Evie continued weakly, “The person who saw everything is telling people a bunch of lies. And it’s gonna jeopardize Caleb’s custody rights.”
Deputy Hunt squinted at her. “Honey, don’t you be lyin’ to me. You know I can see it a mile away.” He got up and closed the door then turned and sat back down with a heavy sigh. He leaned over her bed and held her hand. “We’ll set it right. Now, tell me everything.”
Evie was about ready to cry again. “I can’t,” she stammered.
“Evie, if you want me to help you, ya gotta tell me the truth. You know I won’t tell a soul. You’ve kept my secrets, now please trust me to keep yours.”
Her tears came and she sobbed a little. “Okay, okay. Caleb and Ididhave a few times where we kissed. He took me out to dinner at O’Malley’s, and we kissed a lot by his car. And…we almost had sex a few times.”
There went her dignity, right down the fucking drain. But it felt like no matter what she did, she was going to lose. Tell Hunt the truth and break Caleb’s promise of their secret love in order to catch someone stalking her, or lie to Hunt and just keep stressing over lie after lie.
As Hunt scribbled, Evie poured her heart out more, “And we kissedin his truck. Well, he was sitting in his truck, and I leaned up inside so no one could see. Joshua’s house is too far to be able to see anything, and people are saying they saw us kissing in his truck.”
As Hunt wrote, even he nodded. “Yep, even I can attest to that. Sounds like someone may have been on your property or looking from far away with binoculars or something.” He sat upright. “Is this why you believe someone is stalking you?”
She slowly nodded in tears. “Please don’t tell anyone.”
Hunt stood and rubbed her shoulder firmly. “Listen, I ain’t gonna tell no one nothing. That’s not my job. My job is to protect you. Nothing of what you said earlier today matters at all. Do you have any clue who it may be? Do you feel in danger?”
“I have no idea who it is. I thought it could be Sandy Stottlemeyer, but she found out from someone else. My only true guess right now is Kelly Potts.”
“Got it,” he replied dutifully. “You’ll be okay. I’m gonna leave and see what I can do.”
She lowered her head. “Thank you, Hunt. I don’t know what I could ever do to thank you enough.”
He smiled and stood. “Those cinnamon rolls were preeeettty bangin’. It’s been a while since we’ve gotten any.”
She smirked and thumbed her fingers together. “You got it.”
He left her to comb the area for any signs of someone stalking her and even went as far as to take a list of other possible suspects down.
She had confessed to the doctor that she hadn’t been eating well over the last three months due to heartache, depression, and stress. When he offered her to get a prescription, she declined it. It wasn’t like she was clinically depressed, not at all. There were other people out there who were worse than she was and who truly needed such medication to function normally.
She needed to get over Caleb and stop being so dramatic and immature. Or to see him. To see his smile. To feel his cuddly hugs. To see those brown baby eyes that sparkled when he smiled.
She was waiting for her discharge papers when a little knock came outside. “Come in,” she called to the nurse.
But it wasn’t a nurse or a doctor.
Evie almost flew out of the bed when her heart leapt to the heavens.
It was Caleb. There he was again. He came for her, as he always did when she needed him most. His blue jeans were worn with white paint and his company’s hoodie smelled a bit like paint and his cologne.
She hadn’t seen him in three months. He had a box of her favorite chocolates in his hand, a dozen roses in the other, and tucked into that arm was a plush cat that looked like Teddy.
She clasped her mouth and forgot her pain. All she could do was reach out to him with the mists of love brimming in her eyes. He didn’t even hesitate. He hurried to her, dropped the gifts on the bed, sat down, and took her in his arms.
When his strong arms embraced her, she shed all those tears. She trembled immediately with emotional release. She wept into his shoulder. He whispered affectionately, “It’s alright. I’m here.”
Oh, dearGod.That deep voice rumbled in his chest and gently vibrated her cheek. That accent, that warm and sweet accent all blushed with protection and kindness. It drenched her soul with relaxation.
She choked in embarrassment, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to put this on you!” She clutched his sweater.
He brushed her hair with his palm. Caleb felt that she had lost a considerable amount of weight since he’d last seen her. It concerned him, but she didn’t want him to feel responsible at all for her foolishness.
“It’s okay,” he replied. “You’re not a burden. You didn’t put anything on me. I’m here on my own accord.”
They pulled away from each other, and with it he took every fucking ounce of despair she had and wove it with masterful hands into peace. “Are you okay?” He stroked her face, longing to see her nuzzle into his hand the way she always did.
