My roommates won’t let me. A few of the guys in my complex are walking me to campus and back.
Celeste’s text popped up next.Good.
Then Kristina.Except they’re going home for Christmas in a couple of days. I’m pretty much the only one staying here.
Was the creepy guy staying as well? Mike didn’t like the idea.Maybe you should come home.
Celeste looked up at him. “I really hope she does.”
Kristina’s answer came through in the next moment.I’ll lose my job.
That was probably true. Kristina worked in retail, where the Christmas season was mandatory.
We could probably find you a job here, Celeste answered.
Feels like creepy stalker guy wins.Kristina was in a tough spot. She didn’t want this guy to decide what she did and where she went— heshouldn’tget to decide that— but she also needed to look out for herself while the authorities tried to get a handle on it all.
But how could those needs be balanced without sacrificing her safety?
“Could you get some time off?” Mike asked Celeste.
She met his eye. “Probably.”
“I think we need to go see Kristina,” he said. “We can grab a couple of hotel rooms near campus, and have her come stay with us while her roommates and makeshift bodyguards are gone. She won’t be alone, and we won’t feel so helpless.”
She reached across the table and took his hand. “Really?”
“Really.” He flagged down the waiter and asked for their check.
A few minutes later, they were in the car driving back home. Celeste was on the phone with Kristina, telling her their plans, which they were figuring out as they went.
Mike had been worried about whether or not Celeste would go on an official date with him. That seemed unimportant now. Kristina was in trouble. He loved her and Celeste both, and he would do whatever he needed to do to help either one of them.
The exact definition of his relationship with Celeste could wait.
Chapter Six
“Iwanted this Christmas to be different,” Celeste said, watching the snow-covered scenery fly past the passenger-side window. “This isn’t quite what I had in mind.”
“You also wanted to go back to Christmases when you were younger. Spending the season near a university campus ought to do that.”
She smiled weakly at his attempt at humor. They were both concerned about Kristina. The eight-hour drive to be with her had given them ample opportunity to worry even more.
“She sounded more like herself when I called her from the rest stop a few hours ago.” Celeste was reminding herself just as much as she was telling him. “I don’t think she’s as worried as we are.”
Mike nodded, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. “We might get there and find out we are overreacting, but I’d rather know that for sure.”
“So would I.” She turned in her seat enough to look at him rather than her window. What would she have done without Mike? He’d been her rock through all of this, just as he had in other difficult times over the past years. He’d even found a hotel with suites: a living room and kitchen with a bedroom on either side. They could comfortably stay there until all was well with Kristina again.
“Thank you again for doing this,” she said.
“For protecting my little girl?” He tossed her a smile. “There was never any question.”
“But I’m sure you meant to spend some time during the holidays with your boys. They aren’t too far from home.” Unlike her kids, who all had moved hours and hours away.
“Brad and Connor think of Kristina as a little sister. When I told them why I was going to be gone, they were not only supportive, but also offered to come pound the creep themselves.”
Celeste adjusted the heating vent so it blew more directly on her. “I hope this turns out to be nothing more than a young man who doesn’t understand social cues.”
