Jackson
“Hey, babe. How was the drive?”
“It was ok,” she says softly.
Something’s off. She’s more quiet than normal. She looks sadder. Almost like the weight of the world is on her shoulders.
“What’s going on? What happened?”
“He installed cameras in my house.”
“What?” I blink, sure I misheard her.
“In every room except the bathrooms,” she sighs.
She goes on to explain how Evan called as soon as they pulled into the driveway and how he knew when Mason turned off the power. How the camera in her study has been there for a while and how vulnerable she feels knowing he’s been watching her.
“I'm sorry, sweetheart. I wish there was something I could do. Man, I wish I was there just so I could hold you.”
“Me too,” she whispers.
“Did anything else happen?”
“Well, Peck called.” She offers me a weak smile.
“He gave us even worse news. Evan definitely has tracking software on my phone. He most likely knows where you live now. He knew when I got back into Pittsburgh and that’s why he called.
When we leave tomorrow, we’re leaving my phone behind.
Mason got me a new phone, so I’ll be using this new number now. ”
“I was wondering what was up with the unknown number. I almost didn’t answer when you called.” I run a rough hand through my hair. I feel so bad for Harper. She didn’t ask for any of this. She doesn’t deserve it either. “Do we know why he’s doing this?”
“Not really,” she sighs. “Peck thinks this is somehow related to my biological dad, but we don’t know how. He’s still looking into it… I just want this to be over with.”
“Me too.”
We’re quiet for a few minutes. I know she’s more than overwhelmed with all of this new information and I'm still trying to sort through everything in my head.
“I was talking to Hunter…” I trail off as I try to figure out if this was a bad move on my part. I don’t want Harper thinking I'm overstepping, and maybe I am, but I'm just trying to help.
“Ok… And?”
“Well, we were talking about your future. I don’t know what you want to do, but Hunter said if you want to go to law school around home, he’d make some calls and try to get you into one of the programs. He knows a lot of people and he’s more than willing to help.”
I smile, hoping she doesn’t get angry. I'm not trying to overwhelm her any more than she already is, but I want to help in some way. I feel like my hands have been tied through all of this.
“If I overstepped…”
“No! You didn’t. You’re my boyfriend and that means you’re completely invested in my future and where I go to school. It’s understandable for you to get involved.” She nods her head.
“Understandable or acceptable?” I wince as I voice the question floating around in my head.
“Both.” Harper smiles a real smile, one that reaches her eyes and warms my heart. “Thank you for caring enough to help. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“I need to pack a few more boxes before I crash.” She glances around her bedroom. “While I'm taking my final in the morning, the movers will be packing things up.”
“How are you feeling about the final exam?” I don’t think she’s studied at all and I'm sure she’s panicking about it.
“Honestly? I’m trying not to think about it. I’ve been studying all semester, but I haven’t studied for the final… if that makes sense?”
“It makes sense. You’ve kept up, but you haven’t studied for this particular test.”
“Exactly! I know I won't ace it, but I'm hoping I do good enough to keep my 4.0 grade point average… And if I don’t, I'm not sure I care. There’s so much going on and I feel like I'm drowning.”
“You know I’d do just about anything to help.”
“I know. I just want to get back home. I want to curl up on your couch and fall asleep in your arms. Can we do that?”
“Of course. We can do whatever you need, baby.”