Chapter 14
Tate: He’s here.
Will: What? Where?
Will: Did you see his face?
Tate: No.
Will: Then how do you know?
Tate: It was him.
Will: This was all part of your plan?
Tate: Yup.
Will: Is she still safe with you?
Tate: She’s safe. He’s here. And we’re going to get him.
I was fine.
The next couple of days, I sequestered myself in my room most nights. But that was because I was behind and on a deadline. It didn’t have anything to do with our scare in the woods, which was probably just nothing. It was nothing.
I was fine.
To show just how fine I was, I even agreed to meet up with Ari and Reese at the pumpkin patch the next day.
We had started the day laughing about each of our latest antics that our texts just didn’t do justice.
Tate had hung nearby, giving us space to talk, but was never out of reach. Never out of sight. Never not watching.
It should have been enough.
But my skin kept prickling, and my eyes kept darting. The constant feeling of someone watching me was enough to drive me crazy. I was a walking target. Nobody knew what we were dealing with. Were my friends in danger just for being with me?
Unable to stomach the thought, I made an excuse, and Tate and I left soon after with a weak promise on my part to get together again soon.
So, imagine my surprise on Sunday afternoon, when two friendly knocks sounded at my bedroom door. When I found Ari and Reese on the other side, my surprise laugh turned into a cry. Four arms quickly enveloped me in a giant hug, causing more tears to flow down my face.
Once I extracted myself enough to close the door behind them, I glanced down the hallway and met Tate’s eyes at the bottom of the stairs.
For a moment, I was startled at his sheer attractiveness wearing a baseball hat and jeans.
I didn’t have to get any closer to know how devastating the blue on his shirt would make his eye color.
“You good?” he asked, nodding toward my bedroom with my unexpected guests.
“Yeah,” I said, smiling before wiping the last of the tears from my face. He nodded and trudged into the living room, where I could faintly hear a game on.
“Okay, question. Why is your sexy bodyguard all the way downstairs?” Reese asked as she flopped down on my bed, wearing overalls that looked amazing on her. “When he texted us, we didn’t know you’d be holed up in your room like a hermit.”
“Wait, what?” I asked. “Tate texted you?”
Ari, looking chic in a pair of wide-legged jeans and a green ruffled shirt, sat down on my desk chair. “He told us why you were nervous yesterday and said you’d probably be more comfortable if we came here instead. He thought you might want your friends.”
I was quite aware of the way they both watched me for a sign. I tried to hold back any facial expression, but they were right. It was sweet. Too sweet. And the butterflies in my stomach and the smile crawling across my face knew it.
Dang it.
“How are you feeling?” Ari asked, flipping her long dark hair over her shoulder.
The three of us had been friends for so long, but it had been a while since we’d all hung out in my bedroom together.
It reminded me of our sleepovers in junior high and high school.
After graduation, we had scattered, keeping in touch as best we could, but to have them here with me now was the best gift Tate could have given me.
It felt strange and, at the same time, completely normal.
And I craved normal.
“I’m just so sick of it. I’m scared one minute, and the next, I’m so sick of feeling scared that I’m ready to go do something crazy to try and get it over with,” I said, flopping down on the bed next to Reese.
“If I see him, I’m planning to kill him with my bare hands,” Reese said, with the perfect mixture of truth and dramatics to make us all laugh.
“I’d pay good money to see you do that,” I said.
“Are you going to the festival?” Ari asked.
I shook my head.
“What about for research?”
“I have to put a fall festival in my screenplay, but I’ve been to enough. I’ll be fine. I can catch the right vibes.”
“You have to come. I’m in charge of a million pumpkin activities for this thing,” Reese said.
“I don’t want to put anyone at risk,” I said.
“He’s not here for anybody else,” Reese said, sitting up on the bed. “You need to stop worrying about that. You’re probably safest in a big crowd.”
“I’ll be at the barn raising for sure. The Walkers are all signed up to help with that.”
“And the dance after?” Reese asked hopefully.
“I’m sure not.”
“The Ednas have been busy telling everyone that you’re dating that tall, handsome Walker boy,” Ari said somewhat wickedly, her voice dropping down to mimic the older women. “They’d be so disappointed not to see you two making out on the dance floor.”
“Like you’re one to talk about dating arrangements.” Reese gave Ari a pointed grin.
“That’s right,” I said, brightening. “How is Wade?”
Unfazed, Ari nodded pointedly toward Reese. “I think Reese is the one with more to tell about secret dates.”
I turned to face her. “What? Guys! Just because I’m a hermit now doesn’t mean you can leave me out of all the juicy gossip.”
“When there is something to tell, I will tell,” Reese said solemnly. “But I can promise you, there is not.”
“Same,” Ari agreed.
“You’re both liars,” I said.
Since I didn’t want to talk anymore about my problems, we pivoted in the best way.
With the three of us squished together on my bed, sharing a blanket and a bag of Skittles I called my writing fuel, we watched the cheesiest romantic comedy that ever existed—with the exception of the cat bakery, of course.
But as we got further into the movie, I could no longer claim I hated the cheesy parts.
Suddenly, I found myself laughing hysterically on the bed with two of my best friends, just like the old days.
We spent ninety minutes happily predicting every plot point and throwing our Skittles whenever the face of the jerk city boyfriend appeared on screen.
It gave me ninety minutes where I wasn’t thinking about Leroy.
And even at the end, after the absolute worst peck of a kiss imaginable, I found myself completely grateful the movie existed. It had done its job impeccably.
For a short while, the darkness inside of me had been lightened.
It was the week of Autumn Ridge’s famous fall festival, which meant the start of the Walker Family straw maze.
Combine all of that with Jaxon’s wedding the week after, and the Walker clan was busy.
Since opening day, Tom and Luke practically lived at the straw maze; Jaxon was always with his fiancée, and Ann was busy planning receptions and wedding luncheons for the week after the festival.
And Tate…was with me.
Autumn Ridge went all out for the festival. School was even canceled. Main Street completely shut down for the entire week-long event. Instead of cars or bikes crowding the roadway, vendor and craft booths, face painting, pony rides, carnival games, and so much more lined the streets.
Tate and I spent most of the week helping out at the straw maze.
We’d be in the ticket booth out front, taking money and selling maple- flavored popcorn.
Almost literally attached at the hip. At the end of each day, we wandered through Main Street and grabbed dinner and some baked goods from one of the booths.
We watched a pie-eating contest, a pumpkin bake-off, and connected with old friends.
We even ended up at the homecoming football game at the high school on Friday night.
I hadn’t felt this much like myself for a long time.
I was under no illusion that Tate would be here doing any of these things on his own. But it made it that much sweeter that he was here doing it all for me.
All the while, my head and manuscript exploded with ideas.
Maybe it wasn’t ideas so much as an autobiography.
Without meaning to, my librarian main character was now hiding from a stalker, not an ex.
Her cop love interest was an after-hours hobby farmer, and as a librarian, she was put in charge of running a booth at the fair.
This week of magical autumn festivities had breathed such a spark inside of me that I was nearly buzzing.
My fingers were flying across the keyboard late at night, and Tate was filling way too many of my thoughts during the day.
Now that I knew where Tate was going once a week, I invited myself along on his next visit to his partner, Ty Coleson.
His room at the rehab facility had a bunch of family visiting when we arrived, so we’d stayed only long enough for Tate to introduce me to Coleson.
He was younger than I thought, and I suspected that once he was out of rehab and back in his real clothes, he’d look even younger.
His dark blond hair suited his easy grin and laid-back attitude, giving him the vibe of a California surfer.
“This the new girlfriend?” he said loudly, nodding toward me while grinning up at Tate. “Nicely done. She’s way better looking than you.”
I liked him immediately.
“She never lets me forget it either,” Tate said. “When do you get out?”
“My physical therapist told me that as long as I was a good boy and didn’t whine through my appointments, I could go home next week.”
Tate looked visibly relieved to hear the news.
We left him to his family soon after. When we stood to go, I leaned in to give Coleson a hug when he said loudly, “Your man saved my life. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here. So remember that when he’s trying to spin you a different tale.”
Tate had visibly stiffened but laughed it off. We left soon after.
Now, Tate and I stared through the window of the freezer section where every Ben and Jerry’s flavor of ice cream was staring back at us.
The night seemed young, and neither of us were ready to cut it short.
I already knew what I wanted, but searching every flavor just to be certain was half the fun.
“What’s your favorite?” I asked Tate.