling along with them.
When lunch time comes around, West comes in with a large take-out bag from Cedar and Sage. “Afternoon, ladies, Wren texted and asked me to bring her some lunch. Figured I should grab something for all three of you,” he says, holding out the bag in offering.
Sarah reaches for it and peeks inside. “Sweet! Thanks, West!”
“This is very kind of you.” I smile as Sarah begins to hand out containers.
West shrugs, as if thinking of all three of us isn’t a big deal. “Don’t thank me yet. I wasn’t sure what everyone normally gets, so I got three orders of the burger Wrenley ordered.”
We open our Styrofoam containers, and my tummy growls in anticipation. Inside sits a burger dripping in BBQ sauce, and the aroma of the smoky sauce has my mouth watering. Taking a bite, I let out a moan as the flavours hit my tongue. “Seriously.” I look to West. “Thank you for this.”
He chuckles. “Glad you like it.”
“You are the best brother ever!” Wren tells him in between bites.
“Well, I need to get back to the station. I’ll see you ladies tomorrow, and Jade, I’m looking forward to our date this weekend.” He smiles at me, and I smile back.
“So am I,” I tell him honestly. It’s all I could think about this morning. Knowing that this is the week we will finally have our first real date.
West leaves, and Wren eyes me. “Wait, wait, wait. You have a date with my brother this weekend?” she asks, still finishing up her burger.
I nod. “I do.”
“But it’s the rodeo and fair,” she says.
“Oh! Speaking of rodeo,” Sarah interrupts, turning to Wren. “Would you like to come with us?”
Wren pulls her eyes away from me and looks at Sarah. “Sure! I love the rodeo! You know Hayes will be competing?” She beams with pride.
“Well, let’s all hope he doesn’t get bucked off and break a neck,” Sarah says sarcastically, and I have to roll my lips back to stop a giggle from bubbling out.
Wren rolls her eyes and focuses back on me. “So, assuming your date isn’t to the rodeo or fair. What will you guys be doing?” she asks, smiling with curiosity.
“Actually, we will be going to the fair. Which reminds me, are you okay to work our booth with Sarah?”
“Hold up. My brother, as in, West, is going to the fair?” She balks at me.
“Uhh. Yes?” I question, wondering what I’m missing.
Wren shakes her head. “Man, the guy’s got it bad. He hates the fair,” she tells me, looking a little shocked. “He complains about it every year. Even when I wasn’t living here, I heard about it.”
I work my lip between my teeth, feeling unsure now. Surely he wouldn’t ask me to the fair if he really didn’t want to go? After all, he was the one that asked me.
“Oh. He didn’t say anything,” I tell Wren nervously.
“It’s the calls. Every year there are drunk drivers, noise complaints, theft reported from the booths. Young kids getting into trouble. You know, all that kind of stuff.”
“Ahh.” That makes sense.
“Do you remember last year, Jade?” Sarah giggles, and I smile at the memory. I don’t think anyone could forget that Ms. Johnson tricked Ian into wearing a speedo for the Dunk A Cop charity booth.
“How could I forget?” I giggle.
“What happened last year?” Wren asks us.
Sarah and I share a look before bursting into giggles. We tell the story to Wren, who joins in, and we laugh until our abs hurt.
The day goes by quickly, and before I know it, we’re closing up shop and saying our goodbyes.
“You need a ride, Jade?” Wren asks, looking up at the sky.
Dark clouds start to roll in, and chances are it will rain before I make it home. Thunder booms in the background, and I take her offer. “That would be great, thanks.”
Like I predicted, the second we turn off Main Street it starts to pour. Fat rain drops slide down the windshield, and the roads begin to pool.
“Are you going to make it home okay?” I ask Wren, looking out at the growing storm.
“I’ll be fine. Nothing I haven’t driven in before. Plus, old Tilly here has been through so much worse with my brothers.”
Wren’s truck is an old single cab blue Ford that has been passed down between her siblings.
For being as old as it is, it’s in great shape.
The exterior doesn’t have a single dent, scratch, or paint chip.
The interior is still the same original leather and doesn’t have a single tear or stain.
The only thing that’s been updated is where there once was an old cassette player, now sits a CD player.
Wren told me Hayes did that when he had it.
When we pull into my yard, I unbuckle my belt and throw my sweater over my head before opening the door. “Thanks for the ride!” I yell over the sound of rain and thunder.
“No problem! See you tomorrow!” Wren yells back, waving before I take off running for the cover of my porch.
As soon as my feet hit my steps, something feels wrong.
I look around but don’t see anything out of sorts.
No one is out in weather like this, but I still can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right.
I unlock the door and breathe through flashbacks of the last time I walked into a house and felt like something was wrong.
Very slowly, I take a deep breath and push inside.
The house is dark and still, but the sound of footsteps and the slide of the back door has my steps faltering and my hand flying up to stop the gasp that wants to come out. Quickly reaching into my pocket, I pull out my phone and dial 911.
“Lavender Falls dispatch. How can I help you?”
“Hi. I think I just had a break in,” I tell a voice that I recognize as Beatrice on the other line.
“Can you tell me your name and address? I’ll have an officer there shortly. Are you hurt in any way?”
“No, no. I’m okay. Just frightened. This is Jade. I live at house 6 down Birch Ave.”
“Okay, Jade. Just wait there and an officer will be with you shortly. Is the intruder gone? Are you safe?”
“I believe they are gone,” I tell her as I begin to take slow measured steps deeper into the house.
“Okay. Are you okay to hang up, or do you want me to stay on the line?”
A knock on my door makes me jump, and my heart rate speeds up.
“Someone knocked on my door,” I whisper into the phone.
“It’s just an officer,” Beatrice informs me, and my body relaxes.
“Jade? It’s West. Can you open the door?” he calls from the other side.
“Oh, it’s West,” I tell Beatrice.
“I’ll let you go now, hunny,” she says.
“Okay, thank you,” I tell her, hanging up the phone and opening the door for West.
“Oh, thank God.” He breathes a sigh of relief. “You weren’t answering, and I was worried I’d have to break the door down.”
I smile at that protectiveness coming out again. “Sorry, I was on the phone with Beatrice,” I tell him. “Thank you for getting here so quickly.”
“I was on my way home when your call came in. I was worried about you,” he says, placing his big hand on my cheek and stroking.
“I’m okay,” I promise, leaning into his touch.
“Can you tell me what happened?”
“Wren dropped me off, and when I entered inside, I heard footsteps and the slide of my back door slamming shut.”
“Okay. Mind if I take a look around?” he asks, scanning the area.
“No, of course not,” I say, stepping out of the way so he can do his thing. “My doors and windows are always locked, so I’m not sure how they would have gotten in,” I tell West as he inspects the front door.
“No signs of forced entry here, I’ll check the other door and some windows,” he tells me, taking off into my house.
While West searches for clues, I call for Pumpkin, snuggling into her soft fur once she’s safe in my arms.
“I can’t find anything that indicates a forced entry. You’re sure everything was locked?” he asks me, glancing around.
“I’m positive. It’s not something I ever forget or take very lightly,” I tell him honestly.
He watches me like he wants to ask why, and I start to shift, avoiding eye contact.
“Okay. Have you noticed anything missing?” he asks.
My cheeks flush, because I haven’t even looked. “Honestly, I haven’t even bothered to look around. Whatever it was they were looking for, they probably didn’t find it here. I don’t have much for valuables.”
“Well, if you do notice anything, let me know. For now, everything looks good. Windows are locked, and your doors look fine."
“Thank you for checking. I’m sorry if I overreacted.”
“Nothing to apologize for. I’m just glad you’re okay. I want you to know you can always call me. I’ll always come.”
“Thank you.”
I walk West to the door and say goodbye. Once he’s gone, I walk around, rechecking all the locks and latches, and then head to my room, Pumpkin in tow, where I change into my pajamas and push my dresser in front of my door.
Lying in bed but not yet tired, I grab my laptop and check my emails.
My pulse picks up when I see another email from an unknown sender with the subject line DOES HE KNOW YOU ARE LYING?
Hesitantly, I click on the email. There’s nothing there but a document.
With shaky fingers and my heart racing, I scroll over the attachment and click.
My ears ring, and my breath hitches. On the screen is my obituary. Or rather, Hadley’s.
Frozen, I stare at a much younger version of myself on the screen while tears begin to build in my eyes.
This can’t be happening. Blinking away the tears, I quickly close down my email and put my laptop away.
Somehow, someone knows who I am. I’m not sure how this is possible, or why they keep threatening me with West, but there’s only one thing I know I should do. I need to consider calling Nick.