Chapter 37
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Evie
“Have you talked to Austin today?”
I frowned as I pulled a rack of cookies out of the oven. Matthew stood in the doorway of my bakery kitchen, his expression twisted with worry.
It’d been about a week since the four of us spent an entire day exploring Nick’s BDSM palace. Since then, all our routines had converged even more than before. Austin and Nick still “hated each other” but were more than willing to put down that dislike the moment clothes were off.
I’d never been happier. Truly. Everything felt so right when I was with the three of them, but there were still worries sitting on my shoulders. Like Phil. None of us had seen him again, which was good, but it still made me anxious that he could be hanging around.
And then there was Austin.
“I don’t think I have,” I said, pulling my phone out of my pocket. I checked all my messages, and sure enough, hadn’t heard anything. “I don’t have any texts from him.”
Which was odd. Austin always texted me in the mornings. Maybe I was spoiled, but I was getting used to three good morning texts every day. Not having one from him sent all the alarm bells in my head ringing.
Matthew frowned. “Okay. I’m about to run to work, but maybe I’ll swing by his place after. I haven’t either.”
“Maybe he’s busy?” My tone wasn’t very convincing.
Matthew’s brows creased together.
“What is it?” I asked, going to him. He slid his arms around my waist and when I started to try and dust off the flour I was getting on him, he just grabbed my hands and placed them on his chest.
“I change into scrubs anyways,” he said. “I don’t care if you get flour all over me.”
I smiled, but then it faded. “What’s wrong?”
He let out a sharp breath. “I’ve just been worried about him. We all have been. And I still don’t think he’s really slowed down.”
He was right, of course. And I’d noticed the same thing.
It was frustrating because obviously we all wanted what was best for him.
But I was going on years now of encouraging him to slow down, and even with him promising me he was going to make it happen, those words were starting to feel a little bit empty.
“Maybe we should go with June’s kidnapping idea,” I sighed.
Matthew snorted. “He needs to make the choice for himself.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I know. I believe him when he says he’ll do it.”
“Do you?” Matthew’s eyes softened with sadness. “I want to. You’ve known him longer than I have. But . . . I don’t know.”
“He did take his mom’s grocery delivery off his plate,” I said. “He also talked to Avery and Dallas about taking over their own bookkeeping, which they were both happy to do. So he has made small improvements.”
“But he worked twelve hours at the hotel the other day,” Matthew said. “Covered a shift for one of the people who works there between general repairs and taking care of customers. The day before that, he worked another ten hours just sorting through community center emails and complaints.”
“We probably need to start charging Mrs. Carlson for the amount of time she takes from him.”
Matthew’s shoulders relaxed, and when he laughed this time, it was easier.
“This is true. She’s my problem too, you know.
She’s in to see me at least once a month, convinced she has a symptom of some odd disease.
The reality is she’s one of the healthiest people in her age group that I’ve seen in my entire career. ”
“Good for her,” I said blandly.
“Evie.”
I stifled a laugh. “Sorry. She’s a nightmare. Happy she’s healthy.”
“Mm-hmm.” Matthew tipped my chin up. “I’ll try not to worry too much about him. But . . . do we go to him? Do we give him space?”
“I don’t know,” I sighed. “I want to help and support him. I don’t know what to do. Sometimes he just wants to be alone. Maybe I should text Avery and Dallas . . .”
Matthew let out a hum. “I’ll text him again tonight. It’ll be okay. We’ll be there for him.”
I nodded, then leaned up on my tiptoes, kissing him hard on the mouth even as I heard the door to the bakery open with a jingle. I winked at Matthew, then craned my head to see who’d come in.
“Oh fuck,” I whispered.
Matthew turned around, his body stiffening as he spotted the man waiting behind the counter.
“Is that him?” he asked.
“Yes,” I whispered.
Phil. The debt collector. I still wasn’t fully convinced he was a legitimate debt collector. This may have been West Texas, but it wasn’t like it was the Wild West. Showing up like this was unacceptable.
“I’m going to go talk to him,” I decided.
“Evie,” Matthew warned. “Maybe we should call someone. I can’t exactly get into an altercation since I’m a doctor.”
“You don’t need to,” I said. “I’ve got this.”
I went to my table and grabbed my long, thick, French rolling pin. Matthew had pulled out his phone and scowled, putting it away when he saw my weapon of choice.
“What on earth are you gonna do with that?”
“Crush his balls if I have to,” I said, and carried it to the front.
Matthew was right behind me as I crossed my arms, glowering at Phil.
“I thought you knew you weren’t welcome back here,” I said. “What the hell do you want?”
“Just trying to get info about the Whynots—”
“Why?” Matthew asked.
Phil cleared his throat, regarding him coolly. “You’re also dating Austin, are you not? Have you—”
“How could you possibly know that?” Matthew asked. His hand settled on my shoulder, and he gave me a squeeze. I felt that pit in my stomach. Something was so off about this guy, it made my skin crawl. “Who the hell are you? Why are you stalking us?”
“It’s my job to find out information,” Phil snapped.
“Then why aren’t you talking to a Whynot? Why are you showing up here trying—and failing I might add—to intimidate my partner? This is a small fucking town, and no one likes it when there’s a threat to our community,” Matthew said.
The door swung open, and my eyes widened when Levi, Mateo, and Nick all piled in. They must have been close by.
“You got five fucking seconds to get the hell out of here,” Nick snarled.
“Probably less once my wife spots the SOS text,” Mateo said.
“I’m not here to cause trouble for any of you,” Phil said, holding up his hands. “The Whynots owe me money.”
“It’s been five seconds,” Levi growled.
That man, for being one of the sweetest teddy bears I’d ever met, filled the room with a presence I’d only seen on the ice when he played hockey—and even then, only through a screen. Seeing it in real life made my jaw drop.
Phill immediately fled for the door, his eyes wide and face flushed. He paused before running out. “I’ll get what’s mine,” he snarled. “One way or another.”
“Get the fuck out,” Mateo snapped.
The door slammed shut and I blew out a breath. I put down my rolling pin and leaned against the counter, my mind spinning.
“That guy is nuts,” Nick said. “I don’t like him. We should call someone and report this.”
“He knew I was dating Austin too,” Matthew said. “I think he’s been stalking us, Nick.”
The hair on the back of my neck stood up. The very idea of someone watching any of us like that scared the hell out of me.
Matthew’s hand slid across my back, and he gave me a gentle rub.
“I don’t know what to think,” I said.
“There’s no way he’s a real debt collector,” Levi said.
“Not at all,” Mateo agreed. “I don’t like any of this.”
“If he’s not a real debt collector, then who is he?” Nick asked. “Who would be trying to go after our—er—the Whynot family?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “But I don’t like it. At all.”