Uncertainty
Natalie,now in a state of panic, called the realtor in Alabama at lunch. An offer had already been placed on the house, but the seller was accepting backups. Natalie hesitated, her voice shaking as she instructed the agent to put in an offer on her behalf. She hung up the phone. There, it was done. Now, she just needed that job to come through. If it didn’t, though, there were other options for nurses: retirement homes, hospitals in nearby towns. Nursing wasn’t like ballet dancing or Broadway roles with jobs feeling like one in a million to land. At least New York had given her that, if nothing else.
Colt finally called back just as Natalie went to put her phone back in her locker.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, “I forgot I’d put my phone on vibrate. It was in my bag and I couldn’t hear it go off. Are you okay?”
Natalie shook her head. “Not really. Gavin was across the street this morning, watching me.”
“Before you went in?”
“Yeah. And I tried to call you, but . . . ”
“It won’t happen again. I promise you.”
“It’s fine. It’s not like we live together anyway.”
“No,” Colt said. “But I hope we’ll be spending more time together after all this is over.”
“I . . . I’m not sure,” Natalie said. Her voice threatened to crack, but whether from the stress of the day or the thought of leaving New York or because she’d told herself that she didn’t mean anything to him, she wasn’t sure.
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing. Can you track Gavin?” Natalie asked. “I don’t want to leave here if he’s still waiting for me outside.”
“I’ll find him,” Colt said. “But listen; you need to call the police. You need to show them the text messages, tell them he’s stalking you. Stay with Kaylin tonight or get a hotel room. Understand?”
Natalie grimaced. Gavin had asked her many times if she “understood” his directives: don’t let his calls go to voicemail, don’t wear low-cut shirts, don’t talk to other men.
“I can’t leave Nugget alone,” Natalie said. “Just, please . . . do your job.” She hung up the phone.
It rang again.
“Hello?” Natalie said, wiping her nose on her sleeve.
“Hello, Natalie,” her realtor said. “Just talked to the sellers. Nothing was in writing with the first offer; they want to accept yours. Congratulations!”
Natalie mumbled a “thank you” before hanging up. She slumped against the wall. That was it, then. She’d put a house on the opposite end of the country under contract. Her parents would be happy. She would break the news gently to Kaylin. For now, all that mattered was getting as far away from Gavin as possible.
* * *
Feelingscared and helpless overpowered Natalie’s feelings for Colt. She left work early but didn’t notify him. She’d made up her mind about moving away and couldn’t let anyone make her hesitate about this decision, especially Colt. She left the hospital through a different door and took a circuitous route home, adding almost a mile to her commute before taking a subway to a stop further away from her house, then walking a wide swath of city blocks before finally turning onto her street.
She ran the steps up to her door, glancing over her shoulder, scared of who she might see. It had dawned upon her that she’d willingly invited a monster into her life, into her bed. She threw the door open and slammed it shut behind her, locking it.
Nugget nosed the leash, wanting to go out. “In a minute,” she said, then patted his head and started looking for a suitcase. “I just need to pack some things. Then we’ll go out.” The lack of sleep from last night and the anxiety from this morning caught up to her in one swift rush. She felt dizzy and sat on the couch. “Just a couple of minutes,” she whispered and drifted off to sleep.
