Turning away, he poured coffee into both mugs, the steam rising between them. Sadie added a bit of milk and sugar before wrapping both hands around the mug and letting the heat seep into her hands. Riley had planted himself between them, head practically resting on the counter as his gaze moved back and forth.
The buzzing of the phone in her pocket broke the silence, and Sadie jumped in surprise. She pulled it out to find Jess’s name on the screen, and her stomach immediately clenched. It had to be nearly midnight in New York.
“I should take this,” she said apologetically. “It’s Jess.”
Corbyn nodded, and she retreated into the living room with her coffee for a bit of privacy. If Jess was calling at this time of day, it couldn’t be good.
“Jess?” she answered, holding the phone to her ear.
“Thank God,” came Jess’s voice, tight with worry, and Sadie froze in place. “I’ve been trying to reach you since yesterday afternoon. When you didn’t answer your phone, I started imagining all sorts of terrible scenarios.”
“I’m sorry,” Sadie said, sinking onto the sofa in defeat. “I had to turn off my phone, and then… things got complicated.”
“Complicated how? Are you alright?”
Sadie closed her eyes, trying to find words for what had happened. With a sigh, she decided to keep it simple and told her, “Nate showed up.”
“What do you mean, showed up? At the inn?”
“He tracked me down. I guess my email login was still saved on his computer, and he found out where I was staying… he researched Corbyn.” The words came out in a rush, and Sadie realized her hands were starting to shake again. “He showed up at the pub yesterday asking all kinds of questions.”
“Shit,” Jess swore, and she could almost picture the tips of her friend’s ears turning red in anger. “Sadie, that’s stalking. Please tell me you called the police.”
“I… I didn’t have to.” Sadie set the coffee mug on the table, anxiety gnawing at her stomach once more. “Corbyn and some of the locals stepped in, and a police officer escorted him out of town.”
“What do you mean, stepped in?” Jess asked, surprise coloring her voice. “You know what, we’ll circle back to Corbyn in a minute… Nate was apparently very busy yesterday, because I called to tell you that he talked to our HR department. Apparently, he’s claiming he’s worried about your mental health and he believes Corbyn is taking advantage of you.”
The words slammed into her, and had she not been sitting, she was sure her knees would have given out.
“He’s what?”
“I shut it down immediately,” Jess told her, but it didn’t ease the tension that had crept into her shoulders. “But he was persistent and manipulative… it took all day for me to convince HR not to pull you off this assignment and launch an investigation.”
She closed her eyes, trying to will away tears. An investigation would likely ruin Corbyn’s chances of his book ever seeing the light of day, regardless of what they found. It had the potential to ruin them both, even though they had done nothing wrong.
“Maybe I need to come home,” she said, the words causing a pit to form in her stomach. “So I can put an end to this.”
“Absolutely not,” Jess replied firmly. “That’s exactly what he wants. You stay where you are, finish the assignment, and let me handle things from this end. I’ll get legal involved if necessary.”
“But—“
“No buts. You’re safe where you are, and the book is almost done, right? I’ll handle Nate.” There was a pause, and then Jess continued, “But Sadie, you need to document everything. Every time he contacts you, texts, emails, calls… make a note of it. If he continues, we’ll need a paper trail.”
“Okay,” Sadie said quietly, though the thought of cataloging Nate’s behavior made nausea climb up her throat.
“Sadie, you need to take this seriously,” Jess told her, her tone stopping Sadie from arguing or downplaying the situation. “The stalking, the manipulation—this is a dangerous pattern and you’re on the other side of the Atlantic alone.”
“Well, about that,” Sadie began shyly, heat burning her cheeks, “I’m… actually staying at Corbyn’s.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line again, and then Jess replied, voice softening, “As your manager, I’m going to forget you told me that. As your best friend, though, I’m relieved you’re somewhere he can’t get to you.”
“I should let you get some sleep,” Sadie said, trying to be aware of the time in New York. “But Jess… thank you. For having my back.”
“Always,” Jess replied firmly. “And Sadie? Stay safe.”
Sadie ended the call and sat there for a moment, trying to process it all. Nate, his behavior last night, his attempt todiscredit Corbyn. It made her stomach twist uncomfortably, and her attempt to take a deep breath was shaky and uneven.
“Everything alright?” Corbyn asked, his voice drawing her from her thoughts as he settled on the sofa. He was close enough that she could feel his warmth and smell his now familiar scent, but still left a respectful amount of space. She tried to ignore the way her chest clenched, thinking he might retreat once he learned what Jess had relayed.
