I shrug. “At first I thought it was Jason, but the longer this has gone on, it seems less likely.”
“Have you gone to the police?”
With a long blink and deep inhale, I shake my head. “Not yet.”
“Well, is he going to?”
I groan. “He says he wants to deal with it himself.”
“Of course he does.” She rolls her eyes. “How does he think he’s gonna do that?”
I scoff. “Honestly, I don’t know. He seems stuck on this whole Jason thing, but then it’s like he doesn’t do anything about it. I’m not sure if he’s just waiting for more proof or what?”
“Who else knows about this? Do you have anyone else to talk to?” she asks.
“A couple of my coworkers, they’re tight with Logan. Both of them are like older brothers, so they’re on edge too. The whole thing sucks. I’m so tired of this. I feel like Logan and I haven’t had a chance at a normal relationship because all this other bullshit is taking up so much space.” I sigh. “Logan is really struggling with it.”
She takes a sip of her drink. “I mean, maybe you need to take a break, just allow things to calm down first. If it is your ex, yournew relationship could be escalating his behavior. Especially if you’re in danger, you don’t want to risk your safety.”
I shake my head.No way.“Logan is stressed. He cares deeply and is worried about me.”
“He ought to do something about it instead of sitting around and waiting.”
Lifting my shoulders, I ask, “What’s he supposed to do?”
“Kick that guy’s ass?”
Easier said than done. I chuckle and wave my hands as if I can erase the conversation we’re having. “Let’s talk about something else. This stalker drama takes up enough of my life as it is, I’m not letting it ruin my nights out with friends, those are rare enough as it is. I’m really happy you reached out so we could do this!”
She nods and wraps an arm around me, offering a half hug. “Me too! This is one of the first work trips that I could actually look forward to!”
“Oh!” I take a sip and set my glass on the table, then clap my hands together. “Okay, so there’s a guy I’d like to introduce you to. One of my coworkers. He’s really great, and I think you two would hit it off.”
Her brows pop up. “Oooh, tattoos? He’s an artist?”
“Yes, he’s so talented!” I feel positive about them being a match. “He does incredible script and lettering work, watching him freehand is wild. He’s gifted.”
“Is he tall? He’s gotta be taller than me, I want someone who can pick me up and toss me around.” She waggles her eyebrows, making me laugh—something I haven’t done enough of lately.
I nod. “He’s got the height. He’s also got muscles if that’s your thing. Hang on, I have a picture.” After taking out my phone, I go into my photos and scroll back to some from the Bozeman expo. I zoom in on his face and turn the screen toward her. “This is Hawthorne, he goes by Thor. He’s a bit of a cowboybut very down to earth . . . There’s just one thing. He’s got a bit of a rap sheet. I know, not the greatest opener, but he’s a good guy, truly.”
“Holy shit.” She takes the phone from me and blinks. “I don’t care if he kicks puppies, this man is hot. Like,hot-hot.”
“See?”
“Maybe I’ll swing by the tattoo shop before I head out of town, then . . . introduce myself. Or we could go out Saturday night, see if he wants to tag along?”
I wrinkle my nose. “I’m sorry, I can’t on Saturday.”
“What? Why?” She pouts out her lower lip.
“Logan has a night planned for us.”
She huffs a breath, rolling her eyes. “Come on. You can see him anytime. We can go clubbing. I wanna meet this guy!”
I laugh. “I know, I’m sorry—Logan’s just worked so hard setting up this date.”
She grumbles into her drink. “He probably hasn’t worked that hard. Men don’t put out serious effort like that.Unless they want sex.”
