“Find out if Tommy’s close to the station.” The dispatcher got on the radio and asked for Tommy’s location. He was only a few miles away. “Tell him to pick me up.”
If it was my Jenny having a problem, I intended to be on the scene.
3
~ Jenny ~
“You’re making a scene, and you need to leave before my neighbors call the police.” I tried to jerk my arm away, but Chad had a tight grip on my wrist. “You’re hurting me.”
“Who was the man at the bar?”
“There were a lot of men at the bar tonight.” I knew exactly which man he meant, but his jealousy was making me angry. As expected, he’d been parked outside my apartment when I arrived. I’d almost kept driving. My best friend’s sofa was available to me anytime I wanted it. But Autumn’s fiancé lived with her now, and I didn’t want to intrude. Besides, no way was I going to let Chad run me away from my home.
“Don’t think I didn’t see the way you looked at him, Jenn.”
Well, I had done a double take, but so what? My mom and dad had a you-can-look policy, and I’d always believed that it was because they trusted each other and were secure in their love. With a man like Chad, that would never happen. Would, in fact, just get worse. I was done with him.
“He was a customer, Chad. Of course I looked at him.” I huffed out a frustrated breath. “You’ve known from the beginning that I’m leaving in December, and that there would never be anything serious between us. You agreed to that.”
“I changed my mind. And this idea of yours to take off for God knows where or how long is ridiculous.”
“Well I haven’t changed my mind, and I could care less what you think.” I tried to pull my arm away again, but he held tight.
Chad was a stockbroker in Asheville, and part of his attraction had been his claim that he was too focused on his job to get involved in a serious relationship. With his puppy-brown eyes and soft voice, my first impression of him had been that he had a gentle soul. Like I said, I’m obviously a lousy judge of men. Chad actually had the soul of a self-centered, controlling Neanderthal. And those soulful eyes that had charmed me in the beginning were starting to creep me out with the way he would sometimes stare at me, as if he owned me and needed to make me understand he was my lord and master.
“Let. Go. Of. Me.” As soon as I could put some distance between us, I would tell him it was over. Again. I’d tried to get that through his thick skull as soon as I’d gotten out of my car, but he’d closed his ears to anything he didn’t want to hear.
He slid his other hand up my arm. “Come on, baby, you know I love you.”
When he tried to kiss me, I turned my face away. “No, you don’t, but it doesn’t matter. I want you gone, and don’t come back. Ever.”
“That’s not how this works, Jenn. I say when it’s over.” He grabbed my hand, pulling me toward my apartment.
He was starting to scare me with the way his eyes shone with barely concealed anger. I was sure my neighbors were already peeking through their blinds, and I hoped one of them had called the police. Deciding it was time to make a lot of noise, I dug in my heels.
“Let go of me,” I yelled.
A man came out from a few doors down. “There a problem here?”
“No—”
“Yes,” I said, speaking over Chad’s denial. “I want him to leave.” This was embarrassing, but I was grateful for the man’s appearance.
“This doesn’t concern you.” Chad narrowed his eyes at me. “Unless he’s another one you’ve been flirting with. Are you screwing him, too?”
Seriously? I needed to have a firm talk with myself about my boyfriend choices. “Who I’m screwing or not screwing is no longer any of your business.”
“The lady wants you gone,” the man said.
Chad dropped my arm and stepped toward my neighbor just as bright lights almost blinded my eyes and the sharpwhoop whoopof a siren sounded. Everyone froze.
“What’s the problem here,” a cop said after getting out of his car.
“No problem, Officer,” Chad said.
I glanced over, and seeing Tommy Evans, I backed up until I was close to him. “The problem is I want him to leave.” I pointed at Chad. “He refuses.” I’d never in my life witnessed or been involved in a domestic dispute, and I took a moment to be depressed that I could no longer say that.
Chad the Idiot waved a hand at my neighbor. “That man assaulted me. I want him arrested.”
