When Xander walked out of the house onto the deck, I couldn’t help but notice how hot the man looked. He was tall, even by men’s basic standards. He had to be a couple of inches over six-foot, at least. He had rich, dark brown hair and light brown eyes. His eyes were bright and intense, and a person could easily get lost in them. He filled out his button-up and jeans beautifully, and his sleeves were rolled up to showcase muscular, sinewy forearms.
He had a straight nose and sharp cheekbones. His jaw was strong and pronounced, and it worked for him. Karla had mentioned he was thirty-years-old and he looked it.
He looked good.
The last thing I needed was to give into the possibility of an attraction that can usually occur between men and women simply for just being a man and a woman.
“Look, I understand this is…unconventional, and…”Christ. How do you explain something so personal to someone who doesn’t believe you or doesn’t care? “I know this is a lot to ask.”
Xander cocked his head and his eye narrowed a bit, studying me. “It’s just…difficult to grasp that someone has been stalking you foryears, yet, hasn’t made a move to…I don’t know. Isn’t the point of stalking someone to,eventually, get to them?”
“Sometimes, it’s about the hunt,” Karla said, chiming in. “I’ve read up on it, and the studies say that sometimes the stalker is obsessed with the fantasy and not the reality. If he makes himself known, then he no longer has the upper hand. He can no longer get off on frightening her. Stalkers control their victims through fear.”
I looked back at Xander. “The only thing I can conclude is that if he attacks me or makes himself known, then this all ends. Whether by him killing me or him getting arrested, it still ends. He’s had a one-sided relationship with me for years. Maybe he just doesn’t want it to end.”
He looked to be pondering my reasoning, but I knew it was just for show. He was obviously close to Trevor and Karla, so my guess was he didn’t want to look bad in front of them. Xander needed to go through the motions, so Karla wouldn’t think he was a dick.
“So, how would this work, exactly?” he asked before taking another drink of his beer.
I took a deep breath and laid out Karla’s plan. “I would look for a house I can afford, but you’re the one who would buy it on paper. You’d have to be the one to meet with the realtors, banks, or mortgage lenders. The second an offer is accepted, I’ll give you most of my cash for a sizable down payment on the property. I’d give you money for all the deposits on the utilities and stuff, too.”
He glanced over at Trevor and I didn’t like it. While I had nothing against Trevor, and even liked him, Karla was my friend. Karla was the one who knew what was going on. What could Trevor offer Xander regarding all this?
Xander looked back at me and asked, “Okay, so what about a job? I mean, you put your house and bills in my name, but you’re going to have to work for a living, right? What’s the point of doing all this when you’re going to have to find employment under your real name?” Xander shrugged a shoulder. “Seems to me that if he is versed in computers or is a cop, he’s going to be able to find you as soon as you land a job.”
This is the part where things got tricky and a might bit illegal. “I’m hoping living in a small town there might be an opportunity to find something that’s cash only and under the table, maybe,” I admitted.
His brows shot up in surprise. “And if you can’t?” he asked.
“I have enough savings to get me by for a while,” I told him. “I was hoping to include a car in all this, as well. I could always find a job a couple of hours away if I have to. I don’t mind a commute. I don’t have a husband or kids, so the drive time won’t take away from anything.”
“So, now, there’s a car in my name, too?” he asked, and no one could miss the irritation in his voice.
Before I could reply, Trevor stood up and said, “It looks like everyone needs top offs.” He jerked his head towards the house. “Help me grab some more drinks, Xan.”
I bit the inside of my cheek as Xander took the hint and stood up to follow Trevor into the house. This was turning into one of the most embarrassing disasters of my life, and that’s saying something.
As soon as the sliding glass door shut, Karla reached over and patted my hand on the tabletop. “It’s going to be fine, Fallon,” she said unconvincingly. “He just…Xander’s just trying to wrap his mind around everything.”
I didn’t trust myself to address her comments, so I took the coward’s way out to buy myself some time. “I’m going to visit the restroom really quickly before they get back with the drinks,” I told her and then stood up to go into the house.
I shouldn’t have lied.
I shouldn’t have lied, and I should have stayed my ass outside with Karla.
I wasn’t thinking about how I’d have to use the hallway that passed near the kitchen to get to the guest restroom. I didn’t really think about it until I heard Trevor’s and Xander’s voices as clear as day.
“Alright, I admit, she’s Karla’s friend and I don’t know much about her, Xan,” Trevor was saying. “But Karla believes her, so…”
“Come on, Trev,” Xander replied. “Do you really believe someone’s been stalking this woman foryearsand the cops haven’t been able to help her? It’s like a bad Lifetime Original Movie. She was raised in foster care, only to have someone from her past,suddenly, start stalking her years later, but she has no idea who it could be.” I heard the crack of a can open. “Then the dude’s been stalking her for years by doing nothing but moving some shit around in her house?”
“Karla vouches for her,” Trevor repeated. “That’s good enough for me to have her in my house.”
“Because you had a choice?” Xander countered. “And even so, Trev, it’s not you or Karla who is putting themselves on the line for someone who is probably just crazy.”
Trevor’s voice sounded incredulous and genuine. “That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?” he asked. “You just met her. Why do you doubt her story?”
“I know you’re married and you’re wildly in love with your wife, Trev,” Xander replied. “But you can’t tell me love and marriage has made you blind. That woman is beautiful. Do you really think if a guy were obsessed with her enough to stalk her for years that he wouldn’t have made a move by now?”
